By Oliver Beckwith, MHM Board Member
The building for the Monrovia Historical Museum is celebrating its centennial this year. Formerly the city’s municipal plunge, you can visit on any Thursday or Sunday and the docents will show you where the pool used to be. In the lobby you will find two display cases with photos and other plunge memorabilia, including the pool keeper’s record book. It’s open to the 1943 summer season page, and there, among the air and water temperatures, is a glaring reminder of Monrovia’s past. Along with the other data the word “Colored” is to be found. In that era young Black, Latino, and Asian people were only allowed in the pool on Mondays.
Click image to read more about the case. Source: Wikipedia. At the time, segregation had been the law of the land since 1896, with the Plessy v. Ferguson case allowing for “separate but equal” facilities for people of different racial backgrounds. Monrovia was segregated with people of color living South of the Pacific Electric Railroad lines on Olive Avenue.
In June of 1943 a small amount of progress was made. After pleas were made by an African-American citizens group the city council allowed the pool to additionally be opened for people of color on Thursdays for training purposes, but no other changes to the plunge’s policy of segregation were made.
It was World War II and cracks in the national policy of segregation were beginning to appear. 43 miles East of Monrovia, the Perris Hill Plunge in San Bernardino also practiced segregation in their pool. In 1944 a lawsuit, Lopez v. Seccombe was filed. In that trial the judge found that since people of color were taxpayers who contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the pool, a public facility, they should be allowed full access to the pool. The Perris Hill Plunge was then desegregated along with the other public pools in that city. Click here to read more about this case.
In 1947 a new lawsuit was brought by Latino parents in Orange County. Mendez v. Westminster (link) involved the same lack of access, but this time it was for schools. The parents who sued had the same attorney from the San Bernardino case and the judgement in favor of the plaintiffs was based on the Lopez case. Schools in California began to desegregate the following year under Governor Earl Warren.
In June of 1943 a small amount of progress was made. After pleas were made by an African-American citizens group the city council allowed the pool to additionally be opened for people of color on Thursdays for training purposes, but no other changes to the plunge’s policy of segregation were made.
It was World War II and cracks in the national policy of segregation were beginning to appear. 43 miles East of Monrovia, the Perris Hill Plunge in San Bernardino also practiced segregation in their pool. In 1944 a lawsuit, Lopez v. Seccombe was filed. In that trial the judge found that since people of color were taxpayers who contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the pool, a public facility, they should be allowed full access to the pool. The Perris Hill Plunge was then desegregated along with the other public pools in that city. Click here to read more about this case.
In 1947 a new lawsuit was brought by Latino parents in Orange County. Mendez v. Westminster (link) involved the same lack of access, but this time it was for schools. The parents who sued had the same attorney from the San Bernardino case and the judgement in favor of the plaintiffs was based on the Lopez case. Schools in California began to desegregate the following year under Governor Earl Warren.
Click image to read more about Thurgood Marshall. Across the nation school segregation for African-Americans continued, because the legal segregation from Plessy v. Ferguson remained in force. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled on a case involving school segregation and African American children. In Brown v. Board of Education, the plaintiffs were represented by NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, successfully argued that segregation was causing irreparable harm to Black children. The Mendez case played a part in the decision, and the Supreme Court, led by new Chief Justice Earl Warren, voted 9-0 in favor of the plaintiffs.
The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education overturned the legalized segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. But many states violated the law and the Civil Rights Movement was the result. In a sense segregated pools played a part in the larger Civil Rights Movement.
It took a while for Monrovia to desegregate its pool. In 1949 a group of community leaders came to the Monrovia City Council and argued for the plunge to be desegregated. Among them was local NAACP leader Isaac Epperson. Epperson made the same argument as the Lopez case, that taxpayers should have equal access to public facilities. For the 1950 summer season the pool was quietly desegregated. Today you can find a Neighborhood Treasure Monument to Isaac Epperson on the corner of Central and Ivy Avenues. Here's the link to Monrovia Changemakers' article to learn more about Isaac Epperson.
In the years that followed Monrovia saw some decline and then a renaissance with the city’s first Black Mayor, Bob Bartlett. In 1995 the city was named an All America City by the National Civic League. The following year President Bill Clinton made a speech at Monrovia High School and said of Monrovia:
"You are the example of what every community can do if they will. If every community in America would decide to organize themselves the way you have and do what you have done, the differences would be breathtaking."
As a city Monrovia continues to face challenges but we are working together to make the community a better place. The city earned a second All America City designation in 2024. If you want to learn more about Monrovia’s history with segregation you should read Richard Singer’s book, Renaissance Years: A History of Modern Monrovia. It’s available for purchase at the Monrovia Historical Museum.
The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education overturned the legalized segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. But many states violated the law and the Civil Rights Movement was the result. In a sense segregated pools played a part in the larger Civil Rights Movement.
It took a while for Monrovia to desegregate its pool. In 1949 a group of community leaders came to the Monrovia City Council and argued for the plunge to be desegregated. Among them was local NAACP leader Isaac Epperson. Epperson made the same argument as the Lopez case, that taxpayers should have equal access to public facilities. For the 1950 summer season the pool was quietly desegregated. Today you can find a Neighborhood Treasure Monument to Isaac Epperson on the corner of Central and Ivy Avenues. Here's the link to Monrovia Changemakers' article to learn more about Isaac Epperson.
In the years that followed Monrovia saw some decline and then a renaissance with the city’s first Black Mayor, Bob Bartlett. In 1995 the city was named an All America City by the National Civic League. The following year President Bill Clinton made a speech at Monrovia High School and said of Monrovia:
"You are the example of what every community can do if they will. If every community in America would decide to organize themselves the way you have and do what you have done, the differences would be breathtaking."
As a city Monrovia continues to face challenges but we are working together to make the community a better place. The city earned a second All America City designation in 2024. If you want to learn more about Monrovia’s history with segregation you should read Richard Singer’s book, Renaissance Years: A History of Modern Monrovia. It’s available for purchase at the Monrovia Historical Museum.
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