2023 GOD’s Appreciation Dinner – Remembering CA Pioneers of African Descent : Indybay

January 1, 2023 GOD’s Appreciation Dinner hosted by Stockton Black Leadership Council mirrors January 1, 1866 city-wide effort hosted by Reverend Jeremiah King featuring a grand parade through Downtown Stockton with speeches and festivities enjoyed by all. Soon come recognition of the contributions of early California Pioneers of African Descent.

Stockton, CA ~ Today, we follow the historical legacy and celebrate Emancipation Day Celebration, January 1, 2023 showcasing a bridge toward a brighter future for the City of Stockton and the Great State of California.

Today, is also the 7th day of Kwanzaa, Imani or Faith, we celebrate the living legacy of Rev. Jeremiah King, founder of the African Baptist Church, Stockton, CA and his historical contributions to the forward flow of humanity, from slavery to freedom this special Emancipation Day – GOD’s Appreciation Day Dinner.

Together, local, statewide, national and international stakeholder will one day come together to identify, document and preserve the salient contributions of those interred within Block 27-Stockton Rural Cemetery.

Today, we continue building upon a strong historical legacy, we will rise like a phoenix from the challenges of bankruptcy, ignorance, apathy while quantifying the amazing historical contributions by the early California Pioneers of African Descent (1840-1875.)

Locally, statewide, nationwide and globally, we must limited fiscal resources, as part of the broader proposed California Reparations study toward identifying, documenting and preserving the contributions by people of African Ancestry to the State of California.

Etymology studies the origin of words and how historical meanings have changed over time. The Germanic word frei, thought to mean outside of the fundal system, “beloved, friend, to love, clear of obstruction; sense of unrestrained movement” has a very different historical context from the unspoken and taboo conversation of our journey towards freedom, “Chattel Slavery in the State of California.”

What is freedom to someone not considered a human being? Chattel slavery called property a “slave”, not considered an “enslaved human being” thus this distinction remains the unspoken value and belief challenged in the current assertion toward equity and equal opportunity within Block 27~Stockton Rural Cemetery.

In 1803, Reverend Jeremiah King was reportedly born in the low country of Georgia and his amazing life ended July 1, 1883 and his body was laid to rest within Block 27~Stockton Rural Cemetery, we are thankful for a new grave marker, while curious why his title and leadership role is missing.

Interestingly, young Jeremiah spent nearly half a century enslaved in the State of Georgia, the southern most of the 13 English colonies prior to the America Revolution, the only American Colony to originally expressly prohibit the enslavement of people of African ancestry, yet the State of Georgia on December 6, 1865 cast the deciding vote to ratify the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Georgia was originally claimed as part of the Spanish Mission System, the costal Port of Savannah, GA aligned with St. Augustine, FL and the southern ports of Mobile, AL and New Orleans, LA with New Spain headquarters in Havana, Cuba.

The economic bonanza of “free labor” “enslaved human beings” from the West Coast of West Africa, today’s Gambia, Senegal and Sierra Leone, utilized specialized skills to produce the highly profitable commodities of “indigo and rice” along the low county of Georgia and the Carolinas, prior to the invention of the cotton gin and King Cotton.

The unique West African agricultural production methods facilitated retention of ancient African culture within the Gullah/Geeche traditions we see in the legacy and profound contributions to the State of California by Rev. Jeremiah King.

By 1849, Jeremiah King and his wife were given freedom papers, gold and passage to migrate from the evil bowels of “chattel slavery in the deep south” to join the California Gold Rush at Monterey, California.

Prior to California Statehood, September 9, 1850, Jeremiah King struck it rich in the southern gold mining district and settled in San Joaquin County purchasing over 100 acres of land near today City of Lathrop and a full square block in the Historic Stockton Waterfront District.

It is recorded that “often” Rev. Jeremiah King and his wife would travel 40 miles to Sacramento to worship GOD. It is recorded that beginning September 1854 the African Baptist Church of Stockton was organized, helping to host weekly church services for the remainder of his life.

In 1859, Rev. King successfully petitioned the founding father of the City of Stockton, Captain Weber, for church property on W.Washington St. between Commence and Beaver Street to relocate a purchased church building from Rev. James Woods of the Presbyterian Church of Stockton, hub of an amazing community of industrious women, men and children from throughout the State of California and beyond.

During the US Civil War, Rev. Jeremiah King successfully petitioned the Trustees of the Stockton Rural Cemetery to establish a Section 27, “a colored section” as the final resting place for people of African ancestry.

150 years ago, the U.S. Civil War ended with the surrender of General Lee to General Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse while thousands of US Colored Troops watched well….

Juneteenth, now a Federal Holiday and optional State Holiday, is our symbolic end of “chattel slavery” in America, facilitated by US Army troops including United States Colored Troops led by Major General Granger at the Port of Galveston Island, Texas. Thousands of US Colored Troops went plantation to plantation, yet authentic contributions by people of African ancestry remain an open secret, often challenged by mis-educated Negroes as Dr. Carter G. Woodson suggests.

December 1865, ratification of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, legally ended “chattel slavery” throughout the United States of America, unless you are convicted of a crime thereof… yet many are confused and unaware of our collective journey to form a more perfect union.

Today, throughout the City of Stockton, California the amazing contributions by people of African ancestry to the ongoing journey towards freedom, remains an open secret.

Hidden underneath the plethora of unseen and seen grave markers throughout Block 27 ~ Stockton Rural Cemetery the authentic story told honoring the early California Pioneers of African Descent, soon come..

January 1, 2023 a continuing GOD’s Appreciation Day, Emancipation Day Celebration mirrors the January 1, 1866 city-wide effort hosted by Reverend Jeremiah King featuring a grand parade through Downtown Stockton with speeches and festivities enjoyed by all.

Our ongoing Sesquicentennial Celebration of Freedom will build a brighter future for the City of Stockton, California by remembering and celebrating Rev. Jeremiah King, by identifying, documenting and preserving the community contributions of those interred within Block 27-Stockton Rural Cemetery.

Our collective past, present and future are connected, seen throughout the Stockton Rural Cemetery, just as surely as Commodore Robert Field Stockton documented this amazing opportunity, a positive new way forward is at hand.

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