Rodney King’s daughter launches fund to help Black Dads on 27th anniversary of L.A. Riots
Lora, who is due to give birth to her first son on Father’s Day, aims to provide financial support for Black fathers to help them play a more active role.
Lora, who is due to give birth to her first son on Father’s Day, aims to provide financial support for Black fathers to help them play a more active role.
Rodney King’s daughter Lora is set to honor her late father’s life and legacy through the “I am a King” scholarship,” which she launched Monday to time with the anniversary of the L.A. Riots.
The goal is to celebrate Black fathers by removing financial barriers that prohibit entertainment outings, which were cleared for her father when the city awarded him $3.8 million in damages for abuse he suffered at the hands of police.
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Lora, who is due to give birth to her first son on Father’s Day, aims to provide financial support for Black fathers in an effort to help them play a more active role in their children’s lives, NBC Washington reports. The scholarship will cover the costs for dining and entertainment such as an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland.
The funds will be issued periodically via The Rodney King Foundation, and range in value said King, who plans reach out to the public to solicit donations. Several private donors have already backed with fund with more than $10,000 in donations, according to a press release.
Any Black American father can go to RodneyKing.org and apply for the scholarship.
Twenty-seven years ago this week, four members of the Los Angeles Police Department were acquitted of the brutal beating of King.
The attack came after King led them on a high speed chase across the city. At the time, he was on parole for robbery and was later charged with driving under the influence.
Once police caught up with him, they unleashed a fury that was a caught on camera by a bystander and the grainy graphic footage was broadcast on news outlets worldwide. King suffered skull fractures, broken bones and teeth, and permanent brain damage. The city ultimately awarded him $3.8 million in damages, according to KTVQ.com.
The acquittal of the officers — three of them white — resulted in five days of rioting, looting and the burning of businesses across Los Angeles in 1992.
But tragedy struck on Fathers Day, June 17, 2012, when King was found dead underwater at the bottom of his swimming pool.
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