On a perfect Friday afternoon, on February 28, the last day of Black History Month, The Friends of Mt. Rubidoux, the Riverside African American Historical Society, and Riverside Parks co-sponsored the dedication of a tablet commemorating Booker T. Washington and Frank A. Miller's ascent of Mt. Rubidoux.
Representatives of the City, community groups, and, local churches gathered near the summit of the mountain. Some went up in vans, but most of the people walked the road to the top for the unveiling ceremony.
Along with the incredible view, the effort spent to get to the summit dominated the conversation. It was a reminder that Frank Miller invited Booker T. Washington, On a nationwide fundraising tour for the Tuskegee Institute, to walk with him to the summit. Why was it so important for Miller that Washington saw Riverside from atop the Mount?
In his speech during the ceremony, Councilmember Philip Falcone talked about the magical draw of the mountain. "There's something about this place that this is the gravitational pull of Riversiders up this mountain sometimes every day, sometimes more than once a day. There is something about this ground, this place, that moves us and that brings us here. I really think it's because here in Riverside, we know our history, we love our history, and we encourage others to learn our history." He said, "This place is not only a place of recreation, a place to better our bodies physically but a place to better our souls, spiritually, and when we talk about knowing our history and where we come from."
Maybe not in the religious sense for everyone, the hike up Mount Rubidoux has become a rite, a pilgrimage. These plaques and tablets add weight to the experience. They seem to beg for reverence.
Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a descendant of Booker T. Washington and Fredrick Douglass, noted the significance of these monuments during his presentation. "That is what makes this moment so meaningful. This tablet is more than just a marker of an event long past. It is a reminder that history is a living thing. It shapes, informs, and challenges us to carry its lessons forward. So today, as we unveil this tribute to men who believed in the dignity of labor, the power of education, and the necessity of economic self-determination, let us ask ourselves, what will we do with a view from our mountain time?" He continued, "Will we be content to admire it, or will we take the hard road down into the valley and do the work that must be done? We must continue his work if we truly want to honor Booker T. Washington's legacy. We must invest in education. We must ensure that every child, regardless of race, background, or zip code, has access to knowledge and opportunity because that was his vision, and it must be ours as well."
It could be said that the end of a pilgrimage is the halfway point. Almost all of the speakers talked about what we do with the spirit of the moment on the mountain. What can be done with the good will and magnanimity gained on our journey once we return to city below?
Pastor T. Ellsworth Gantt, Second Birth (Formerly Second Baptist) Church, one of the stops on Douglass' 1914, in his benediction, charged the crowd to take what was experienced at the summit back down the mountain with us.
"Some stuff is happening to try to divide us at every turn. We have to remember we are all one people. We are human beings, and we have to do things with love, compassion, genuineness, and honesty and be our brother's keeper. Thiswould be in vain if we don't leave here a little better than we came." Said Pastor Gantt. "And after hearing everything that we've heard today, over a hundred years ago, an abolitionist who hid slaves and a slave came together. God orchestrated it, and now we're celebrating it. Don't tell me that we can't do better. We did it then, and we can do it now. Let's do it now. Let's do better now."
The tablet is near the summit of Mt. Rubidoux on the way to the cross. You can learn more about the new tablet and the existing monuments in Glenn Wenzel's article.
If you would like to support future Mount Rubidoux projects, check out the Friends of Mt. Rubidoux website for more information.
