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The Santa Monica Conservancy’s 2024 Year-End Review, One City: Many Stories, is honored to introduce Carolyne and Bill Edwards, passionate advocates of Santa Monica’s cultural history. As founders of the Quinn Research Center, they’ve dedicated themselves to preserving and sharing the history of the Black community in Santa Monica, whose contributions and presence have been diminished by erasure and displacement.

The Edwards’ journey began unexpectedly after the death of Carolyne’s uncle, Dr. Alfred T. Quinn, whose large collection of historical materials would become the foundation for the couple’s mission.

Born and raised in Santa Monica, Carolyne lived the history of the city. Yet she wasn’t a fan of learning history in school. “It was a matter of memorizing dates and names of people I couldn’t relate to,” she said. Instead, her excitement for history came from home; Carolyne’s mother, uncle and grandfather were collectors.

Her mother stored a steamer trunk in the basement that yielded photos, newspaper clippings and other historical information about her family and others in the city. After inheriting her uncle’s apartment and sorting through his documents and photos, Carolyne was struck by the wealth of overlooked history covering not just her family but an entire community.

With the help of a Getty Museum archivist, Carolyne and Bill transformed a garage full of boxes into the Quinn Research Center (QRC), where the forgotten history of Santa Monica’s Black community could be shared with the public and future generations.

But the path to recognition was not easy for the couple. “People were unsure about what we were offering, and why it mattered,” Carolyne recalls. “They wanted to know, ‘What’s in it for them?'” So the Edwardses funded the QRC themselves, renting spaces and maintaining the project on their own dime. Beyond establishing the QRC, they committed to offering free programming that would make their historical resources accessible.

Through their work, Carolyne and Bill have become powerful advocates for Black history. They partnered with the Santa Monica Conservancy to amplify the voices of the Black community, ensuring that its contributions to the city’s cultural landscape are not lost. The couple’s efforts have helped the community rediscover its overlooked stories of resilience, achievement and rich cultural heritage.

“The stories aren’t going to just appear on their own,” Carolyne insists. “It takes people willing to write them down, to speak them aloud, to make sure they are remembered.” For the Edwardses, their work is a critical responsibility, ensuring that Santa Monica’s African American history is honored, shared and preserved for future generations.

The Santa Monica Conservancy is always looking for new members and volunteers who, like the Edwardses, want to contribute to preserving the vital history of our communities. Whether you’d like to share personal stories or highlight historic places, your voice is an important part of the Conservancy’s future.

If you’re interested in getting involved and adding to Santa Monica’s history, contact Alissa at alissa@smconservancy.org. Together, we can ensure that history is not forgotten.

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