caamuseum.org/visit
by Chief Editor, Pleshette Robertson
Giving you just the surface of the many places that hold significant African American value and rich history in what I call Black California. I woke up this morning feeling like I needed to quickly browse the Internet to find all of the African American historical monuments and places located in the golden state of California. And low and behold as I am 51 years old I have been living in the complete dark with all of what I’ve uncovered. There are truly some hidden gems of places and black-owned establishments that deserve our undivided attention. I am not a wide vacation or world traveler of any sorts but I am planning to get out more to visit some of these note worthy sites right here in California. As I grew up in East Palo Alto and now living in Sacramento since 2001, I still feel so very sheltered not knowing about so many Black historical sites. There may be quite of few of you who read this and have heard of and been to a lot of these places but if you haven’t I suggest you take a trip either by yourself, with your significant other, in group outing with friends or with your family to learn in person about what our Black sistahs and brothas have created, designed, and established for US. There is so much to be said about what goes unseen (the many museums, Black theatre, literature, structures, art, and best of soul food restaurants, etc.) that we will never see or know of until someone brings it to our attention. And we, Sac Cultural Hub (founded in 2001), thought we could cover all of Black California. However, THERE IS LITERALLY SOOO MANY places filled with enriching African American culture along with beautiful heroic Black people creating amazing things. Time to see what we, you, and myself have been missing. Get out of the Facebook fantasy network, off the YOUtube channel, and get off the couch watching Netflix or Lifetime.
We need to carve out more time to live in the very present with traveling, seeing, exploring, and experiencing what we haven’t seen before that was created by African Americans of which is owned by US. I applaud so many of you that I know who are doing just this with your lives — traveling the world. Through Facebook I see so many of my young retiree friends on vacation all the time (I secretly dislike retirees – LOL as they’ve truly earned their exclusive time to LIVE LIFE). Look for my videos clips to pop up on my personal facebook page and on the Sac Hub Fan page for the Black places and events of which I plan to visit and attend this year throughout California. Until then see my personal HIT LIST of places below located in Black California with more to come (some of these places I have never visited and some I had not heard of until now upon my research today).
Greater Sacramento Valley Region
African American Market Place – South Sacramento
The Brick House – Oak Park – Sacramento
The Guild Theatre – Oak Park – Sacramento
Celebration Arts Theatre – Midtown Sacramento
Classy Hippie Tea Co. – Oak Park – Sacramento
House of Chicken & Ribs – Antelope
Negro Bar State Park – Folsom
R Kelley Farms – Sacramento Delta
Sojourner Truth African American Museum – South Sacramento
Stagecoach – South Sacramento
Sandra Dee’s BBQ & Seafood – Midtown Sacramento
Tori’s Place – Del Paso Heights – North Sacramento
Underground Books – Oak Park – Sacramento
CENTRAL VALLEY
Brown Estate Vineyards – Napa
Chez Soul – Fairfield
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park – Allensworth, CA
BAY AREA
African American Museum & Library – Oakland
Black Repertory Group Theatre – Berkeley
California African American Freedom Trail – San Francisco
International Smoke – San Francisco
Kingston 11 Jamaican Cuisine – Oakland
Madame C.J. Walker Home for Girls – San Francisco
Museum of the African Diaspora – San Francisco
Southern Cafe – Antioch & Oakland
Greater LOS ANGELES area
African American Fighter Museum – South Central LA
The Bridget “Biddy” Mason Monument – Downtown Los Angeles
California African American Museum – Los Angeles
Debbie Allen Dance Academy – Los Angeles
www.debbieallendanceacademy.com
Dulan’s on Crenshaw – South Central LA
www.dulansoncrenshaw.com
Eso Won Books – Los Angeles
www.esowonbookstore.com
Grammy Museum – Los Angeles
www.grammymuseum.org
Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum – Culver City
www.claytonmuseum.org
PIPS on La Brea Fine Dining & Entertainment – Los Angeles
The Robey Theatre Company – Los Angeles
www.instagram.com/therobeytheatrecompany
Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum – Compton
Stay tuned for more to come with Visit Black California! Feel free to e-mail me at pleshette@sacculturalhub.com with Black places and black-owned businesses of which you feel I should visit in California. If you are looking for Black events to attend in the Sacramento or beyond, go to our Events page at: http://www.sacculturalhub.com/events
