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Thursday, May 09-May 15, 2024
UC Riverside, students agree to end Palestine protest encampment
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Ontario Museum’s annual Culture Fest celebrates Chicanx diaspora at block party
By Joe Taglieri
May S. Ruiz
joet@beaconmedianews.com
T
he pro-Palestine encampment at UC Riverside ended peacefully after student protesters and university officials made several concessions to the protesters' demands, UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox announced Friday. The concessions in the agreement "will be carried out consistent with state and federal law," Wilcox said in a statement. "It has been my goal to resolve this matter peacefully, and I am encouraged by this outcome — which was generated through constructive dialogue. ... "This agreement does not change the realities of the war in Gaza, or the need to address antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination; however, I am grateful that we can have constructive and peaceful conversations on how to address these complex issues," Wilcox said. "As students, we love our university as much as we love our Palestinian homelands, and this resolution reflects our deep commitment to justice and call for the university's complicity in genocide," the UCR chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine said in a statement. "We are proud to be the first campus in the University of California to peacefully end our encampment, without any violence, arrests, or dismissals and meet the demands of the students," the UCR-SJP
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MayRChu56@gmail.com
n 2009, the various community groups in the city of Ontario’s recreation centers got together and created what they dubbed the performer showcase. What was a simple affair has become an annual celebration now known as Culture Fest and it returns on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. with a block party presented by the Ontario Museum of History & Art. Located at 225 S. Euclid Ave., the Ontario Museum of History & Art is uniquely housed in the former City Hall and is a historical landmark funded by the Works Progress Administration. Its mission is to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the history and cultural heritage of Ontario and the surrounding area. From developing exhibitions, to engaging visitors through educational experiences, and events that inspire creative action, it is an anchor to the growing downtown arts district. By email, event coordinator Rebecca Ustrell talks about its fascinating history. “Culture Fest originated over 15 years ago as a showcase of community groups from the City of Ontario’s recreation centers and was called the performer showcase. It was held at the time of class registrations (before you could sign up online) so that community members could see the types of classes that they could sign up for. A few years back, it became a heritage event and was hosted by the library and Robert E. Ellingwood Model Colony History Room.” “It’s gone through different iterations to serve the needs of the community at the time it was happening,” explains Ustrell. “Always with the aim of continuing to celebrate Ontario’s diversity, Culture Fest was created to serve as a platform to showcase the different cultural traditions of communities which reside in
See Culture Fest Page 32
Samia Alkam, at right, stands with UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox, center, and Provost Elizabeth Watkins, as she announces the agreement Friday between pro-Palestine demonstrators and UC Riverside's administration. | Photo courtesy of middleeastmatters/Instagram
statement said. A key provision in the five-point agreement is the formation of a student task force that will research how to cancel the UC Investment Office's management of UCR's financial endowment. Divestment from weapons manufacturers connected with the Israeli military was one of the initial demands made by the UCR chapter of Students for Justice in
Palestine at the start of the encampment on Monday. "The UCR Administration agrees to form a task force that includes students appointed by ASUCR's Diversity Council and faculty appointed by the Academic Senate to explore the removal of UCR's endowment from the management of the UC Investments Office, and the
investment of said endowment in a manner that will be financially and ethically sound for the university with consideration to the companies involved in arms manufacturing and delivery," according to the agreement. The task force will form by the end of the 2024 spring quarter, and its goal
See Palestine protest Page 18
Imperial Irrigation District acquires $38M in project funding By City News Service
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he Imperial Irrigation District secured $38 million in funding for multiple energy infrastructure projects, the utility announced Friday. More than two-thirds of the money came from federal grants, according to the district. "The Coachella Valley Energy Resilience Initiative is a testament to our proactive efforts to increase energy reliability across the region and reduce costs for our ratepayers," the IID Board of Directors Vice Chair JB Hamby said in a statement. More than 80% of the money will be invested in the K-Line See Project funding Page 31