California 175 - Pan African Heritage at Sutter’s Fort and California Gold Mining District

Sacramento, California ~ Essential contributions by people of Pan African Ancestry during the transition from Mexican rule to American rule 175 years ago.

The everyday experience at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park and throughout many of the California State Parks along the American River Parkway have nearly completely erased authentic history and have few if any employees to share authentic history.

The late Honorable Mervyn M. Dymally, served as US Congressman, California Lt. Governor, and two separate occasions in the California Legislature. In 2004 he authored AB 59, stating, “there is a great amount of institutional and historical evidence of contributions of African-Americans to the history and culture of the state and in many instances these facts have been distorted or revised.

Therefore there is a need to preserve the contributions of various institutions, events, and individual.”

The proposed measure, AB 59 (Dymally) 2003-2004, passed overwhelmingly in both the Assembly and Senate only to suffer a humiliating defiant veto message by Governor Schwarzenegger.

10 years ago, AB 783 (Weber) 2017-2018, authored by Dr. Shirley Weber, reintroduced a similar legislation that was “killed within a strange amendment process” before a first committee hearing by powerful lobbyists and the status quo.

One bright day, the need and benefit sharing profound examples of the significant contributions made by people of Pan African Ancestry throughout the Great State of California will match the profound respect for Pan African Civilization before the Trans Atlantic Trade on human cargo.

Historically, the vast diversity and recognition of Pan African presence both in scientific documentation and oral traditions predates European conquest during the “Age of Sail.”

Early Spanish, British, Russian, French and Mexican pioneers share primary source documentation of the presence and significant contribution by people of Pan African Ancestry in Alta California, Mexico.

Long before the Mexican-American War, 1846-1848, and the conquest of Alta California the 1790 Spanish Census records nearly 20% of New Spain of Pan African ancestry in very unique way of enumeration.

January 1848, the dawn of the California Gold Rush, help create the 31st state of the Union.

People of African ancestry held leading and supporting roles in both Mexico and United States, at Sutter’s Fort 1840-1850,

Powerful and profound examples of our unique journey toward freedom along the American River Parkway and throughout the State of California remain cloaked and hidden by design.

An autonomous California African American Heritage Commission; officially qualifying and quantifying the salient contributions by people of Pan African ancestry, as originally envisioned by Honorable Mervyn Dymally, from the back side of Mt. Shasta to the Salton Sea is a buried treasure for future historians to consider.

Global educators and community stakeholders may offer a 21st century examination of early Pioneers of Pan African Gold Rush California for a Reparations payday, however sound scholarship has already been buried deep.

Today, 2026 National Agriculture Week, we will seek to uncover and expand recognition of the contributions made by people of Pan African ancestry from the Piet of San Francisco to Sutter’s Fort and throughout the American River Parkway along Historic Coloma Road and California Gold Mining Districts.

Together, we must remove the distortion and share authentic history in the California Gold Rush Era, 1840-1875 for distant future generations/

Recently, California State Parks official have reorganized archival period documents at Sutter’s Fort, catalogued for future generations to study, appreciate and share with the world.

Many public and private institutions often share scholarship, resources and relational database information thereby providing consistent, careful and concerned scholastic opportunity toward discovery and dissemination, one day it will happen with our California Pan African Heritage.

Why not feature people of African Ancestry as part of the daily presence at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park and throughout the American River Parkway?

Imagine the humanity, educational and cultural tourism possibilities valuing and sharing the essential contributions by people of Pan African Ancestry with all visitors and student experiences.

Old Sacramento State Historic Park, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Parks and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and other points of interest along the American River Parkway.

Ole Historic Coloma Trail, will one day showcase for the world to experience Pan African Heritage from Port San Francisco, Old Sacramento Embarcadero, Sutter’s Fort, Rancho Rio De Los Americanos, Historic Negro Bar, Mormon Island and Negro Hill and Coloma in a documented seamless way when “The World Rushed In” during the transition from Mexican Civil Law to English Common Law.

It is long past time, to dust off the old source documents and collaborate with our California Archives and California State Library utilizing Legislative direction.

The California ACLU and other legal minds could assist the researching, documenting, preserving and sharing the authentic contributions by people of Pan African ancestry throughout California and beyond for the next 175 years.

Starting with Sutter’s Fort State Historical Park, a formal collaborative partnership with leading public and private institutions of higher learning offers new exciting job creations and career opportunities in a plethora of opportunities embracing cultural tourism and historical preservation.

Both conservative and progressive political leaders at the International, Federal, State and Local level are poised to embrace an expanding notion of celebrating our diversity, it is time to reconsider and act upon finally including our authentic and unique California Pan African Heritage, beginning with the “Our Journey Toward Freedom in the California Gold Rush Era (1840-1870) another 100 million dollar investment, tis time for a California Pan African Heritage Museum/