LONDON NELSON LEGACY INITIATIVE
Reengaging with the Legacy of Early Black Santa Cruz
A CASE FOR SUPPORT | 2022–2024
Prepared in partnership with Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative and Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Project Summary
The London Nelson Legacy Initiative seeks to recover the stories of Black pioneers in early Santa Cruz, California whose names and legacy have been lost to antiquity, and to memorialize them for their role in the town’s founding and development. Led by Santa Cruz resident, historian, and activist Luna HighJohn-Bey, with support from core partners Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative (SCCBHMI) and Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH), researchers will develop a full historical narrative about each Black person buried at Evergreen Cemetery, as well as those individuals in their community network, for an approximate total of 22 people. We will use this information to create a monument and headstones for the individuals buried there, to produce history exhibitions, a documentary, and a student curriculum, to create a walking tour to highlight historical landmarks, and to engage regional artists in the creation of two community murals.
By unearthing and sharing the legacy of early Black Santa Cruz, we hope to awaken all residents to our county’s buried historic and cultural heritage, and to nurture a sense of belonging, identity, and appreciation of and among Black residents.
Rationale
Despite the integral role played by millions of African Americans in the growth and development of the United States, the history of Black people, their experiences and contributions, has been systematically erased.
This can be witnessed on a smaller scale in the story of London Nelson, after whom our initiative is named. London Nelson was a Black man who was trafficked to California by slaveholder Matthew Nelson to work a gold claim in 1850-1851. Upon purchasing his freedom, he settled in Santa Cruz, later bequeathing his estate to the local school district. Years later, when his wooden headstone was replaced with subsequent marble ones, his first name was misspelled “Louden” on the latest incarnation, an error that has been perpetrated widely for nearly 100 years. The repercussions are significant —not the least of which is the fact that his final resting place has been rendered impossible for living descendants to locate.
In 2020, Brittnii Potter of Santa Cruz spearheaded a movement to correct the spelling of London Nelson’s name on local buildings, public spaces, and monuments. What was once the “Louden Nelson
Community Center” has been renamed as of 2021, as has London Nelson Plaza. During the research phase, however, the renaming committee learned that six Black residents of early Santa Cruz were also buried in Evergreen Cemetery—in plots 6 and 7, a potter’s field of burial places that lack identification—with subsequent research revealing at least five more.
This type of historical erasure victimizes Black Americans, who continue to struggle with the burdens of systemic racism to this day. To begin the process of healing, and to ensure that Black people feel at home, safe, and acknowledged for their contributions and legacies in our communities, government and historical institutions now have to do the opposite— to recover these lost histories, in Santa Cruz and nationwide, and cement them in our collective memory. Everyone deserves to have a headstone, and no one deserves to be lost to antiquity.
“The underpinnings of erasure and inequality in legislation, statistics, income disparities, and home ownership are rooted in historical erasure. Restorative justice in historical research is about excavating the stories of Black and Brown communities from the margins of historical records, and revealing our stories in the tapestry of time.”
—Luna HighJohn-Bey, Project Lead & Lead Researcher, London Nelson Legacy Initiative
Project Goals
To bring unseen Black histories to light. This project will research and create full historical narratives of London Nelson (1800-1860), the Black individuals buried at Evergreen Cemetery, and their contemporaries in the post-Gold Rush, early town-building era up to the year 1900 in Santa Cruz. We will then use various strategies including public monuments, headstones, exhibitions, murals, historical landmarks, and educational initiatives to foreground this information in the public narrative.
To correct misconceptions about Black history. Initial research suggests that prior to 1900 there was a network or pipeline of Black families and associates from El Dorado County to San Francisco, Santa Clara County, and Santa Cruz— where Black wealth and land were aggregating. This finding is in contrast to a number of prevailing misconceptions, including: 1) there were only white people in historic Santa Cruz (when in fact the town’s success owes not only to contributions by Black people but to people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds); 2) that London Nelson was one of only two Black pioneers here in those days (when in fact there was an entire community); and 3) that most Black people were slaves (when in fact these were free and wealthy people who were integral to the town’s early industrialization). By revisiting and revaluating the data, our Black-led research team will identify and correct misconceptions about the region’s history.
