The Last Mile Pilot Program

Why is the Last Mile Pilot Program Important?

In business, the Last Mile is the gap between the origin of a product and putting that product in the hands of the consumer. The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California has a Last Mile Challenge.

In business, the Last Mile is the gap between the origin of a product and putting that product in the hands of the consumer. The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California has a Last Mile challenge.

Since we opened in 2023, we have created 4 great exhibitions and hosted 3 pop up exhibitions. We have hosted more than 60 ethnic studies classes, providing over 2,000 students the opportunity to deepen their in-classroom learning through real-life, local civil rights experiences. Now, in school year 2024/2025, ethnic studies is on the verge of becoming a required course. The demand for tours of our exhibitions has increased exponentially.

We need your help to ensure that these students experience and learn from our region’s civil rights history by visiting the Civil Rights Institute.

The Last Mile Pilot Program will connect ethnic studies students to the Civil Rights Institute by funding bus transportation that is currently unavailable due to state budget cuts. The program will deepen our partnerships with our area school districts and enhance students’ learning experiences.

The time is NOW for the Civil Rights Institute to lead in this effort, just as our state’s new ethnic studies requirements are implemented in 2025-2026.

An added benefit of the program is that it will create an opportunity for students to experience an urban environment in downtown Riverside and also create opportunities to pair visits to us with the exhibits at the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties, The Cheech, and UCR ARTS / California Museum of Photography.

“My students ask me weekly if we can visit the Civil Rights Institute as they want to see the topics in real life from our community and we just do not have the funds to make the buses happen for the trip.”

– Jessica from RUSD

What Will the Last Mile Pilot Program Cost?

The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California needs $9,000 per year to fund 2 buses for each of the 9 school districts within a 30-mile radius. These 18 buses will transport 36 classes and almost 1,000 students. The cost is only $500 per 55 seat bus, about $9 a student.