1 year ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A erstwhile Fresno City Councilmember and activistic for radical equality successful the Central Valley volition person a metropolis parkland named aft him.
Fresno’s newest determination parkland has been named aft a prominent civil rights person Lesly Kimber. Lesly Kimber’s household says the parkland is conscionable different mode his beingness of work volition beryllium remembered successful Fresno.
“He challenged the strategy connected each fronts erstwhile it came to injustices being done successful our assemblage and for fairness," said steadfast for the California Advocate Newspaper Mark Kimber.
Mark is Lesly Kimber’s lad and runs the California Advocate: the Central Valley’s archetypal achromatic newspaper. The paper was founded successful 1967 by his parent and father.
“She was editor, helium was publisher,” Kimber said.
When his parents archetypal started the California Advocate, Mark says dada remained determined to marque the insubstantial a success.
“White publishers wouldn’t people the advocator due to the fact that of our headlines * truthful helium bought his ain press,” Kimber explained.
His father's combat for radical equality reached beyond the newspaper, including arsenic a mentor astatine 2 organizations helium helped create.
“Anybody that needed a dependable oregon needed help, nary substance the race, Dad was determination connected their side,” Kimber said.
Kimber’s enactment led him to tally for a spot connected Fresno City Council.
“He was lone the 2nd African American councilmember successful the city's history, represented West Fresno, and had a estimation and a agelong past of bringing communities together,” said Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias.
Councilmember Arias oversees the same territory Kimber did and says his enactment near a lasting mark. He adds Lesly Kimber was an integral portion of uniting disadvantaged communities and gave them a voice.
“When Mr. Kimber was serving, I was a farmworker, picking crops successful West Fresno. He understood that amongst him were farmworkers who didn't person a close to a restroom, a break, oregon a luncheon bid successful 100-degree upwind picking crops," said Arias. "And helium took it upon himself to not lone widen his advocacy to those farmworkers who were not eligible voters - but to articulation with Cesar Chavez and advocator for everyone. That bequest is what we were recognizing, not conscionable him arsenic a councilmember, but him arsenic a person crossed aggregate divers groups.”
Mark Kimber says the caller parkland honors the enactment his begetter did successful the metropolis council.
"He would beryllium much than blessed and gracious to cognize that he's portion of the caller developments going connected which is what helium strived for successful our community," Kimber said.
Councilmember Arias hopes the caller parkland volition service arsenic a reminder of not conscionable who Kimber was, but everything helium did for others.
“To this day, it's my grant arsenic a erstwhile farmworker, erstwhile helium was a councilmember, to grant a antheral who advocated for my household and everyone's family,” said Arias.
Les Kimber Park volition beryllium connected South M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard and East Church Avenue. It is expected to beryllium unfastened to the nationalist by aboriginal 2025.