To provide information to living descendants about their ancestors. Initial research has already provided clues that may help us connect London Nelson to his living descendants, and we hope our continued efforts will reveal more connections to the families of others buried at Evergreen Cemetery. Knowing our ancestors is crucial to knowing ourselves, but it is a right many Black people have been denied and marginalized from through institutional racsim. By connecting living descendants to the individuals laid to rest in Santa Cruz, we address this historical wrong and give closure to loved ones long deprived of their heritage.
To impact Black health and well-being today by creating a sense of belonging, identity, and appreciation. The need for visibility, accountability, and access to Black history has become increasingly apparent in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the COVID pandemic, and other events that have reignited the pursuit of Black liberation over the last two years. This project will impact the health and well-being of Black residents of Santa Cruz and greater California by providing open access to culturally relevant information that exists in these places but is currently invisible and inaccessible. It will reconnect Black communities throughout the state, thereby reactivating, re-engaging, and revitalizing the regional network that once existed. In these ways, our project will contribute to a sense of belonging, identity, and appreciation of and among Black residents, opening pathways for community connectedness, healing, and cultural pride.
To grow engagement and community connectedness among people of all cultural backgrounds. When Black voices and experiences are centered and elevated in historical research, buried histories of other marginalized peoples inevitably become part of the investigation. This is because community members are rarely isolated—there is a foundational connectedness, evident throughout history, that needs to be unearthed and celebrated as a strategy for health and wellbeing in communities today.
To inspire and serve as an example for other people to do similar work. The Santa Cruz story is one of innumerable hidden histories across the nation that need to be researched and told. As part of the project, we will create a documentary illustrating our historical research process to serve as both inspiration and a roadmap for others wishing to do this type of work in their own communities. In this way, the London Nelson Legacy Initiative has the potential for a far-reaching, nationwide impact.
Methodology
Historical narratives are written through the lens of historians as they interpret historical data. While this process is deeply important for everyone to access information, it is imperative that we take into account the historians’ individual experiences and perspectives in how they interpret the historical data. Speaking bluntly, nearly all of the narratives we have are written through the lens of white men. Even well-meaning narratives are inevitably colored by the assumptions, viewpoints, and politics of the researcher, and lack the contextual knowledge that members of the Black community and those directly affected by the crime of slavery possess. For example, it is a mistake to contextualize the Black people of historic Santa Cruz as American without further study, as some might have arrived from Africa more recently.
Black-led research teams are vital to Black historical research so that we do not lose the nuances and patterns that underlie these narratives. Black-led research is a cornerstone of restorative justice—a term that originated in the justice system to refer to a journey toward well-being and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience together (restorativejustice.org)—and it applies to historical research as well.
We are very thankful for the time local historians Ross Gibson and Phil Reader put into the research on London Nelson we have today. They did incredible work with the technology available to them in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. We are now committed to moving that work forward by reengaging the historical data with today’s technology, and with a Black-centered, Black-led, Black-informed research team.
The research phase of this project involves evaluating local and distant primary source data and applying historical research methods to recreate timelines and examine overlaps of locations for the individuals whose narratives we are developing. To do this we will visit numerous historical societies, county records, and university archives throughout the state, as well as collections elsewhere in the nation. The University of Tennessee houses the family papers (records slaveholders exchanged with the government for financial compensation at emancipation) of London and Marlborough Nelson, and can be used to identify the port from which they came. In addition, at least some of his descendants appear to live in South Carolina.
Audiences
• Santa Cruz County The project’s immediate audience is all residents and guests of Santa Cruz County, many of whom know a limited version of local history. Our aim is to correct the historical record insofar as Black history is concerned, and to share our findings widely and visibly throughout the community.
• California Because we have unearthed a pre-1900s pipeline of Black individuals and families from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, it makes sense to share our findings more widely with audiences throughout the state. We will accomplish this through the documentary, website, and other components with help from project partners.
