Two Days Away! Come Attend the 25th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots Commemorative Service on April 29

The Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa and CA State Treasurer John Chiang Confirmed to Speak Among Others

RSVP for the Event

Los Angeles, CA – Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD), soon to be Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE) will be hosting the closing commemorative service for the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots at Oriental Mission Church (424 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004) on April 29, 2017 from 3 PM to 6 PM. VIP Reception will be from 2 PM to 3 PM at the same location.

The commemorative service will convene 1,200 civic, community, business, and faith leaders who represent diverse communities from throughout Los Angeles and the U.S. to remember the series of injustices that led to and occurred during the LA Riots and reaffirm our shared values in hopes of never letting it happen again. The three-hour long event will bring about a spirit of uniting communities together, with guest speakers, special performances, Heroes of Hope honorees, Voices of Unity and Solidarity and Light the Unity ceremony to capture this historic day.

Avis Ridley-Thomas

Charlie Woo

Nathan Redfern

Heroes of Hope recipients include Avis Ridley-Thomas, Co-founder of Days of Dialogue, Charlie Woo, CEO of Megatoys, Nathan Redfern, former CRIPS gang leader, Radio Korea, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. These extraordinary individuals and organizations are being honored for championing diversity and unity in Los Angeles during the aftermath of the LA Riots and for their work within the last twenty-five years. Heroes of Hope will also hold special remembrances for Jong Min Kang, who organized hundreds of young Korean American men to patrol and protect Koreatown from the rioters and Eddie Lee, the only Korean fatality during the LA Riots.

View All Heroes of Hope

CA State Treasurer John Chiang

The Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa

In addition, fireside chats on the “Then, Now, and Future” of the LA Riots will include CA Treasurer John Chiang and Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles for the Political Leadership discussion, and LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, LAPD Commander Blake Chow, and John Mack, former President of Los Angeles Urban League and former Los Angeles Police Commissioner for the Law Enforcement discussion. Moderating for the fireside chats will be Emmy Award-winning NBC news reporter Hetty Chang.

LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell

LAPD Deputy Chief Dennis Kato

John Mack, former LA Police Commissioner

View All Speakers

Others confirmed to attend include Board Member Jerome Horton of the CA Board of Equalization, City of Artesia Mayor Ali Sajjad Taj, City of Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin, Rev. Chris Halverson, former U.S. Senate Chaplain, Los Angeles City Planning Commissioner Robert Lee Ahn, Pastor J. Edgar Boyd of First AME Church of Los Angeles, Dr. Jesse Miranda, CEO of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and Rev. Jae Yul Kim, President of the Council of Korean Churches in Southern California. A representative from the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s office will also be in attendance. To view our current list of speakers, please go to www.saigu429.org

Sponsors for the event include Union Bank, KoreanAmericanStory.org, California State University, Los Angeles, PAVA, CAUSE, Highgrove Holdings, CAPA21 Action Fund, Janet Braun, and Sandra Ko. To view all of our sponsors, supporting organizations, and endorsements please go to www.saigu429.org

Endorsements

"LA Voice is honored to participate with KCCD and other partners in uplifting a story that we need to re-tell and re-interpret again and again until we understand the depth of our pain, the breadth of our love, and the horizon of our vision. We believe that these kinds of engagements are integral to our wholeness as a people, as we strive for a county of racial equity and abundant life for all—a place where kinship reigns over fear and division. We lean into kinship and hope with our friends at KCCD."

Zachary Hoover, Executive Director, LA Voice

"Advancement Project California was born when the co-founders realized that the injustice we witnessed in 1992 between communities of color could not be resolved without thinking about the systems and structures in our society, which lift certain people into power and leave the rest of us to fight for the crumbs. And so, 25 years later, we take pride in our partnerships with local organizations and community leaders such as KCCD, to build voice and power in Los Angeles and throughout California. We are pleased to see a growing number of elected officials that come from our communities. But there is a lot more to do. There are still too many systems and policies that need dramatic reform to fulfill the dignified dream we all share. As we commemorate with the SAIGU Campaign, let us continue to broaden our unity in our fight for a progressive California."

Advancement Project California

"We the City HRC support the SAIGU Campaign and the great work being done by the KCCD/FACE leading up to the Commemoration Service of the 25th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots, all are in favor."

City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission