Tamir Rice was shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer outside a recreation center in 2014 when he was just 12 years old. His mother, Samaria Rice, is planning to open a cultural center in Cleveland as a safe place for children in honor of her son.

In an interview with Cleveland.com, Samaria Rice shared that she plans to open The Tamir Rice Afrocentric Cultural Center in 2019, which will be a hub for children to be mentored, nurtured and taught how to dissect political systems. It's a gift to Tamir, she said. 

The 3,500-square-foot property was purchased in March by the family estate's foundation, the Tamir Rice Foundation. Samaria Rice told Cleveland.com that she's hosting a party in honor of her son's "Sweet Sixteen” milestone. The event will also serve as a fundraiser to help raise money to renovate the building for the cultural center. The party, open to the public, will include appearances from Ohio State Senator Sandra Williams, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Opal Tometi and spoken word performers, the Eventbrite page for the party states. 

Samaria Rice wants to ensure her son continues to be remembered. 

"Nobody is talking about Tamir any more in Cleveland," she told Cleveland.com. "And that's sad."

The Tamir Rice Afrocentric Cultural Center will help guide children to envision brighter futures in their communities and to help instill a sense of hope. Samaria Rice explained to Cleveland.com that Tamir Rice loved drawing cartoons and making pottery. She hopes the center will help support children through a nuturing environment. 

"I'm a nurturer and I still had some nurturing to do for Tamir but I was robbed of that…I want to see some positivity," she said. "I don't really see a whole lot of positivity coming out of the inner city when it comes to the youth that is suffering…I want the center to give them a sense of hope."

Black-lives-matterPolice ShootingsTamir Rice