Black California History Thread...

[murksiderock]

I thought I'd created this before, turns out I haven't. The vision is that this thread is used to discuss both historical and currents events related to Black California, looking forward to all contributors...

@Biscayne This initial post is gonna answer some of your inquiries from a recent thread, about the historical black population of California cities. I think this is a dope idea I'd love to see you chart out for Florida, too!

Initial discussion will post the historical Black population of about 23 California cities, that are or were relevant in the shaping of California's collective Black imprint, past or present...

 

[murksiderock]

Black Populations By Census, Major California Cities

*I'm bolding the peak black population of each city**also, as the ACS are annual estimates sponsored by the Census division, they obviously aren't the official decennial Census, so all figures used below are from the decennial Census until otherwise noted***

1850
San Francisco: 444 (1.3%)
Sacramento: 191 (2.8%)
Los Angeles: 12 (0.7%)

1860
San Francisco: 1176 (2.1%)
Sacramento: 294 (3.9%)
Los Angeles: 66 (1.5%)
Oakland: 18 (1.2%)
San Diego: 4 (0.5%)

1870
San Francisco: 1330 (0.9%)
Sacramento: 418 (2.6%)
San Jose: 105 (1.2%)
Los Angeles: 93 (1.6%)
San Diego: 1 (0%)
Oakland, N/A

1880
San Francisco: 1628 (0.7%)
Oakland: 593 (1.7%)
Sacramento: 455 (2.1%)
Los Angeles: 102 (0.9%)
San Jose: 91 (0.7%)
San Diego: N/A

1890
San Francisco: 1847 (0.6%)
Los Angeles: 1258 (2.5%)
Oakland: 644 (1.3%)
Sacramento: 401 (1.5%)
Fresno: 318 (2.9%)
San Diego: 289 (1.8%)
San Jose: 184 (1%)
Bakersfield: 85 (3.2%)

1900
Los Angeles: 2131 (2.1%)
San Francisco: 1654 (0.5%)
Oakland: 1026 (1.5%)
Sacramento: 402 (1.4%)
San Diego: 313 (1.8%)
Fresno: 291 (2.3%)
San Jose: 209 (1%)
Bakersfield: 151 (3.1%)

1910
Los Angeles: 7599 (2.4%)
Oakland: 3055 (2%)
San Francisco: 1642 (0.4%)
San Diego: 597 (1.5%)
Sacramento: 486 (1.1%)
Bakersfield: 262 (2.1%)
Fresno: 250 (1%)
San Jose: 182 (0.6%)

1920
Los Angeles: 15,579 (2.7%)
Oakland: 5489 (2.5%)
San Francisco: 2414 (0.5%)
San Diego: 997 (1.3%)
Sacramento: 675 (1%)
Fresno: 508 (1.1%)
Bakersfield: 369 (2%)
San Jose: 191 (0.5%)

1930
Los Angeles: 38,894 (3.1%)
Oakland: 7503 (2.6%)
San Francisco: 3803 (0.6%)
San Diego: 2723 (1.8%)
Sacramento: 1086 (1.2%)
Bakersfield: 868 (3.3%)
Fresno: 838 (1.6%)
San Jose: 240 (0.4%)

1940
Los Angeles: 63,774 (4.2%)
Oakland: 8462 (2.8%)
San Francisco: 4846 (0.8%)
San Diego: 4143 (2%)
Fresno: 2002 (3.3%)
Sacramento 1468 (1.4%)
Bakersfield: 1025 (3.5%)
San Jose: 291 (0.4%)

1950
Los Angeles: 171,209 (8.7%)
Oakland: 47,562 (12.4%)
San Francisco: 43,502 (5.6%)
San Diego: 14,904 (4.5%)
Fresno: 5300 (5.8%)
Sacramento: 4538 (3.3%)
Bakersfield: 1492 (4.3%)
San Jose: 591 (0.6%)

1960
Los Angeles: 334,916 (13.5%)
Oakland: 83,618 (22.8%)
San Francisco: 74,383 (10%)
San Diego: 34,435 (6%)
Sacramento: 12,103 (6.3%)
Fresno: 10,485 (7.8%)
Bakersfield: 8218 (14.5%)
San Jose: 1955 (1%)

1970
Los Angeles: 503,606 (17.9%)
Oakland: 124,710 (34.5%)
San Francisco: 96,078 (13.4%)
San Diego: 52,961 (7.6%)
Sacramento: 27,244 (10.7%)
Fresno: 15,875 (9.6%)
San Jose: 10,955 (2.5%)
Bakersfield: 9243 (13.3%)

