Friends and supporters of the Eugene V. Debs Foundation and Museum,
To prevent the continued spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), the Eugene V. Debs Museum is temporarily closed to the public effective Friday, March 13th. This closing includes the cancellation of public events scheduled during the next four weeks. Please know that this decision was not made lightly, and an abundance of caution is in order for the health and safety of museum staff, volunteers, and patrons.
While no positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Vigo County as of today, March 12th, at least nine positive cases have been confirmed in central Indiana. The officers of the Board of Directors of the Debs Foundation and I are in agreement that significant preventative measures should be taken proactively—before a serious local outbreak, and not as a reaction to one.
Of particular significance is the Debs Museum’s location on the campus of Indiana State University. President Deborah Curtis announced earlier today that nearly all university events are canceled, and instruction will take place online from March 16th until April 10th.
History clearly demonstrates that lives are saved by limiting social contact early during outbreaks of infectious diseases. Please take appropriate measures to safeguard your health in this uncertain time.
The museum will likely reopen when on-campus instruction resumes at Indiana State University after April 10th. Rest assured that we will continue keeping Debs’s legacy alive while our doors are closed. Keep up with us on Facebook for live video tours and extra web content currently in the works to keep the public connected to the Debsian tradition of peace, justice, and equality.
In solidarity,
Allison Duerk
Director
Eugene V. Debs Museum
“In competition we have fought each other savagely and engendered the spirit of selfishness, jealousy, and hate. In cooperation we shall be taught to practice mutual kindness and mutual aid. Working together in harmonious cooperation we shall rise to a higher plane and become conscious of the inherent divinity of our nature.” -Eugene V. Debs, 1915
