Monrovia Unified Honors Its First Black Board Member Mimi Mency

MONROVIA, CA — Although Mimi Mency passed away in 2011 at the age of 74, her legacy will live on at the Monrovia Unified School District.

Monrovia Unified officials dedicated its district office lobby in Mency’s honor Tuesday, in recognition of the contributions she made to the city. Mency served on the Board of Education from 1972 to 1984 and was its first Black member, officials said.

She was pivotal in the racial integration of the city’s schools and helped establish Monrovia High School’s Black Student Union, which is still in operation.

A dedication ceremony was held Tuesday and attended by district officials as well as friends and relatives of Mency.

“Naming the district office lobby in her name is a way to recognize the positive impact she had at Monrovia Unified and the role she played in ensuring all of our students had access to the tools and resources they needed to be successful,” Board President Martiza Travanti said at the ceremony.

Sheri Parent, Mency's daughter, was thankful of the board for the honor, and said the dedication was proof that her mother's role as a civil rights leader continues to have a lasting impact on the Monrovia community.

“I have always lived my life in the same manner my mother did and that is by loving and respecting our neighbors” she said. “Thank you to the Board of Education and the district for honoring my mother, I am very proud.”