African Americans in California

**African American Californians** anaa **Black Californians** be people wey dey live for California wey get African roots. According to 2019 United States Census Bureau estimate, about 5.8% of people for California (that be like 2,282,144) identify only as Black or African American. Plus extra 1.2% wey say dem get part African blood, e go reach 7.0% (that be around 2.8 million people). As of 2021, California get the highest number of mixed-race African American people for whole America. Black people be the fourth biggest ethnic group for California, after Hispanics, Whites, and Asians. Since the 1980s, Asians pass Black people for number.

Black people dey plenty for places like Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Solano Counties wey dey inside the San Francisco Bay Area, plus Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. For Southern California, most of dem dey for Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties.

California too get growing number of Afro-Caribbean and African immigrants wey come USA. Most of the African immigrants for California be from Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Plenty Ethiopians dey live for Little Ethiopia inside West Los Angeles. California be one of the states for Western USA wey get high number of black Africans. About 41,249 Afro-Asians dey live for California. Dem also get Blaxican people (people wey be part Black and part Mexican). The number of Blaxicans dey increase for places like Los Angeles. In 2000, California get 113,255 people wey be born for Africa mostly from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. California too get large Jamaican, Haitian, Afro-Latino, Belizean, and Caribbean population. You go find small groups from places like Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British and Dutch West Indies, and Trinidad. Southern California too get big Garifuna community.

De first Black people wey come California be Afro-Latino slaves or mixed-race (mulatto) people wey Spanish people bring come during de early settlement times. During the Second Great Migration (1940s–1970s), African Americans plus Louisiana Creoles move from places like Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina come California.

Since 2016, the number of Black people for California dey go down. Some dey move comot the state together with some White people. Gentrification cause some Black people to lose demma homes and push dem comot from historic Black areas like Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles go cheaper places like East Contra Costa, Inland Empire, and Central Valley. For example, many Black people from Los Angeles move go desert areas like Palmdale and Lancaster in the 1990s. Los Angeles County and San Francisco demma Black population dey reduce fast.  African Americans get the second highest poverty rate for California, after Hispanics. This make many Black Californians move back to Southern states like Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Birmingham, Memphis, San Antonio, and Jackson.

Places like Compton, Inglewood, and Watts wey before be mostly Black now dey mostly Latino. Mexicans and Central Americans don take over many of the areas wey Black people dey live before. In 2019, Black people for California get higher chance to turn homeless.

Some of the Black people for California come from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. 3% of the Black population no be citizens, and 4% be naturalized immigrants. Most Black people dey stay for Los Angeles, the East Bay area of San Francisco, and Sacramento. Solano County get the highest percentage of Black people per county. For the Bay Area, cities like Oakland, Vallejo, Antioch, Suisun City, and Richmond get the most Black people.  

## History
California get ein name from one fictional Black queen, Queen Calafia, wey show for one Spanish novel from the 1500s, "Las sergas de Esplandián" by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.

### 18th century
People wey get African roots first land for California from Mexico during the time Spanish people dey conquer the land.  Spanish soldiers, priests, and settlers bring both free Black people and slaves come California in the 1700s. People wey build towns like San Jose, San Francisco (Yerba Buena), Monterey, San Diego, and Los Angeles mostly be mixed-race (Negro and Native American) from Sonora and Sinaloa for Mexico. Plenty mulatto (half-Black, half-Spanish) people too dey inside Alta California.

### 19th century
Some important early California settlers and landowners get African roots. Pío Pico, one mixed-race Californio politician, ranch owner, and businessperson, be the last governor of Alta California before U.S. take over in 1846.  Juana Briones de Miranda, another mixed-race woman wey get African roots, be one of the early businesswomen for San Francisco. William Leidesdorff, one Black man of mixed race, be one of the founders of San Francisco.

After gold discover for California on January 24, 1848, many African Americans come the state during the Gold Rush wey dem dey find freedom and wealth. White people from southern U.S. bring Black slaves come dig for gold from 1849, mostly from Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Arkansas.  One gold mine called Sweet Vengeance for Browns Valley be found by Black miners. Moses Rodgers be one of the top miners for California.

