Travel | Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties
Another Gem Located in Riverside, California
During a site visit for our upcoming connecting Latinas of Influence | Inland Empire event we had a chance to finally stop in to Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, located in Downtown Riverside. What a beautiful facility. Located @ 3855 Market Street
Riverside, CA 92501, the center changes their displays often. The day we visited the Body of Freedom exhibit was featured. For event planners, you can hold small receptions there.
THE BODY OF FREEDOM – The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties in the Riverside Community College District was awarded a generous Creative Corps Inland SoCal Grant to produce The Body of Freedom.
The Body of Freedom is an expansive collaborative project with the Arts Magnet Program at Ramona High School, Division 9 Gallery, and the Inlandia Institute. The project supports local artists to create inclusive, community-based art workshops rooted in social justice and equity. A fourteen (14) 4-week multidisciplinary workshops ranging from dance, yoga, and visual art to creative writing, fashion, and choir was FREE and open to the public, and community-based workshops ran between September 5 – November 14, 2023.
The art created in those Fall workshops will culminate into a community mural at Ramona High School; and a collaborative exhibition titles, The Body of Freedom, will run between February 1 – March 16, 2024, at The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties.
This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.
About the Center
Situated in the Riverside Community College District’s Renaissance Block, the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties was inspired by and born out of the bequest of Miné Okubo (1912-2001) — a Japanese American woman artist and Riverside City College Alumna who played a significant role in documenting the lives of mid-20th century history of Japanese Americans in the United States. Her artwork, outspoken commentary, and writing, in addition to the publication of Citizen 13660, the first memoir written by a Japanese American incarcerated during World War II, brought her to the attention of many.
The Okubo collection includes more than 8,000 pieces of art work, professional and personal papers, and memorabilia combined that Miné Okubo accumulated during the 50+ years she lived in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. The Collection is located on the Second Floor of an historic two story 10,000 sq. ft. building originally known as the Citrus Belt Savings and Loan Building. The circa 1920s structure features a Spanish Baroque façade. The First Floor of the building, also known as the Plaza Level initially housed a permanent exhibition, known as Riverside Stories. This interpretive exhibition underscored seven stories of individuals and families, all of whom were unwavering in their commitment to social justice and civil liberties in the 20th century. These included: The Harada Family, Frank Johnson, Rupert and Jeanette Costo, Johnny Sotelo, Frank Miller, Tomás Rivera, and Miné Okubo. Riverside stories exhibit remained on the First Floor up until 2020. The area was redesigned to repurpose the open interior space for exhibitions and other programming.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS – by Hispanic Lifestyle