• United States Our national audience consists of those historians, family genealogists, community members, students and others who wish to apply historical research methods to uncovering the hidden histories of their own families and communities. The documentary is our strategy for reaching and educating these national audiences.
Project Activities
PHASE 1: Research & Synthesize
Research
• Conduct historical research at local and distant historical societies, county records, and university archives
• Create a post-Gold-Rush-era map and timeline of Santa Cruz with historical points of interest and dates
• Create a full historical narrative for all individuals in Evergreen Cemetery plots 6 and 7 and their associates
• Complete family trees and identify living descendants
Deliverables
• Create a project website with links, updates, and information
• Finalize 5-minute documentary teaser for education and engagement
PHASE 2: Create & Commemorate
Capital & Preservation Projects
• Engage a Black-led team of artists and engineers to design and implement a monument to Black pioneers, accompanied by an interpretive sign, in Evergreen Cemetery
• Fix or replace London Nelson’s gravestone to have the correct spelling of his name
• Design and place headstones for other individuals buried in plots 6 and 7
Ceremony & Celebration
• Inform living descendants where their ancestors are buried
• Host public ceremony/celebration to unveil the monuments and share project findings
Exhibitions
• Curate a permanent exhibition in Heritage Hall in the London Nelson Community Center
• Update permanent London Nelson exhibit at the MAH
• Install 3-4 month temporary exhibition about the project at the MAH
Documentary
• Finalize and share 20-25-minute documentary about the project and historical research process
PHASE 3 Engage & Educate
Curriculum
• Reevaluate education on local Santa Cruz history and develop curriculum and activities to include early Black pioneers, their history and contributions
Historical Tour
• Create a historical walking tour of Santa Cruz, to include signage on historical landmarks, and digital audio accessible by a phone app in multiple languages
Murals in the City
• Engage regional Black artists to create 2 murals in Santa Cruz public spaces. We are investigating the possibilities of an update to the mural at Mission Hill School, and a mural across from the Clocktower, within the boundaries of London Nelson’s original land.
Project Staff
Luna HighJohn-Bey is the project lead, lead researcher, and inspiration behind the London Nelson Legacy Initiative. Luna earned her BA in sociology with a minor in philosophy from The New School, followed by an AA in business administration from DeAnza College. Following in the footsteps of her grandmother who was the first Black Woman Park Ranger, she worked for the National Park Service as a tour leader at the African Burial Grounds in New York City. She comes from a long line of family genealogists experienced in researching family histories. Luna founded and directs the Santa Cruz Equity Project, an organization devoted to the holistic support of Black residents in Santa Cruz County, and was part of the renaming committee for the London Nelson Community Center. She currently serves as lead curator for Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative, which is underwriting some of the research for this project, as well as historian in residence at the MAH. Recognizing that many people of African descent were disenfranchised from their spiritual traditions and laid to rest without proper funerary practice, Luna also serves as an African American healer and spiritualist within the community.
Gabrielle Middlebrooks serves as co-researcher for the project. Gabrielle earned a BA in political science and government from SUNY Albany, during which time she worked at two different museums focused on local history. After serving as a professional resources specialist for the technology firm, WalkMe, Gabrielle is now executive assistant to the CEO of Beyond Equity Consulting, a firm that facilitates groups to create actionable steps toward equity. She hopes this project will shed more light on her people’s long history in Santa Cruz and throughout the greater region.
Theresa Bostic will serve as the project’s research assistant. Currently a third-year undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, Theresa is pursuing a double major in sociology and history with a concentration on Africa and the Americas, and a minor in Black studies. Theresa received funding for a research project about London Nelson from The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz, for which she is creating a digital story map of his life. She is also active in student government and engagement at UCSC’s Merrill College, for which she serves as public relations coordinator, orientation leader, and teaching assistant.
Lindsey Tavares-Sabido will serve as research project manager for the London Nelson Legacy Initiative. Lindsey is currently a PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, where she earned a BA in legal studies and completed a Pan-African Research Fellowship. Currently program coordinator for the UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, her experience includes four years of project management and research.