Some of the oldest Black churches for California include the Saint Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church, Sacramento, wey dem found in 1850, before dem know am as Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. the Third Baptist Church, San Francisco (1852), Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Bethel AME Church) ,San Francisco (1852), African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion Church), San Francisco (1852), and First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles (1872). In the 1870s, Rev. Peter William Cassey help form two Black Episcopalian churches for San Francisco, like Christ Mission Church and early version of St. Cyprian’s Church.

From 1855 to 1902, early African Americans organize State Convention of Colored Citizens. Dem elect delegates from different counties to talk about slavery, education, and voting rights.

Archy Lee be one enslaved Black man wey become part of important court cases for civil rights by 1858. Edward Duplex be first Black mayor for California, elected for Wheatland in 1888.

Insyd 1850, the census count 962 Black people. By 1860, dem be 4,086 By 1910, de number rise to 22,000.

### 20th century
Insyd de 1920s, one place called Terrific Street for San Francisco be where Black culture shine for clubs called Black and Tan (where all races dey mix)..

During Second Great Migration (1940–1970), African Americans move from the South to California for better jobs and to escape Jim Crow laws  Many work for defense and shipyard industries. Some Louisiana Creoles also join.

Before World War II, African Americans be less than 1% of California population.  By 1910, only 21,645 Black residents dey compared to 2 million White people . But after World War II, Black population grow fast.

Insyd de late 1940s–1960s, Black musicians for San Francisco and Los Angeles start West Coast jazz.

Insyd 1968, Yusuf Bey start Your Black Muslim Bakery for Santa Barbara, but later e move to Oakland in 1971.  The bakery be symbol of Black economic power but later collapse due to crimes like abuse and murder. Dem close am in 2007.

For 1991, Rodney King, one African American man, suffer police brutality when three police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) beat am during ein arrest. Dem catch the beating on video. After court free the police officers, the thing lead to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. After the riots, about 50 people die, around 2,000 people injure, and 8,000 people dem arrest.

Affirmative action be set of laws, policies, guidelines, plus administrative ways wey dem put down to stop and fix di bad things wey come from one kind discrimination. Inside November 1996, California cancel Affirmative Action with Proposition 209.

### 21st century
Insyd 2000, California get 113,255 African immigrants, with 29,930 wey live for Bay Area. Most of dem come from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa. About 45,000 Ethiopians and 6,000 Eritreans dey Los Angeles. Egyptians and South Africans too dey settle for California.

Insyd de 2010s, more Black people start move comot California go places like Texas and Atlanta  In 2018, Black neighborhoods still dey for places like Compton, South LA, Inglewood, Stockton, Oakland, and Vallejo. Oakland get about 25% Black people as of 2020. Plenty Black people wey settle for Oakland work for railroad back in mid 1900s.

Insyd 2020, anti-Black hate crimes rise for California. From 2020 to 2022, COVID-19 kill more African Americans for the state, partly because dem get the lowest vaccination rates.

## Media
Dem believe say the first African American newspaper for California be Mirror of the Times, wey dem publish around di mid-1850s. Other early Black newspapers for Northern California include Pacific Appea**l** and The Elevato**r**; for Southern California, e include California Eagle, California Voice, and Los Angeles Sentinel.****

Dem first mention African American people wey dey live for California in 1919 by one Black historian from California, Delilah Beasley. Later on, people like Rudolph Lapp and others also write about dem. More info show for journals like The Journal of Negro History and *The* Journal of African American History*.(3)* 

De biggest film festival wey dey focus on Black filmmaking be Pan African Film Festival, wey dem start for 1992. Other important film festivals wey dey support Black filmmakers demma career include San Diego Black Film Festival and Hollywood Black Film Festival. 

## Education
Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood be one of the early African American teachers for Sacramento, wey she start teach from 1854. Later on, she move go teach for Oakland too.

