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.