Partners & Supporters
The London Nelson Legacy Initiative has already united a committed group of partners and supporters, and we seek to engage additional partners around the various project components. Partners contribute financial resources as well as programming, fundraising, outreach, and networking support.
Core Partners
Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative (SCCBHMI)
Borne of an initiative from the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center, Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative is dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health in the local Black community as a way to ensure that our whole community not only survives—but thrives. We accomplish this by raising awareness, connecting with community partners, sponsoring Black-led projects and initiatives, elevating Black entrepreneurs, and uniting all community members in shared celebration. SCCBMI currently employs Luna HighJohn-Bey as lead curator for the organization, with a portion of her salary dedicated to the London Nelson Legacy Initiative.
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH)
Founded in 1996 to promote a greater understanding of contemporary art and Santa Cruz history, the MAH is a thriving community gathering place that offers a full slate of art and history exhibitions, visual and performing artworks, public festivals, education and outreach programs, and cultural celebrations in collaboration with partners. It is home to Abbott Square, a vibrant downtown plaza
offering food, social events, and creative happenings. We currently host Luna HighJohn-Bey as our historian in residence, and provide fundraising support for the London Nelson Legacy Initiative. As manager of Evergreen Cemetery, the MAH will team on all project aspects related to capital and preservation projects.
Financial Supporters
SCC Black Health Matters Initiative
$20,000 to support research and project development in the first two phases
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
$10,000 to support the historian in residence stipend, the Case for Support development, and grant writing services in the first phase
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County
$10,000 from the Rise Together Fund to support research in the first phase
Partners & Contributors
• SCC Black Health Matters Initiative
• Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
• Santa Cruz Equity Project
• Researchers Anonymous
Potential Partners & Stakeholders
• City of Santa Cruz / Historic Preservation Commission
• London Nelson Community Center
• Santa Cruz Public Library
• Santa Cruz County School Districts
• UC Santa Cruz Library Regional History Project
• The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz
• African American Historical Society
• Bay Area Mural Project
• Regional Black community organizations
Progress to Date
Research for the London Nelson Legacy Initiative is currently underway in the MAH archives, led by Luna HighJohn-Bey with assistance from Gabrielle Middlebrooks, Theresa Bostic, and MAH staff. This phase has also involved planning and promoting the project, assembling the team of partners and supporters, and meeting with prospective funders.
Initial research has resulted in discoveries that clarify aspects of Black history in Santa Cruz and suggest exciting new avenues of inquiry. We have learned that there are at least 11 Black individuals buried in plots 6 and 7 of Evergreen Cemetery, including a 5-year-old child.
Assuming each is associated with at least one other person, we expect we will be able to create a full historical narrative for around 20-22 people. For example, London Nelson’s materials include a line of credit from a black barber originally from New Granada. We want to know—What is his name? Where was his barbershop? How did he get to Santa Cruz? Where did he live? Where is he buried? Who were his parents? Did they have businesses? With whom did they interact? We found an article on Andrew Grant, a Black man who had just built a house in Santa Cruz, and information on George Andrew Chester, who owned multiple businesses here.
Information on the state-wide pipeline includes the fact that the wealthy Black community in San Francisco was funding Black people to come to Santa Cruz—in one case, a family married several daughters to people living here. George Andrew Chester’s wife would roll out the welcome wagon for Black visitors, showing them around town and taking them to the beach. Not only were there connections between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, but also between the two cities and mining claims on the American River at what was then called Little Negro Hill, as well as nearby Watsonville—more evidence that Black communities were not isolated but existed as part of a robust statewide network.
There is a deeper story here that needs to be told, one that not only connects Black communities in post Gold Rush-era California, but also the communities of yesteryear with the Black community today. Santa Cruz had a thriving Black community, and then it disappeared. What were the conditions that made it so appealing to early Black pioneers? And then, where did those people go, and why? Answering these kinds of questions is tantamount to providing a place of safety, welcome, and connection for Black people in Santa Cruz today.