For May 1854, dem open one private school for Black people called San Francisco Colored School inside the basement of St. Cyprian AME Church wey dey Jackson and Virginia Streets for San Francisco. John Jamison Moore na the person wey start the school, he be the first teacher plus principal and Rev. Thomas Marcus Decatur Ward help lead the school too.

De Phoenixonian Institute for San Jose be the first high school for African American students for the state. Dem open am in 1861 as private boarding school, but e close around the mid-1870s when public schools for the state no longer dey separate Black and White students. The money and support for the Phoenixonian Institute first come from the California State Convention of Colored Citizens plus the African American community wey dey live for the West Coast.

For 1874, the California Supreme Court talk say schools fit be "separate but equal" inside one case dem call *Ward v. Flood*.  The number of African American students for primary school level grow from 24 students in 1870 to 183 students by the end of the 1800s. By 1900, Black students be some of the best performing students for reading and writing subjects.

De first university Black studies department for de United States start for San Francisco State University after de *Third World Liberation Front* strikes wey happen for 1968.

For 1994, African American students for California make up about 7% of the people wey dey go higher education, compared to 9% for the whole United States.

## Health
Black people for California get the highest death rates from breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer.  For 2022, Black people for California die more from COVID-19 pass other ethnic groups, and dem also get the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates  Black Californians too dey more likely to get obesity. Homicide rates for African Americans in California also high pass other groups.

Black people for California dey more likely to face depression, psychological distress, and other mental health problems. De suicide rate for Black Californians high pass the one for White Californians. 

## Reparations
California be the first state wey start to consider reparations for Black people. Dem form one group called the California Reparations Task Force to prepare recommendations give the state legislature. Economists tell the state say Black Californians fit dey owe around $800 billion in reparations. This $800 billion be more than 2.5 times the whole yearly budget of California, wey be $300 billion. Inside the estimate, $246 billion go be compensation give Black Californians wey live for areas wey police dey harass dem and arrest dem too much during the "war on drugs" from 1970 to 2020. That one alone fit be like $125,000 for each person wey qualify. Economists also talk say $569 billion fit go for people wey suffer from redlining, that be when dem deny Black people housing loans just because of dem skin color. That compensation go reach about $223,000 per person wey live for California between 1933 den 1977 den qualify.

According to one 2023 poll wey UC Berkeley do, most California voters no support cash reparations as compensation give people wey be descendants of enslaved African Americans wey dey live for the state.

## Politics
For 2016, 82% of African American voters for California register as Democrats. Kamala Harris be the first African American woman wey become Vice President of the U.S., and she born plus grow for California.

Exit polls show say for 2024, 86% of African Americans for California vote for Kamala Harris. For 2020, 82% vote for Joe Biden, den for 2016, 88% vote for Hillary Clinton.

## Discrimination
For 2021, de total number of hate crime cases reported be the sixth-highest ever recorded, and the highest since after the September 11, 2001 attacks. One study by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) show say anti-Black hate crimes increase by 27% from 2021 to 2022. Hate crimes in general also go up by 20% for the whole state.

Black people get higher arrest rates pass White people for all 58 counties wey dey California.. African Americans too dey often suffer racial profiling for the state.

California be the first state wey ban discrimination based on natural Black hair and hairstyles. Governor Gavin Newsom sign the bill into law..

## References



## External links

* The Movement and Culture of African Americans in California
* African Americans in California - Bancroft Library
* African American History in Mexican California
* Black-Latino tensions on rise in California
* Hispanics: California's Next Majority, *The New York Times*
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* California Once Tried to Ban Black People
* The hidden toll of California’s Black exodus
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* Black and Brown in Los Angeles: Beyond Conflict and Coalition
* LATINO GANG MEMBERS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARE TERRORIZING AND KILLING BLACKS
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* Racial/Ethnic Differences in Who’s Leaving California
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* California Cultures: African Americans
* An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California (Black Americans)
* California Black Population Percentage City Rank
## Further reading
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