top
Central Valley
Central Valley
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Slavery in California ~ A New Way Forward ~ Healing What is Hurting Black California

by khubaka, michael harris (blackagriculture [at] yahoo.com)
150 years later, the notion of accurate primary source documentation fully shared and available for all to see remains a challenge. Slavery in California is an open secret. Old Sacramento was the center of a statewide conversation concerning unique "California Black Codes." Salient official Federal, State, Local elected officials will be essential to ferret out the authentic "California Grown" story and silence the voices of modern day "hate crimes against humanity." The goal is to provide "A New Way Forward ~ Healing What is Hurting Black California."
bf_hasting___company_building_1.jpg
Hidden with a wonderful legacy of a modern California Juneteenth movement is the opportunity to quantify and share an authentic story of California Juneteenth, 1840 - 1865.

Documentation of slavery in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Stockton and all throughout Gold Rush Country remains a task the California State Legislature should address this 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and U.S. Civil War.

December 1865, the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution marked a new way, still utilized today, legal slavery if convicted of a crime.

Many California Juneteenth celebrations may finally began to share the legacy Slavery by people of African ancestry in the Great State of California. A formal recognition is essential for people suffering from xenophobia and xenophilia to consider primary source documents of official archive documents.

In Texas, many found out that slavery ended on June 19, 1865, as General Granger and 2000 Union troops enforced freedom for an estimated 250,000 enslaved humans two months after the end of the Civil War.

When did folk enslaved in California find out they were free, some people still may not know?

State Senator Ed Vincent, Los Angeles authored Juneteeth Legislation to mandate recognition of the 3rd Saturday in June an official statewide celebration of California Juneteenth.

Monday, April 22, 2013
Slavery in California ~ Old Sacramento Tour
117 J Street @ Commonwealth Ave
6:00 pm ~ 7:30 pm

join us as we explore the possibilities...

Juneteenth Capay Valley
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Highway 16 ~ Guinda, CA
co-hosted by the California Black Agriculture Working Group

We are not Texas and by no means did Texas have all the enslaved human suffering from centuries of long and a difficult journey towards freedom. Juneteenth is a special day in US past, present and future, a National Day of Observance.

Slavery in California was a fact of life and a comprehensive official study has yet to be afforded any consideration of utility by our California Legislature. Historical amnesia is on full view in my birth home of Sacramento, California and hard fought minimal gains are discounted and disrespected.

Our California State Legislature enacted laws to restrict the right to vote by Black citizens, restrict the right to fund education for black students, restrict the right to testify in court for black people and restrict land ownership for black people.

Today, it is a few black folk the most vicious opponents to making change...

Xenophilia, must protect the general public from knowing about the first California Governor Peter Burnett in one of his first official speeches, "proposed to export all Black people out of the State of California and later a Chief of the California Supreme Court used his authority in special and unique ways."

The official California Legislative measure failed by the smallest of margins with the use of parlimentary procedures, Assembly Bill 395, the "Nigger Bil" provides clear conversation of the debate.

Juneteenth represents exactly what U.S. General Granger said to those enslaved in the fields in Texas, General Order #3 says, "you are no longer slaves, you are employees... now get back to work." Many on the small Texas island, went to bed, woke up and lived in the same conditions as before... yet somehow... free.

95% of Black folk in America were on the farm working for free for hundreds of years and today Black Farmers are all but forgotten, especially by Black people.

Slavery in California was the real thing...

Today, California Black Agriculture produces represent 1/4th of 1 pecent of all Farmers in California.

We must remove the terrible image of a carry-over from legal chattel slavery throughout the Westen Hemisphere and remove stigma and legal obstacles to entry level agriculture labor being "undocumented and often enslavement."

May the spirit of William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., "African Founding Father of California" guide you to discover the legacy of "California Juneteenth, Our Journey Towards Freedom."

Michael Harris, Ag Policy Director, Chair
California Black Agriculture Working Group
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$210.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network