Black History Month~California State Capitol

150th Anniversary of Black Sacramento
Black History Month
California State Capitol
North Steps
Friday, February 23, 2007

By Michael Harris, native of Sacramento, California

Near the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River I was nurtured by a loving extended family "within the Dos Rios Housing Development. Learning to read very early at home was a requiement by my mother and witnessing a strong work ethic through my father was communicated to my sister and brothers, my foundation was strong.

“As a child, I thought as a child, and when I became a man I put away childish things…” I recited these words, in my childhood preparation to become a man at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Black History Program, where Reverend William E. Heights and Queen Sista Mary Heights served as early Sheppard’s of my spiritual education.

The legacy of Black History in the Sacramento community remains an open secret for today’s Black youth and all Sacramento youth searching for historical identity based upon a natural inclusive community self-esteem. It could become a common legacy for all our children’s children.

It seems strange and most interesting that in the capitol of the 5th largest economic power on earth, there is no historical showcase of the recorded contributions of people of African ancestry to the forward flow of humanity in Sacramento, California. We all suffer from the ongoing exclusion of our cultural historical role.

Worldwide the notion of “California” does not suggest the name sake of our Golden State, Queen Califia a strong Black woman, lived a balanced life of war and wisdom thus her bountiful spirit remains strong despite our “open secret.”

Imagine an historic scene near 4th and I St. downtown Sacramento in 1850, two neighbors Mr. Peter Burnett, 1st Governor of California and Mr. Daniel Blue, Black Sacramento Businessman. In the Governors inaugural speech he spoke of “exporting all Black people out the State of California,” and his neighbor’s previous response was to go down in his basement with friends and pray long and hard, thus the St. Andrews AME Church was founded prior to California Statehood and his neighbors famous speech.

Today, at the northwest corner of 4th and I Street at the Sacramento Valley Railroad Station, first railroad west of the Mississippi River, is a tranquil grove of redwoods and orange trees that I visit from time to time.

On a warm spring afternoon, when the sweet scent of the orange blossoms command the senses you can sit and almost hear the neighborly conversation of two early Sacramento pioneers.

Both men and their wives had a profound impact on the State of California. One a native of Tennessee and a racist lawyer and the other formerly enslaved in Kentucky and a spiritual guide, both playing foundational role in Sacramento History.

One man has streets, schools and other prominent remembrances of him, and the other has a deep moral and spiritual foundation to our region, ripe to become fully manifest and continue to guide the Sacramento region to greater glory.

‘On in the day’ Uncle Daniel provided the moral dignity and spiritual conviction for the foundation of all of Sacramento. His example and others provided the necessary civic discourse to withstand a historic racist 1857 California Executive, Legislative and Judicial onslaught that remains and open secret until today.

Our 150th Anniversary of Black Sacramento, we challenge our community to pick-up the torch moving ever towards a more perfect union” and establish a “Daniel Blue Memorial Grove” within the hearts and minds of ourselves and of our neighbors.