riversideca.gov

Tour of Civil Rights Sites Highlights Riverside’s Extraordinary Histories

Published: 3/4/2022




 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 4, 2022

           

Contact:

Robyn G. Peterson

Museum Director

rpeterson@riversideca.gov

(951) 826-5792

 

 

Tour of Civil Rights Sites Highlights Riverside’s Extraordinary Histories

 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Several Riverside-based cultural organizations are partnering to offer a dramatic history auto tour of key civil rights sites on Saturday, April 9.  Participating organizations include the Museum of Riverside, the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation, the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties, Empower You Edutainment, and Inlandia Institute.

“In/VISIBLE, Un/HEARD: Riverside’s Civil Rights Stories” is a program series running at many area cultural organizations throughout 2022.  Within this series, a self-guided auto tour to experience dramatic performances at sites where local history was made will begin at Harada House on April 23, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.  The next stops will be the Trujillo Adobe and the Park Avenue Missionary Baptist Church, and the tour concludes at the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties at about 1:00 p.m.

On the tour, participants will listen to a dramatic reading of historic World War II letters; experience a nineteenth-century wedding; listen in on a conversation about school desegregation in late 1960s Riverside; celebrate local Black history through song, dance, and theater; and end the tour with a discussion linking hidden histories to current issues and struggles.

The In/VISIBLE, UnHEARD theme is predicated on the truth that the aggressions, both macro and micro, of racism and discrimination have erected barriers to fulfillment of potential for many people.  The impact of those aggressions frequently manifests as an overwhelming sense of invisibility for those who are the target.  The project focuses on the journey from invisibility to visibility for those who have suffered racism and other forms of discrimination.  Along this journey, Riverside has several milestones in its history.

The auto tour is free, and reservations can be made on Eventbrite.com to download the map and itinerary (https://tinyurl.com/inVISIBLE-unHEARD).  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, reservations may be required to participate in other programs in the In/VISIBLE, Un/HEARD series, which are occurring through Fall 2022 at many area cultural organizations.

Follow the Museum of Riverside, the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation, the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties, Empower You Edutainment, and Inlandia Institute on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

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About the Museum of Riverside:

The Museum of Riverside, a department of the city of Riverside, holds a large multi-disciplinary collection relevant to the history, culture, and natural science of the region.  The Museum has a proud history of exhibitions, programs, and publications foregrounding local and regional achievement.  Sites include the downtown Riverside main museum, Heritage House, Harada House, and the Harada House Interpretive Center (forthcoming).  All sites except Heritage House are temporarily closed for renovation or rehabilitation.  Heritage House is open Friday-Sunday for guided tours; pre-registration for tours is required via Eventbrite.

For the latest information and resources regarding COVID-19 -- www.RiversideCA.gov/COVID-19

 

 

 

About the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation:

Preserving the significant history of the Trujillo Adobe as it relates to the city of Riverside, the County of Riverside, and Inland Southern California , prior to California statehood, and 30 years prior to Riverside, Spanish Town Heritage Foundation shares the stories of our area’s earliest settlers and their accomplishments through on-site programming, in the classroom, and in the community as the organizer of the Riverside Tamale Festival.

 

 

 

About Inlandia Institute:

Inlandia Institute is a regionally-focused literary and cultural arts nonprofit and publishing house whose mission is to promote literary activity in all its forms throughout Inland Southern California and to celebrate the region in word, image, and sound. To learn more about Inlandia, visit http://inlandiainstitute.org.

 

 

About Empower You Edutainment:

Empower You Edutainment is a nonprofit organization consisting of educators who used their performing arts background to provide education through theatre, storytelling, spoken word, creative writing, art, dance, and music to increase resilience, empowerment, and wellness for youth and adults. To learn more about Empower You Edutainment, visit our website at https://empoweryouedutainment.org/

 

 

 

About the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties:

The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties in the Riverside Community College District is an educational center, research museum, and art gallery. It is the home of the one-of-a-kind art collection of Japanese-American woman artist and Riverside Community College Alumna, Miné Okubo. The Center is committed to social justice and excellence in education and is committed to ongoing dialogues on historical and contemporary issues and struggles for justice. To learn more about the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, visit: https://socialjustice.rccd.edu.

 

 

The CENTER for

SOCIAL JUSTICE & CIVIL LIBERTIES

RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT