Rodney King’s daughter, Lora King is working to do amazing things to keep her father’s memory alive, while also helping out other black fathers.
According to USA Today, Lora launched the “I am a King,” scholarship program, which is aimed to help and uplift African American fathers. The scholarship is open to African American fathers throughout the country. Selected applicants will receive grants that will enable them to take their children on an outing for the day.
She said, “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. Most of the time, fathers around here can’t take the time off because of funding. So I thought I could give them an outing without them worrying about whether they could keep the lights on that month.”
So far the scholarship program has received $10,000 in donations, with hopes that sponsors and members from the public will help contribute to the program through donations or services.
De Leon, who will be helping with picking the selected applicants, said, “Going to a museum with your child might seem easy for the average person, but here it’s not the narrative. Many people here are in a cycle, you’re working to pay for rent and food and there’s no money for anything else. This program will help put the father in the spotlight as a hero.”
As many of you know, back in 1991 was brutally beaten by LAPD officers. The encounter was captured on video. Once the public saw the footage, it caused outrage and rioting in the Los Angeles area. In the end, the city awarded him $3.8 million in damages.
