World Maritime Day ~ Jack London Square ~ Oakland, CA

Oakland, CA ~ Leading California Maritime stakeholders are preparing to support the United Nations International Maritime Organization by celebrating September 23, 2010 as World Maritime Day, honoring the Golden Legacy of William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr.

Northern California and the Bay Area historical relationship with the United Nations is an open secret worth sharing.
Beginning in April of 1945, the UN Conference on International Organization began in San Francisco, CA and was attended by 50 governments and a number of non-governmental organizations who helped draft the Charter of the United Nations, officially signed on 24 October 1945.

Today, we resolve to showcase our unique Northern California ports by highlighting regional expanded capacity and modern infrastructure development to remain competitive in a global marketplace of maritime trade and commerce.

Together, broad based stakeholders will celebrate the past, present and future importance of our California Ports to achieve the desired expansion of U.S. Agriculture exports throughout the world, benefiting our broader California economy.
California’s intermodal transportation systems have sustained job creation, career development and sustainable communities since before the Gold Rush of 1848.

People of African ancestry continue to play a pivotal role and building upon the strong foundation of Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., a leading civic leader and pioneer in the successful quest for California to become the 31st State of our U.S.A.,

He was born in October 23, 1810 in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, to Anna Marie Sparks, his Afro Cuban mother and William Leidesdorff, Sr., his Danish Jewish father.

In 1841, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. sailed the vessel, the Julia Ann from the Port of New York into the sleepy Mexican fishing village of Yerba Buena, and helped establish the Bay Area as a modern world maritime center, demonstrating cosmopolitan elegance and refined high culture values.

In 1843, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. was naturalized as a Mexican citizen to facilitate acquiring a 35,000 acre land grant to expand Agriculture exports from the Sacramento Valley throughout the Pacific Rim and he was an early advocate of creating dual U.S. citizenship; and

In 1845, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. accepted the position of United States Vice-Consul in the Mexican Alta California region. By serving our nation in this capacity he is the first Black U.S. Diplomat in history, affectionately known as the “African Founding Father of California” who was an active leader in the Bear Flag Revolt during the Mexican-American War, 1846 – 1848 and his official reports are cherished accounts of U.S. acquisition of California.

In 1847, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. captained the first and only steam ship, the Sitka, in California prior to the Gold Rush. His maiden steam voyage up Sacramento River is immortalized on our California State Seal and recognizes his vision for intermodal transportation systems of “California Grown “agricultural products to world markets.

Today, we look to the distant past to to gain a broad perspective, recognize today’s opportunities and prepare for future expanded world trade and commerce while building upon the Golden Legacy of the “African Founding Father of California, Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr.”