Rose Bowl Aquatics Center to Name Pool After Local Civil Rights Leader

Dr. Edna Griffin will finally be honored by the City on Sept. 18.

The local civil rights icon will be recognized for her remarkable contributions to civil rights when the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center (RBAC)  renames its recreational pool after her.

Griffin, born in 1905, was a trailblazer as the first Black woman physician in Pasadena and a prominent civil rights activist. After obtaining her medical degree from Meharry Medical College and working in various locations, she settled in Pasadena in 1935. 

As the first Black member of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and president of the local NAACP chapter from 1939 to 1947, Dr. Griffin fought tirelessly against discrimination, filing over 20 lawsuits against businesses and restaurants.

Among Dr. Griffin’s most significant achievements was her successful lawsuit against the City of Pasadena to desegregate the Brookside Plunge swimming pool. The court ruled in favor of unrestricted access in 1942, though full desegregation wasn’t implemented until 1947. 

The Brookside Plunge was near the site of today’s Rose Bowl  Aquatics Center.

Throughout her career, Dr. Griffin worked to improve employment opportunities for African Americans and preserve community spaces. Her efforts in Pasadena predated the broader Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, making her a pioneering figure in the fight for social justice. 

Dr. Griffin passed away in 1992, leaving behind a legacy of promoting both health and civil rights in her community.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and will be held on the pool deck and will feature speeches from prominent local officials and community leaders.

After a new municipal swimming pool was completed in Northwest Pasadena in August 2023, the City’s Recreation and Parks Commission voted to recommend the City Council name it after Dr. Griffin. The Commission’s vote ran counter to the results of a survey the City took, in which the public overwhelmingly supported naming the new pool for former Councilmember John Kennedy.

The City Council did not accept the Commission’s recommendation and instead opted to name that pool after Kennedy, who was instrumental in its construction. 

However, at that time, District 3 Councilmember Justin Jones suggested that the pool at the RBAC be named after Griffin. 

Mayor Victor Gordo and District 1 Councilmember Tyron Hampton are among the scheduled speakers, along with Jimmy Francis, president and executive director of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center.

Allen Edson, president of the NAACP Pasadena chapter, will also address attendees at the ceremony. Light refreshments will be served. 

For more information, visit https://rosebowlaquatics.org/ or call (626) 564-0330