*April 29 marked the 27th anniversary of the LA Riots, in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict.
The riots were sparked after four officers with the LAPD were acquitted for the vicious beating of King, in an attack that was recorded by a bystander and the footage was broadcast on news outlets around the world.
Now, Lora King, Rodney’s daughter, is honoring her father’s legacy through the launch of her newly established “I AM A KING” Scholarship Program, designed to celebrate Black fathers.
Selected applicants will receive grants to use for bonding outings with children, including dining expenses and entertainment events such as to the museum or Disneyland.
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There is no statue or memorial to Rodney King. But today, his daughter launched the “I am a King” scholarship to celebrate black fathers. https://t.co/ikY0sYMlKz
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 30, 2019
“Several private donors have already backed this program with more than $10,000 in donations” the press release states. “ Lora’s hope is that the bulk of the funds for this program will come from private donors, while the general public does have the opportunity to support the program.”
“Any African American father in The United States can go to RodneyKing.org and apply for the scholarship. Recipients will have their costs covered to spend a day doing fun activities with their children.”
“We tend to downplay the attention a kid gets from a father, because mothers can be so dominant, but not having time with a father can be detrimental,” King says. “Most of time, fathers around here can’t take the time off because of funding. So I thought maybe I could give them an outing without them worrying about whether they could keep the lights on that month.”
Lora is due to give birth to her first son on Father’s Day — ironically, Rodney was found dead underwater at the bottom of his swimming pool on Fathers Day, June 17, 2012.
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