The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is a step into another dimension that smells like roses and is warm like sun kissed skin. With over 15,000 plant varieties across 120 acres, it feels almost absurd that I live a mere 10 minutes from this magical place. Its beauty feels unreal at first sight – how can this be ours?

An afternoon enjoying lunch in the Shakespeare Garden or admiring over a 100 species of roses are but a couple ways to lose oneself in The Huntington’s tranquil beauty. I spent hours admiring the flora and fauna imagining those who came before me.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, most commonly referred to as The Huntington by Angelenos, was founded in 1919 in the Southern California city of San Marino. In addition to housing a library and art collection, The Huntington boasts gorgeous scenes of specialized landscaped gardens.The most notable of these gardens are the cactus abundant Desert Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Chinese Garden. The Huntington has an endowment of over $400 million dollars making it one of the wealthiest cultural institutions in the United States.

My mother shared that my great grandfather, a Mexican immigrant from San Gabriel who worked as a landscaper at The Huntington had made adobe pots and benches on the property. Having seen some of his creations across the San Gabriel Valley, I know he was proud of his work, but I can only imagine what his reality was like being a Mexican who worked in San Marino during the 40s. This year the Los Angeles Times published a piece entitledThe Huntington Library has a history of inequity. Can it pivot toward inclusivity?Where it described the following: White workers, many of whom lived on-site, were paid one wage; Mexican laborers, who lived elsewhere — often commuting from San Gabriel — received less. I am looking forward to learning more about this as I follow the work of distinguished professor and McArthur Fellow Natalia Molina, who is researching the Huntington’s labor history. It is important to know the story of the places we are patrons and how these institutions across America have impacted the people. Knowing the truth is the least we can do.

Location

The Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
+1 (626) 405-2100

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