1980
Los Angeles: 505,210 (17%)
Oakland: 159,281 (46.9%)
San Francisco: 86,414 (12.7%)
San Diego: 77,700 (8.9%)
Sacramento: 36,866 (13.4%)
San Jose: 29,486 (4.6%)
Fresno: 20,665 (9.5%)
Bakersfield: 11,194 (10.6%)

1990
Los Angeles: 487,674 (14%)
Oakland: 163,335 (43.9%)
San Diego: 104,261 (9.4%)
San Francisco 79,039 (10.9%)
Sacramento: 56,521 (15.3%)
San Jose: 36,790 (4.7%)
Fresno: 29,409 (8.3%)
Bakersfield: 16,509 (9.4%)

2000
Los Angeles: 401,986 (10.9%)
Oakland: 140,139 (35.1%)
San Diego: 92,830 (7.6%)
Sacramento: 61,136 (15%)
San Francisco: 59,032 (7.6%)
Fresno: 34,357 (8%)
San Jose: 29,495 (3.3%)
Bakersfield: 21,907 (8.9%)

2010
Los Angeles: 347,380 (9.2%)
Oakland: 106,637 (27.3%)
San Diego: 82,497 (6.3%)
Sacramento: 64,967 (13.9%)
San Francisco: 48,314 (6%)
Fresno: 37,885 (7.7%)
San Jose: 27,508 (2.9%)
Bakersfield: 26,677 (7.7%)

2020
Los Angeles: 322,553 (8.3%)
Oakland: 91,561 (20.3%)
San Diego: 77,542 (5.6%)
Sacramento: 66,012 (12.6%)
San Francisco: 44,572 (5.1%)
Fresno: 37,611 (6.9%)
San Jose: 27,422 (2.7%)
Bakersfield: 26,402 (6.5%)

Smaller CA cities up next (cities that are mainly suburbs of the larger cities, and/or anchor smaller urban areas)

 

[murksiderock]

1860
Stockton 93 (2.5%)

1870
Stockton 165 (1.6%)

1880
Stockton 199 (1.9%)
Vallejo 30 (0.5%)

1890
Stockton 229 (1.6%)
Riverside 82 (1.8%)
Pasadena 75 (1.5%)
San Bernardino 62 (1.5%)
Vallejo 55 (0.9%)
Berkeley 11 (0.2%)

1900
Pasadena 218 (2.4%)
Stockton 213 (1.2%)
Riverside 195 (2.4%)
San Bernardino 84 (1.4%)
Berkeley 66 (0.5%)
Vallejo 39 (0.5%)

1910
Pasadena 744 (2.5%)
Riverside 421 (2.8%)
Berkeley 247 (0.6%)
Vallejo 224 (2%)
Stockton 196 (0.8%)
San Bernardino 177 (1.4%)
Long Beach 100 (0.6%)
Modesto 78 (1.9%)

1920
Pasadena 1094 (2.4%)
Berkeley 507 (0.9%)
Riverside 505 (2.6%)
Vallejo 346 (1.6%)
Stockton 336 (0.8%)
San Bernardino 269 (1.4%)
Long Beach 142 (0.3%)
Modesto 94 (1%)
Inglewood 2 (0.1%)

1930
Pasadena 3015 (4%)
Berkeley 2177 (2.7%)
Riverside 604 (2%)
San Bernardino 518 (1.4%)
Stockton 433 (0.9%)
Long Beach 353 (0.2%)
Vallejo 301 (1.9%)
Modesto 170 (1.2%)
Inglewood 3 (0%)
Compton 1 (0%)

1940
Pasadena 3929 (4.8%)
Berkeley 3395 (4%)
Riverside 881 (2.5%)
Stockton 875 (1.6%)
Compton 778 (4.8%)
San Bernardino 660 (1.5%)
Long Beach 610 (0.4%)
Vallejo 438 (2.2%)
Modesto 184 (1.1%)
Inglewood 24 (0.1%)

1950
Richmond 13,374 (13.4%)
Berkeley 13,289 (11.7%)
Pasadena 7820 (7.5%)
Long Beach 4267 (1.7%)
Stockton 3113 (4.4%)
San Bernardino 1931 (3.1%)
Compton 1920 (4%)
Riverside 1805 (3.9%)
Vallejo 1513 (5.8%)
Modesto 320 (1.8%)
Inglewood 35 (0.1%)

