San Diego History Center

Stonewall Service Award – San Diego History Center

The San Diego History Center, in the heart of Balboa Park, is the catalyst for the preservation and promotion of the history of the San Diego region. The History Center is committed to telling the histories of everyone in our community, including those who have been excluded from textbooks, or those traditionally left out of the historical narrative. In July 2018 we debuted the exhibition LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs, in partnership with Lambda Archives of San Diego. This ground-breaking exhibition runs through January 2020 and is curated by Lillian Faderman, noted LGBTQ+ author and scholar. LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs examines how this community has faced, fought, and continues to fight against persecution and intolerance with the goal of equality for all LGBTQ+ people.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, the companion exhibit Legendary Drag Queens of San Diego shines the spotlight on the performance art of drag in San Diego and its critical role in support for LGBTQ+ causes and philanthropy.

The San Diego History Center also honors San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community and Toni Atkins, State Senate President pro Tempore and Christine Kehoe, former California State Senator as the 2019 “Makers of San Diego History.” This award honors those communities and individuals who have “Made History in their Own Time.”

The San Diego History Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate, seeks to engage audiences of all ages in connecting the past to the present and setting the stage for where our community is headed in the future. The organization was founded as the San Diego Historical Society in 1928 and today is the place where San Diego visitors and residents can discover, discuss, and determine why history matters for our region today. SDHC also serves as a gathering space where community members can dialogue and learn from each other. Through our exhibits, programs, workshops, and trainings, San Diegans learn from the past, engage with the present, and forge clearer pathways for the future.

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About San Diego Pride

San Diego Pride raises funds primarily through festival ticket and beverage sales, and through sponsorships, and exhibitor fees. These funds support San Diego Pride’s community philanthropy which has distributed more than $2.5 million in advancement of its mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.