What We Need
The London Nelson Legacy Initiative has the potential for widereaching impact within and beyond the Santa Cruz community. To accomplish our project goals, we require robust funding and a broad-based coalition of support.
Currently, Luna HighJohn-Bey receives a nominal salary but otherwise donates her time, and the same is true of co-researcher Gabrielle Middlebrooks. There is an immediate need to compensate these individuals for their time, as well as to bring the research project manager on board, enabling Luna to concentrate on research efforts. Last, we would like to engage our documentary filmmaker to begin compiling footage of this community-led project as soon as possible, so that we do not miss the powerful historical moment taking place right now.
Below are our estimated costs for each of the project phases:
Phase 1: Research & Synthesize
$115,000 estimated investment
Includes salaries and fees for the 4-person research team, project management, travel expenses, software and systems access, website development, and initial documentary film production.
Phase II: Create & Commemorate
$159,000 estimated investment
Includes salaries and fees for the lead researcher, project manager, and administrative assistant; capital project
costs for the design and construction of the monument and interpretive sign; preservation costs for repairing and placing new headstones; new and updated exhibitions; final documentary film production; and public ceremony/ celebration in Evergreen Cemetery.
Phase III: Engage & Educate
$101,000 estimated investment
Includes salaries and fees for the lead researcher, project manager, and administrative assistant for curriculum development and to manage this project phase; costs for the historical landmarks signage and audio tour; and two community murals.
A detailed project budget is available upon request.
We hope you are as inspired by this project as we are, and that you will consider coming on board as a partner to support one or more project components. Together we can make strides toward social justice, to the benefit of all.
“This
initiative is important to the MAH because we value historical truth and this research helps to bring hidden stories to light and create a more inclusive community.”
—Robb Woulfe, Executive Director, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
What Will Change
The London Nelson Legacy Initiative has the capacity to create long-lasting, transformational changes in Santa Cruz, the State of California, and beyond. Because of it, more people will know the names and stories of the Black pioneers who were integral to California’s industrialization, and who paved the way for other Black residents throughout the state. The living descendants of those pioneers will know who their ancestors are and where they are buried—finally recapturing the family histories that were taken from them years ago. Last, members of the Santa Cruz community will understand that we are from a long line of people who traveled across the country and came to this beautiful beach town to find joy and happiness—something we believe will connect the community and help all to feel truly grounded in this space.
Contacts
For more information on the London Nelson Legacy Initiative, please contact:
Luna HighJohn-Bey
Project Lead and Lead Researcher
London Nelson Legacy Initiative lunadbey@gmail.com
Cat Willis
Founder and Director
Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative cat.bhmi@gmail.com
Robb Woulfe
Executive Director
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History robb@ santacruzmah.org
Photo Credits
Page 01 An unidentified Black miner pans for gold in Calaveras County, California, 1852, via the Calaveras Enterprise.
Page 02 The Horton Family, San Jose, courtesy of Sourisseau Academy-San Jose State University.
Page 03 Jim Skookum, one of the men to find the first claims of the Klondike gold rush, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Page 04 The Marshall brothers in South Dos Palos, 1960s, courtesy Ernest Lowe.
Page 05 Alvin Coffey, courtesy The Society of California of Pioneers.
Page 06 Capt. William T. Shorey and his wife Julia-Shelton, daughters Zenobia and Victoria, ca. 1910, courtesy California Historical Society Portraits Collection.
Page 08 Members of the London Nelson Memorial Committee gathered at Evergreen Cemetery, 1953, courtesy of Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.
Page 11 Andrew and Sarah Monroe and family, seated portrait, 1890. El Dorado County Historical Museum, courtesy of California State Parks.
Page 12 James Williams at his business between Hollister and San Francisco, courtesy of Santa Clara City Library.
Page 15 US Army National Archives, The LIFE Picture Collection, Getty Images.
Page 16 The Monroe family in El Dorado County, California, courtesy the Monroe Collection.
