A project at Cal Poly is exploring the contributions of Afro-descendants in early Spanish and Mexican California, a history that researchers say has been overlooked for far too long.
According to historical records, about 19% of California's population in 1790 was of African descent, yet their contributions are largely absent from history books.
The project, AfricanCalifornios.org: A Digital History of the Role of Afro-descendants in Early Spanish and Mexican California (1768-1850), is supported by a $150,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
A team of about seven students and staff members led by history lecturer Dr. Cameron Jones and computer science professor Dr. Foaad Khosmood are working to develop the website as an educational tool.
“I want people to click on the site and feel like they’ve stumbled upon something special, because it is special,” said computer sciences undergrad Savanna Bosly. “We'll have biographies and we'll also have our family trees visualized. We've just begun to do this. Our team member is doing the family trees, which is a whole technology challenge in and of itself.”
An NEH evaluator noted the significance of the project as a corrective to the dominant narratives of California and U.S. history.
“I was particularly fascinated that the people that are in this family tree, along with other people that we've been researching were the original holders of [land] grants throughout much of California,” explained Jack Martin, history graduate student.
The project team will host a public information session on Feb. 20, 2025, at Cal Poly, and the community is invited to get involved.
“This community was really significant, and we hope to shed more light on its presence in California history,” said Dr. Jones.
