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On the 20th anniversary of the Rodney King Riots/Civil Unrests, as well as the 20th anniversary of the founding of Operation HOPE, we are proud and pleased to host the 20th Anniversary "Chaos to Community" HOPE Opportunity Bus Tour, on April 24th, 2012, in South Central Los Angeles.

More details to come, but this will be our biggest and most substantial tour of our community yet.  

Of course the media will show images of the burning and the more than 1,000 structured damages in the uprising, but we are hopeful that through our efforts, they will also show the billions of dollars that flowed back into South Central Los Angeles in the days, weeks, months and years that followed the unrest — and how the community came together, to save herself.  Today, this area is a national example of how individuals from different races and backgrounds, as well as leaders from government, community faith and the private sector can and did indeed find a way to "work together," for the good of all. South Central Los Angeles is not perfect 20 years later (significant problems still remain to be addressed and solved), but she also was not simply "rebuild."  

It can be said with strength today, that this area was not simply put back together, but put back better. 

Save the date for this important and historic happening.  In addition to distinguished co-chairs which include Peter Ueberroth, then chairman of Rebuild Los Angeles and an early inspiration and mentor for me, civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young who had visited the same community with his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. following the Watts Riots, entertainment icon and entrepreneur Quincy Jones, who will unveil a powerful "answer" to and for the youth of the future on this day in April, 2012, along with COGIC Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake who built a $60 million cathedral in the months following the unrest, and Reverend Dr. Cecil "Chip" Murray who is single-handedly credited with bringing peace to South Central in the days following the unrest, we have distinguished and growing list group on the Host Committee for this impactful and historic day.

Stay tuned. The best, is yet to come.

Onward and with HOPE

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass) the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum. 

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