Sen. Richard D. Roth, D-Riverside, announced Tuesday that the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California will receive $500,000 in the 2023-24 state budget.
The money is intended to fund an electronic archive system, which will document the oral histories of California residents who made significant impacts on the advancement of civil rights in the region, and to support an enhancement of the Marin Luther King Jr. Memorial in downtown Riverside planned by the Riverside African American Historical Society.
“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,” Roth said in a statement.
Sabrina Gonzalez, executive director of the Civil Rights Institute, said the money “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,” Gonzalez said.
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.