The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California (CRIISC) is a non-profit organization that inspires people from all walks of life through lifting up the historic and ongoing civil rights stories of the region, fostering community advocacy, and building champions of tomorrow. Its vision is to connect people through stories, sharing of information, and personal relationships to make Inland Southern California a center of civil rights and social justice. CRIISC’s values are Inclusive, Collaborative, and Good Trouble. Our mission is to be a vital center for inclusion and to memorialize our region’s civil rights history—and shape its future—through social history stories and cultural, civic, and educational engagement.

The CRIISC builds on the work of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County (FHCRC), Riverside African American Historical Society, and diverse community members who worked for years to raise funds and support for the development and construction of a mixed-use building to house CRIISC and FHCRC. Referred to as the Mission Heritage Plaza, the project includes 72 units of affordable housing in collaboration with Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation. The CRIISC is a regional center within the Mission Heritage Plaza and serves as a place of action and conversation to tell the story of civil rights in the region.

CRIISC hosts exhibitions and public programs and are working to create a digital archive of regional civil rights materials and oral histories that document and recognize the region’s civil rights leaders, events, and their impacts.