CAROLYN IS FROM ILLINOIS
Carolyn was born and raised in Edwardsville, Illinois and graduated from Edwardsville HS, where she met her husband Robert "Bob" Hoskins, a star football player. As his career with the San Francisco 49ers began to take off, Bob and Carolyn moved their family to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s. Carolyn has lived on the Peninsula ever since, with most of that time in the City of Belmont where she continues to reside. Carolyn is an active member of the San Mateo NAACP and a member of the NFL Alumni Northern California Chapter Executive Committee. She has spearheaded the NFL Celebrity Toy Drive since 1994 to benefit local charities, and has five children, four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and four godchildren.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE NAME
The Museum & Learning Center is named after Carolyn Hoskins’ grandson, Domini Hoskins, who asked “Weren’t there any other black people that did anything other than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?” during a Black History Month celebration in 2001. Since then, Carolyn’s collection of African American art, history, artifacts, memorabilia, books, musical and video recordings has become a celebrated Peninsula resource providing an educational experience to eliminate cultural literacy. The San Mateo County Event Center has provided a pop-up exhibit space as part of the County Fair each summer since 2011.
ACCOLADES & RECOGNITION
Carolyn received the Jefferson Award in 2022, Quiet Hero Award from Senator Jerry Hill in 2013, and the Unsung Hero Award from the Redwood City Inter-Service Club in 2008. She was the Honorary Chairperson for the San Mateo County MLK Day Celebration & Freedom Train in 2020, and has also received quite a few community accolades including proclamations and commendations from the City of Redwood City (2022), Supervisor David Canepa (2022), State Senator Jerry Hill (2020), State Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (2020), American Association of University Women (2020), San Mateo County Board of Supervisors (2020), Former Menlo Park Mayor Ray Mueller (2019), New Sweet Home Church of God in Christ (2019) , 100 Black Women of San Francisco (2019), Former Redwood City Mayor Iain Bain (2019), Former Belmont Mayor Davina Hurt (2019), the Sterling Downs Neighborhood Association (2019), Positive Promotions of New York, and the San Francisco-Peninsula Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (2017).Join us for a variety of events throughout the year, including lectures, workshops, and special programs for families and kids. Check our calendar for upcoming events.
Come visit our new Home
The Domini Hoskins Black History Museum Received $2 Million to Find a Home in Redwood City!
Thanks to Senator Josh Becker, for negotiating funding to help us establish a permanent home for our work in the community. We are also grateful to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors for their support of our work in the community, and to San Mateo Event Center for serving as our fiscal agent for the funding from the State of California. There is much to do as we shift gears to find a permanent home and we are excited to shift from having pop-up exhibits to being able to offer events and activities year-round that celebrate Black culture and history within our community