The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties Awarded Arts & Culture Grant
02/18/2025
The City of Riverside has awarded The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties a grant through the Arts & Culture Grant Program for the 2024-2026 fiscal years, supporting its mission to provide free access to arts and culture while fostering community engagement and education.
The grant, totaling $36,000 for the fiscal year 2024-2025 and $36,360 for the fiscal year 2025-2026, will support the Center’s operational expenses, marketing efforts, equipment needs, and professional services. The funding will enhance the Center’s ability to continue offering the Riverside community free exhibitions, programming, and educational resources.
“The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties serves as a vital space for artistic and cultural expression while amplifying underrepresented voices,” said Tracy Fisher, Ph.D., director of the Center. “This grant enables us to sustain our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by ensuring that art remains accessible to all, particularly underserved communities.”
The Center houses the largest collection of works by Miné Okubo, a Riverside-born Japanese American artist and social activist known for her book “Citizen 13660”, which chronicles her experience in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II. In addition to preserving Okubo’s legacy, the Center provides programming that explores the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and social justice through the arts.
Over the years, the Center has hosted a range of community-centered exhibitions and programs, including “The Body of Freedom,” a collaborative art project with local high school students, “Black Lives Matter: Voices of Protest,” “Activism, and Art,” and “The Portrait Project,” which showcased self-portraits created by students with unique abilities. These initiatives reflect the Center’s ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue and participation in the arts.
With this grant, the Center will further its mission to amplify diverse voices and nurture creativity, ensuring that Riverside’s arts community remains a space for all to learn, connect, and grow.
Published by External Relations & Strategic Communications