PHOENIX — The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center holds nearly a century of history.
"It is a jewel in this community," explained Dr. Matthew C. Whitaker, the executive director of the Carver Museum. He is also the CEO and founder of Diamond Strategies, a leading Valley-based firm that handles justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
At first, it may look like an ordinary museum, but there is nothing ordinary about what you'll see at the Carver Museum in downtown Phoenix.
But more important than what you will see is what you will feel; the embers of excellence still warm the hallways.
"Every student who walked through here was told it was not enough to be good, you have to be better," explained Dr. Whitaker.
Before it was a museum, it was a high school, but not just any high school. In 1926, it was Arizona's first school built entirely for students of color. At the time, it was known as the Phoenix Union Colored High School.
Not everyone was on board with the new school.
"There was opposition to money being spent, saying this is a waste of money, this is poor appropriations. Why are we spending this much money on these colored students when there is this perfectly good school? But it wasn't perfectly good - it was segregated in every sort of way," said Dr. Whitaker.
Despite what was happening on the outside, inside the walls, Dr. Whitaker says the school was becoming a center for excellence.
He says the academic standards were high, with science labs, a focus on STEM, debate class, and more.
Dr. Whitaker credits a number of school leaders, especially principal W.A. Robinson, with that forward thinking. Robinson insisted on having new books for his students, sports teams, and any other opportunities that white students may have had at the time.
In other ways, Dr. Whitaker said he set the bar even higher.
"He was a powerful force and he insisted on Carver being among the best. He insisted that all teachers have Master's (degrees). This was at a time when teachers didn't have Master's degrees in education...We are pouring excellence into you so you can go out and be excellent on behalf of the community...as a consequence, Carver produced some of the city's first leaders of color."
Another example is former Phoenix City Councilmember Calvin C. Goode, a trailblazer in his own right. Goode graduated from Carver in 1945 and would later return as part of the administration.
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The high school would shut down in 1954, months after segregation was banned in Arizona schools.
For decades, the building was used as storage and needed repairs, but thanks to the Phoenix Monarchs Alumni Association, the school has gotten a new assignment as a museum; a legacy of learning that continues to permeate these walls for generations to come.
"Yes there were lots of negative things happening, but in the midst of that, think of the resilience and strength and love - that's the story. We are still here, and we are here because of the attitude those students had," Dr. Whitaker added.
Right now, the Carver Museum is open for special events only.
If you'd like to donate and help keep the legacy alive, click here.
