The City of Sacramento’s Historic Preservation team has launched the “African American Experience Project” and is asking the public to get involved.
Residents are encouraged to share artifacts, photos and stories to contribute to this project, which will expand the public’s understanding of African American history in Sacramento.
“This is an exciting project and opportunity to highlight the African American communities and their contributions to Sacramento,” said Sean de Courcy, City of Sacramento’s historic preservation director. “We are looking forward to working with our community members to begin building this project and being able to share our findings and stories.”
The project will include extensive research, oral histories, community outreach, workshops and final documents to record and encompass all findings of this project.
History students from Sacramento State University, volunteers from partner organization, and the City’s historic consultant will work collaboratively to gather material about the African American experience in Sacramento.
Residents are being asked to submit copies of family photos, newspaper clippings and other relevant records to assist with the research effort. Residents are also being asked to record conversations with their elders and submit those as part of the project. Documents and recordings will help create an archive of the African American experience for future researchers and be housed at the Center for Sacramento History.
Those interested in participating, can visit the African American Experience Oral Histories page to learn how to submit information and to be a part of the oral history component of the project.
The project is funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The project will be managed City staff with support from Sac State students and community partners.
To learn more and find out how to be a part of this important project, please visit the African American Experience Project webpage.
Photo credit: Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources at the office of Nathaniel Colley, the groundbreaking African American attorney who fought for the desegregation of public housing in Sacramento.