John Hope Bryant and Operation HOPE to Recognize 30 years of Healing and Revitalization in Los Angeles with Community Bus Tour and Press Conference

Operation HOPE Chairman, Founder and CEO John Hope Bryant to join diverse community leaders for a bus tour on April 29 from 9 AM-12 PM. Event to commemorate 30 years of hope, healing and revitalization in Los Angeles.

ATLANTA /PRNewswire/ — On April 29th,  Operation HOPE, the nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to financial empowerment, will host a Community Bus Tour and press conference to commemorate the 30th anniversary of reconciliation and revitalization in Los Angeles.

On April 29, 1992, in response to the acquittal of four white LAPD officers on trial for the brutal beating of African American motorist, Rodney King, Los Angeles saw four days of rioting and civil unrest. Thousands of fires raged over five days in a period of what would later be known as the LA Riots. The day also marked the genesis of what would later become Operation HOPE, the organization that helped rebuild neighborhoods and foster economic growth.

Operation HOPE hosts bus tour commemorating 30th anniversary of LA uprising; Mayor and Rodney King family to attend

In addition to civic and community leaders, participants include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Lora King, daughter of Rodney King and members of Latasha Harlins’ family. The event will be co-chaired by John Hope Bryant, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Operation HOPE. Other partner organizations include Los Angeles Urban League, Community Build, Inc., Vermont-Slauson Economic Development Corporation, R.I.S.E. Financial Pathway, the Los Angeles Black Business Association, Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE), and Pacific Coast Regional Corp.

“Thirty years ago, the world changed, and so did I. The LA uprising crystallized my vision for what would later become Operation HOPE— a vessel dedicated to economic empowerment to all, especially those impacted by the destruction of that day,” Bryant said. “During this bus tour, we will join hands to recognize its lasting impact and continue charting a course to help ensure we never repeat that ugly page in America’s history.”

The bus tour will depart from First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) Renaissance Center, 1968 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 at 9 AM PST. Location stops include Normandie and Florence and Central Avenue, among others.

“My late father, Rodney King, became synonymous with police brutality to some people. But our family remembers him as a human being—not a symbol,” said Lora King, CEO of the Rodney King Foundation. “He never advocated for hatred or violence and pleaded for peace as the city burned by asking ‘Can we all get along?’ That’s my father’s legacy and this community tour is a reminder that healing and unity are possible.”

Award-winning journalist Roland Martin will provide a live streaming experience via multiple platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. For more information, including a list of special invited guests, community partners, and press conference speakers, please visit: OperationHope.org/LA92.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.