1960
Compton 28,725 (40%)
Berkeley 21,850 (19.6%)
Pasadena 14,587 (12.5%)
Richmond 14,388 (20%)
Vallejo 10,053 (16.5%)
Long Beach 9531 (2.8%)
San Bernardino 8061 (8.8%)
Stockton 7312 (8.5%)
Riverside 3938 (4.7%)
Carson 2131 (5.6%)
Modesto 582 (1.6%)
Inglewood 29 (0%)

1970
Compton 55,768 (71%)
Richmond 28,633 (36.2%)
Berkeley 27,421 (23.5%)
Long Beach 18,991 (5.3%)
Pasadena 18,256 (16.1%)
San Bernardino 14,586 (14%)
Stockton 11,824 (11%)
Vallejo 11,101 (16.6%)
East Palo Alto 10,846 (60.8%)
Inglewood 10,066 (11.2%)
Riverside 7222 (5.2%)
Modesto 1165 (1.9%)

1980
Compton 60,096 (73.9%)
Inglewood 54,010 (57.3%)
Long Beach 40,738 (11.3%)
Richmond 35,799 (47.9%)
Pasadena 24,537 (20.7%)
Berkeley 20,770 (20.1%)
Carson 19,331 (23.8%)
San Bernardino 17,559 (14.9%)
Stockton 15,644 (10.4%)
Vallejo 15,288 (19%)
Riverside 11,776 (6.9%)
East Palo Alto 11,107 (61.1%)
Modesto 2187 (2.1%)

1990
Long Beach 58,761 (13.7%)
Inglewood 56,861 (51.9%)
Compton 47,680 (53%)
Richmond 38,266 (43.8%)
San Bernardino 26,281 (16%)
Pasadena 24,952 (19%)
Vallejo 23,098 (21.2%)
Carson 21,542 (26%)
Stockton 20,321 (9.6%)
Berkeley 19,281 (18.8%)
Riverside 16,740 (7.4%)
Moreno Valley 16,402 (13.8%)
East Palo Alto 10,071 (42.9%)
Modesto 4413 (2.7%)

2000
Long Beach 66,836 (14.5%)
Inglewood 52,260 (46.4%)
Compton 37,263 (40%)
Richmond 35,777 (36.1%)
San Bernardino 29,654 (16%)
Moreno Valley 27,536 (19.3%)
Vallejo 27,201 (23.3%)
Stockton 26,539 (10.8%)
Carson 22,485 (25.1%)
Pasadena 18,711 (14%)
Riverside 18,051 (7.1%)
Berkeley 13,707 (13.3%)
Modesto 7013 (3.7%)
East Palo Alto 6796 (23%)
Merced 3864 (6.1%)

2010
Long Beach 59,925 (13%)
Inglewood 47,029 (42.9%)
Stockton 33,507 (11.5%)
Moreno Valley 33,195 (17.2%)
Compton 30,992 (32.1%)
San Bernardino 29,897 (14.2%)
Richmond 27,542 (26.6%)
Vallejo 24,876 (21.5%)
Carson 21,385 (23.3%)
Riverside 19,917 (6.6%)
Pasadena 13,912 (10.2%)
Berkeley 10,896 (9.7%)
Modesto 7539 (3.8%)
East Palo Alto 4704 (16.7%)
Merced 4483 (5.7%)

2020
Long Beach 55,894 (12%)
Inglewood 40,804 (37.9%)
Stockton 38,178 (11.9%)
Moreno Valley 31,582 (15.1%)
San Bernardino 26,134 (11.8%)
Vallejo 24,446 (19.4%)
Compton 24,342 (25.4%)
Richmond 21,753 (18.7%)
Carson 21,264 (22.3%)
Riverside 18,832 (6%)
Pasadena 10,795 (7.8%)
Berkeley 9495 (7.6%)
Modesto 8103 (3.7%)
Merced 4191 (4.9%)
East Palo Alto 3190 (10.6%)

 

[King Sun]

2000
Los Angeles: 401,986 (10.9%)

my family attributed to this.

 

[murksiderock]

2000
Los Angeles: 401,986 (10.9%)

my family attributed to this.

Alot of people's families have!

Think about this, how many black families do you know, with 100+ years of history in California? I don't personally know any----->possibly could be on my paternal side, but beyond my dad, I don't know those people. All I know is that his dad, a lifetime fukk up, came from generational wealth in Oakland, his dad's family are supposedly an early example of black wealth in Oakland...

But I don't know how long his people have been in California, and he (my grandfather) just died himself in November...

