Dream for an Ethnic Bridge Is Parked on Crenshaw Lot
Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 23
SACRAMENTO — A few years ago, when the state had wads of taxpayer money for parks, museums and swimming pools, the Rev. Willie J. Bellamy had a vision.
Bellamy, a part-time golf coach at Crenshaw High School, wanted to create a museum on the campus that would honor Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez. The museum would bridge the ethnic divide between African American and Latino students.
After seeking money for the project for years, Bellamy persuaded California lawmakers in 2002 to grant $250,000 to his nonprofit corporation, Colour Me Freedom Foundation, though he drew only $221,625.
As of Monday, however, the museum is a trailer with a few framed photographs and other items. Crenshaw High’s principal doesn’t want it. And Bellamy has been unable to account for the money despite state auditors’ repeated requests that he do so.
