The Monrovia Historical Museum celebrates 30th anniversary, launches diversity exhibition

This October marks the Monrovia Historical Museum’s 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the museum will open a new permanent exhibition,  “Monrovia’s Diversity – IDEAS: Inclusivity, Diversity, Equality, Awareness and Solutions.”  

The museum’s building once housed the city’s Municipal Swimming Pool, known as the “Plunge.” The former dressing rooms now comprise the museum’s two exhibit wings. The Plunge owns part of the bitter history of segregation in Monrovia as children of color were only allowed one or two swim days per week until 1948. Through the efforts of political and social activists, the Plunge became fully integrated in the summer of 1950.  

In collaboration with researchers from the Monrovia Change Makers, museum staff dove head first into this facet of Monrovia, focusing on individuals and organizations who fought against bigotry and segregation, whether experienced because of a difference in skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, intellectual or physical ability, political belief or lifestyle.

Sarah Farmer Earll has volunteered with the museum for five years and uses her experience as a retired Disney Imagineer to facilitate exhibition development. For Earll, it is in solidarity that the museum’s installation recognizes its own history with segregation. 

“(Segregation) was felt very intensely and personally by the people who had to go through that. So we felt like this was a story that kind of gets glossed over a lot in the publications about Monrovia and we wanted to bring light to that. We own it. We own part of that history. So we felt like this was the right time and place to tell that story.”

The main feature is a timeline of civil rights actions in Monrovia and across the U.S. These flip-book pages take the reader from the mid-1800s to the present day, marking the milestones of activism.  Posters on the wall further describe several areas of impact, such as education, politics, workplaces, and the people who brought about change through their direct actions and perseverance.

“I want (visitors) to understand that changes happen incrementally. And that they happened because people want it. Individual people have to do something different. And each person can do something a little different, even if it’s just changing your mind about you know, how you see someone,” she said.

The exhibition is slated to open within the month of October.  

The museum is operated by the Monrovia Historical Museum Foundation, Inc., a non-profit charitable organization. The Monrovia Historical Museum relies on donations from the public including artifacts that help illustrate Monrovia’s past, funds to provide the tools needed to restore, conserve and archive items in the collections, and the time and talents of volunteers that bring these stories to life.  

Volunteers and board members are always welcome to join in leading the Museum into its next 30 years.  Visit the Museum’s Facebook page and website for donation and volunteer opportunities.

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