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We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California

  • Description
  • Specs
  • Schedule

Description

Starting during the Gold Rush and continuing through today, Black Californians have been part and parcel of rural areas. In this free-standing banner exhibit, little-known stories of African American farmers, ranchers, and rural residents challenge myths about California history.

A farm hand stands to the right of a horse and in front of a wood building in a sepia-toned photograph.
Farm hand and horse standing next to shed, c. 1908. Courtesy African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Five African American women stand in a line, facing the camera, in the early 1900s.
Teachers at the Allensworth school, c. 1915 [090-2156]. Courtesy California State Parks, 2020.
In a black-and-white drawing, an African American farmer holds a basket of food while warplanes fly overhead.
“Food Fights for Freedom!!!”, Charles Alston, c. 1942-45. Courtesy National Archives.

While it is widely recognized that many Black people who migrated to California moved into booming cities, African Americans are not strangers to rural California. Rural Black residents opened schools, worked the land, and exercised vigilance about the equal rights of citizens. Over successive migrations in the 19th- and 20th-centuries, generations settled in agricultural and rural areas from as far north as Siskiyou County, to the Central Valley, to the Imperial Valley in the South.

Exhibit Themes:

  • Farmers & Ranchers: Here from the Start
  • Working the Land
  • Independent Settlements
  • Into the Modern Age

We Are Not Strangers Here is a collaboration between the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies; Susan Anderson of the California African American Museum; the California Historical Society; Exhibit Envoy; and Dr. Caroline Collins from UC San Diego. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation.

Specs

Audience:
General
Rental Fee:
$1,000 + shipping
Size:
60 linear ft.
Languages:
English, Spanish via PDF
Security:
Limited
Installation Images:
View Here

Exhibit Components:

  • 7 colorful banners each measuring 5’H x 7’W and installed using free-standing banner stands
  • Cell phone audio tour featuring the voices of scholars and descendants of rural Black Californians
  • Multiple podcasts featuring additional stories, produced by Cal Ag Roots
  • PDF with Spanish translation of the full exhibition
  • Programming suggestions and resource list
  • Exhibition press kit with digital images

Schedule and Availability

Past Dates

February 14, 2021 – May 16, 2021
Sutter County Museum, Yuba City
May 30, 2021 – August 1, 2021
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, Earlimart
August 15, 2021 – October 10, 2021
San Luis Obispo Coast District of California State Parks
October 31, 2021 – December 26, 2021
Tulare County Museum, Visalia
January 9, 2022 – August 14, 2022
The Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco
August 28, 2022 – October 23, 2022
San Diego Public Library, San Diego
November 13, 2022 – January 8, 2023
Milpitas Library, Milpitas
January 29, 2023 – April 2, 2023
San Joaquin County Historical Museum, Lodi
April 23, 2023 – June 11, 2023 (7 weeks)
AVAILABLE
July 2, 2023 – November 26, 2023
Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society, Healdsburg
December 31, 2023 – May 12, 2024
Shasta Historical Society, Redding
June 2, 2024 – July 28, 2024
AVAILABLE
August 18, 2024 – October 13, 2024
AVAILABLE
November 3, 2024 – January 5, 2024 (9 weeks)
AVAILABLE
January 26, 2025 – March 23, 2025
AVAILABLE

This show will travel beyond 2024! Contact us to discuss booking dates for 2025+.

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