I am delighted that the idea of a California Women's History Museum has generated so much discussion in newspapers, on radio stations and in my local coffee shop.
You might be surprised that I am delighted, given that many of the articles and letters to the editor have been critical of my role in this undertaking -- suggesting that I might be trying to "shut out" men from California's history, or implying that I am involved in some sinister power grab at a flourishing history museum.
Those things are not true, but I remain delighted at the talk. That's because people are finally discussing the role of women in shaping this state -- missing in the curriculum our fourth-graders study and, before this year's "Remarkable Women" exhibition, largely unseen at the California State History Museum as well.
I am a journalist and facts are part of my life, so I want to set a few facts straight.
First, I would never have proposed the idea of a California Women's History Museum if the current history museum was a viable, financially sound museum. It is not. It has been in desperate straits since its inception. It has lacked an identity, it has lacked a focus, it has failed to attract an audience and it has never had a sound business plan. In fact, the board chair told me, it will be out of money by the end of the year. It is not a state-financed museum; taxpayers do not pay its operating costs. It must raise money through donations, memberships and attendance fees.
Last year, before the "Remarkable Women" exhibition, only 60,000 people had visited the museum. That's compared with 600,000 who visited the California State Railroad Museum around the corner and 225,000 who visited Sutter's Fort approximately a mile away. The history museum's board, with all due respect, has never been able to make it soar -- something its members admit.
That's why they came to me asking for help after I became first lady. I was happy to work with them, to help think of ways to reinvigorate their museum.
That's why I proposed the "Remarkable Women" exhibition. Since it opened in May, the museum's attendance has been up 59% over the same period last year. Thousands have learned about Patricia Bath, who pioneered laser cataract surgery; architect Julia Morgan; EBay President and Chief Executive Meg Whitman; Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University; labor activist Dolores Huerta; the women of the African American-governed town of Allensworth and hundreds more.