My maternal side is easiest to chart out, my grandma brought my mom and her siblings out to Sacramento in 1973-74, from Arkansas. My grandma is still alive and is still in Sac, so when you see over 9000 black people moved to Sac in the 70s, 5 of them were grandma and her 4 kids, and multiple others are cousins and aunts of ours...

Of those 5, Grandma and her one surviving son are still in Sac (one of her sons is dead). My mom moved to Gainesville, Georgia in 2015, and her sister has been in San Antonio even longer than that, since like the 00s. But also, Sac hasn't lost black population in a Census in 130 years or so, so even with part of my family moving out, way more black people have moved in...

On my paternal side, my great-grandfather came to San Francisco in or around 1950. My great-grandmother was a white woman from Sacramento who he met when he got to SF, and her family, I've been told, were first generation Californians from Kansas. So thru them, I think I've probably got 100 years in California, but I don't know them, either (my great-grandma died in the 70s and my grandma never really knew her family)...

But my BLACK lineage in California goes back to 1950 thru my great-grandfather, on my paternal side. So thats 75 years of our blackness rooted thru that side. And potentially even longer, thru my grandfather's Oakland family, but I don't know if I'll ever get that answer...

My point being, California has always been transient for us, it's always been black people moving in and out and around, maybe there for a season or a few generations, and then out...

 

[murksiderock]

A fun, little known black history fact of California: the first recorded black citizens of the state, helped found San Francisco in 1775. SF is literally the origination of Black California, it's a gotdamn shame what they've done to us in The City...

Another fact: black people were also part of the founding settlements of San Jose, Los Angeles, and Monterey...

One more quick one: the oldest serving, still active black church in California, is still around in Sacramento (St Andrew's AME, started in 1850)...

 

[SCJoe]

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

California State Parks

www.parks.ca.gov

 

[JaytheOne]

1860
Stockton 93 (2.5%)

1870
Stockton 165 (1.6%)

1880
Stockton 199 (1.9%)
Vallejo 30 (0.5%)

1890
Stockton 229 (1.6%)
Riverside 82 (1.8%)
Pasadena 75 (1.5%)
San Bernardino 62 (1.5%)
Vallejo 55 (0.9%)
Berkeley 11 (0.2%)

1900
Pasadena 218 (2.4%)
Stockton 213 (1.2%)
Riverside 195 (2.4%)
San Bernardino 84 (1.4%)
Berkeley 66 (0.5%)
Vallejo 39 (0.5%)

1910
Pasadena 744 (2.5%)
Riverside 421 (2.8%)
Berkeley 247 (0.6%)
Vallejo 224 (2%)
Stockton 196 (0.8%)
San Bernardino 177 (1.4%)
Long Beach 100 (0.6%)
Modesto 78 (1.9%)

1920
Pasadena 1094 (2.4%)
Berkeley 507 (0.9%)
Riverside 505 (2.6%)
Vallejo 346 (1.6%)
Stockton 336 (0.8%)
San Bernardino 269 (1.4%)
Long Beach 142 (0.3%)
Modesto 94 (1%)
Inglewood 2 (0.1%)

1930
Pasadena 3015 (4%)
Berkeley 2177 (2.7%)
Riverside 604 (2%)
San Bernardino 518 (1.4%)
Stockton 433 (0.9%)
Long Beach 353 (0.2%)
Vallejo 301 (1.9%)
Modesto 170 (1.2%)
Inglewood 3 (0%)
Compton 1 (0%)

1940
Pasadena 3929 (4.8%)
Berkeley 3395 (4%)
Riverside 881 (2.5%)
Stockton 875 (1.6%)
Compton 778 (4.8%)
San Bernardino 660 (1.5%)
Long Beach 610 (0.4%)
Vallejo 438 (2.2%)
Modesto 184 (1.1%)
Inglewood 24 (0.1%)

1950
Richmond 13,374 (13.4%)
Berkeley 13,289 (11.7%)
Pasadena 7820 (7.5%)
Long Beach 4267 (1.7%)
Stockton 3113 (4.4%)
San Bernardino 1931 (3.1%)
Compton 1920 (4%)
Riverside 1805 (3.9%)
Vallejo 1513 (5.8%)
Modesto 320 (1.8%)
Inglewood 35 (0.1%)

1960
Compton 28,725 (40%)
Berkeley 21,850 (19.6%)
Pasadena 14,587 (12.5%)
Richmond 14,388 (20%)
Vallejo 10,053 (16.5%)
Long Beach 9531 (2.8%)
San Bernardino 8061 (8.8%)
Stockton 7312 (8.5%)
Riverside 3938 (4.7%)
Carson 2131 (5.6%)
Modesto 582 (1.6%)
Inglewood 29 (0%)

