Senator Richard Roth Secures $500,000 for Civil Rights Institute

Riverside, CA— Delivering once again for the region, Senator Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside) has secured, in the 2023-24 state budget, half a million dollars for the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California.  The monies will fund an electronic archival system, which will document the oral histories of California residents who have made significant impacts on the advancement of civil rights in the region, and to support an enhancement of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Downtown Riverside planned by the Riverside African American Historical Society.

“Since opening its doors last Fall, the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California has uplifted the civil rights story here at home. Our civil rights history is too often overlooked and the Institute does the important work of centralizing these critical stories of our past,” said Senator Roth. “In the face of rising censorship and those who seek to revise history, the Institute is a beacon that shines a bright light on the long civil rights path from the past to today and to the glorious possibilities that the future provides.”

“Senator Roth’s unwavering attention to the sense of community and uniting the City of Riverside with the rest of the Inland Empire has been an effort of great magnitude, which he as graciously taken on during our years of working together,” said Rose Mayes, Executive Director, Fair Housing Council of Riverside County. “With the funds provided for the enhancement of the MLK site on Main Street and for the archival project in conjunction with the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California and the Riverside African American Historical Society, Inc., the history of the Inland Empire and the residents who have made powerful impacts for the betterment of all, will be preserved for perpetuity.”

“This support is critical to developing our digital archive that will preserve the region’s civil rights history and will carry the lessons learned from our community into the future. The resources provided by Senator Roth will sustain the continued efforts of all community members engaged in this necessary work” said Sabrina Gonzalez, executive director of the Civil Rights Institute.

The Institute is the marquee component of a 92,000 square foot project which also provides 72 units of housing and services for families and homeless/disabled veterans, and is the new home for the offices of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County.