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Montgomery marches. He worked tirelessly to assure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 <br />and was in attendance when President Johnson signed both that Act and the Voting Rights Act <br />of 1965 into law. In 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated while in Memphis, Tennessee. <br />His legacy lives on and his writings and speeches, including "I Have a Dream", from the March <br />on Washington and "I've Been to the Mountaintop," given just hours before his death, continue <br />to inspire new generations. <br />RAAHS plans for the MLK Jr. memorial enhancement to include embedded metal lettering and <br />bench seating surrounding the monument within rising concrete walls at varying angled heights <br />with famous quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders. RAAHS intends <br />to have the enhanced MLK Jr. memorial unveiling to coincide with the opening of Riverside's <br />Civil Rights Institute. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />On June 24th, 2021, Rose Mayes, President of the African American Historical Society was <br />joined by Lis Zuloaga from PCH Architects to present for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial <br />enhancement project to the Human Relations Commission. Ms. Mayes' motivation behind the <br />enhancements was to ensure that this 20 -year-old MLK monument is kept in good condition <br />and is consistent with the condition of other newly built monuments in the area. Ms. Rose <br />Mayes introduced Lis Zuloaga, Project Manager with PCH Architects to present the concepts <br />for the enhancement project (Attachment 1). Ms. Zuloaga reiterated that the MLK Jr. memorial <br />was commissioned approximately 21 years ago, is showing some signs of aging, and needs to <br />be updated. <br />Over the past 15 years, about 5 other monuments have been added to the pedestrian mall <br />creating a walking museum. Ms. Zuloaga stated that their design concept is "walls rising from <br />the earth, embracing and uniting people", which can be seen in the design concept <br />presentation. Three telescoping poured in place concrete walls with embedded metal lettering <br />and bench seating would be added, providing the public with a space for reflection. Additional <br />landscaping enhancements are also included. The three Magnolia trees already included in <br />this monument will remain protected and unaffected by the project. Concrete pedestals with <br />bronze plaques including inspirational quotes from both local and national influential African <br />American leaders would be added as well. This enhancement provides a concrete paver <br />pathway that would open up opportunities for sponsored pavers. Ms. Zuloaga ended her <br />presentation with a quote from the artist of the MLK Jr. memorial, who stated that "The <br />sculpture is meant to be a reminder of an inspiration to all of us to think about the kind of world <br />we want to leave our children. <br />Ms. Mayes expressed a desire for the Human Relations Commission to be a part of this effort <br />as the Human Relations Commission has been part of similar efforts in the past. Ms. Mayes <br />also expressed that, "We as African Americans are only 6% here, but we have been a leader <br />in quite a few areas including the Civil Rights Institute." <br />The Riverside African American Historical Society is raising funds for this $200,000 <br />enhancement project. <br />The Human Relations Commission voted to approve financial support of this project using the <br />remaining funds in the Human Relations Commission account of approximately $3,900 for the <br />period ended June 30, 2021. Commissioner Kanatzar made a motion to allocate the remaining <br />2 <br />