1970
Compton 55,768 (71%)
Richmond 28,633 (36.2%)
Berkeley 27,421 (23.5%)
Long Beach 18,991 (5.3%)
Pasadena 18,256 (16.1%)
San Bernardino 14,586 (14%)
Stockton 11,824 (11%)
Vallejo 11,101 (16.6%)
East Palo Alto 10,846 (60.8%)
Inglewood 10,066 (11.2%)
Riverside 7222 (5.2%)
Modesto 1165 (1.9%)

1980
Compton 60,096 (73.9%)
Inglewood 54,010 (57.3%)
Long Beach 40,738 (11.3%)
Richmond 35,799 (47.9%)
Pasadena 24,537 (20.7%)
Berkeley 20,770 (20.1%)
Carson 19,331 (23.8%)
San Bernardino 17,559 (14.9%)
Stockton 15,644 (10.4%)
Vallejo 15,288 (19%)
Riverside 11,776 (6.9%)
East Palo Alto 11,107 (61.1%)
Modesto 2187 (2.1%)

1990
Long Beach 58,761 (13.7%)
Inglewood 56,861 (51.9%)
Compton 47,680 (53%)
Richmond 38,266 (43.8%)
San Bernardino 26,281 (16%)
Pasadena 24,952 (19%)
Vallejo 23,098 (21.2%)
Carson 21,542 (26%)
Stockton 20,321 (9.6%)
Berkeley 19,281 (18.8%)
Riverside 16,740 (7.4%)
Moreno Valley 16,402 (13.8%)
East Palo Alto 10,071 (42.9%)
Modesto 4413 (2.7%)

2000
Long Beach 66,836 (14.5%)
Inglewood 52,260 (46.4%)
Compton 37,263 (40%)
Richmond 35,777 (36.1%)
San Bernardino 29,654 (16%)
Moreno Valley 27,536 (19.3%)
Vallejo 27,201 (23.3%)
Stockton 26,539 (10.8%)
Carson 22,485 (25.1%)
Pasadena 18,711 (14%)
Riverside 18,051 (7.1%)
Berkeley 13,707 (13.3%)
Modesto 7013 (3.7%)
East Palo Alto 6796 (23%)
Merced 3864 (6.1%)

2010
Long Beach 59,925 (13%)
Inglewood 47,029 (42.9%)
Stockton 33,507 (11.5%)
Moreno Valley 33,195 (17.2%)
Compton 30,992 (32.1%)
San Bernardino 29,897 (14.2%)
Richmond 27,542 (26.6%)
Vallejo 24,876 (21.5%)
Carson 21,385 (23.3%)
Riverside 19,917 (6.6%)
Pasadena 13,912 (10.2%)
Berkeley 10,896 (9.7%)
Modesto 7539 (3.8%)
East Palo Alto 4704 (16.7%)
Merced 4483 (5.7%)

2020
Long Beach 55,894 (12%)
Inglewood 40,804 (37.9%)
Stockton 38,178 (11.9%)
Moreno Valley 31,582 (15.1%)
San Bernardino 26,134 (11.8%)
Vallejo 24,446 (19.4%)
Compton 24,342 (25.4%)
Richmond 21,753 (18.7%)
Carson 21,264 (22.3%)
Riverside 18,832 (6%)
Pasadena 10,795 (7.8%)
Berkeley 9495 (7.6%)
Modesto 8103 (3.7%)
Merced 4191 (4.9%)
East Palo Alto 3190 (10.6%)

You forgot Antioch, the black population went from 9 to 20% in 20 years.

 

[murksiderock]

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

California State Parks

www.parks.ca.gov

Damn this is dope, I didn't know this. Definitely worth a visit for me...

You forgot Antioch, the black population went from 9 to 20% in 20 years.

True, there are a lot of smaller cities and towns I left off. I just tried to list what I thought of as the most critical ones...

 

[Hater Eraser]

Dope ..

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[DonB90]

Cool

I got family in Cali I never met due to one of my uncles moving out there from the miserable rural deep South during the Great Migration. shyt must of been cool with all those different personalities of Blacks from different regions of the South coming together in concentrated neighborhoods mingling and shyt. Shame gang violence and high cost of living ruined alot of it



Its kind of funny in a way cause that G funk= West Coast 90s era got sooooooo much love down south dudes down here really fukked with Cali nikkas. especially compared to our cousins up north

 

[im_sleep]

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