The California State Convention of Colored Citizens (CSCCC) was a series of

colored convention The Colored Conventions Movement, or Black Conventions Movement, was a series of national, regional, and state conventions held irregularly during the decades preceding and following the American Civil War. The delegates who attended these convent ...

events active from 1855 to 1902. The convention was one of several social movement conventions that took place in the mid-19th century in many states across the United States.

Description

These events were composed of individuals such as Peter Lester,

Mifflin Wistar Gibbs Mifflin Wistar Gibbs (April 17, 1823 – July 11, 1915) was an American-Canadian politician, businessman, and advocate for Black rights. He became the first Black person elected to public office in British Columbia on November 16, 1866, upon win ...

, Thomas Marcus Decatur Ward,

Edward Duplex Edward Parker Duplex (1830 – January 5, 1900) was an American entrepreneur, politician, and civil rights activist in California. He was the first Black mayor in California, elected to office in Wheatland in 1888, and was a leader in the ...

, Peter William Cassey, and Jeremiah Burke Sanderson; as well as organizations including churches, literary societies, and social groups from across the state. The goal of these events included the abolishment of slavery, the right to Black testimony, to gain voting rights for Black men, and Black access to public education and

public accommodations In United States law, public accommodations are generally defined as facilities, whether publicly or privately owned, that are used by the public at large. Examples include retail stores, rental establishments, and service establishments as well ...

History

1855 Sacramento

The first CSCCC event was held on November 20–22, 1855 at Saint Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church (St. Andrews A.M.E. Church) in Sacramento. The event had 49 delegates that represented 10 counties (out of 27 total counties). In the mid-1850s after the first CSCC, Jonas H. Townsend and Mifflin Wistar Gibbs founded the '' Mirror of the Times'', an African American weekly newspaper in San Francisco; which was financially supported by the CSCC. Edward Duplex served as a delegate from Yuba County for the first event.

1856 Sacramento

The second CSCCC event was held on December 9–12, 1865 at the same St. Andrews A.M.E. Church in Sacramento. The 1865 event was shaped by the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

ending and the political issues in the state including Governor Leland Stanford's repeal of California’s testimony ban in 1863. Edward Duplex served as the state executive committee member during the second event.

1857 San Francisco

The third CSCCC event was held on October 13–?, 1857 at St. Cyprian's African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco, a church led by Rev. Thomas Marcus Decatur Ward.

1865 Sacramento

The CCSCC event held on December 11–?, 1865 in Sacramento came to a resolution to tax each Black person in order to support and fund Black education, and at the time there was only one secondary school in the state accepting Black students, the Phoenixonian Institute (opened in 1861) in San Jose, California. Rev. Peter William Cassey had helped organize the 1865 event.

List of events

* 1855 California State Convention of Colored Citizens, Sacramento * 1856 California State Convention of Colored Citizens, Sacramento * 1857 California State Convention of Colored People, San Francisco * 1863 California State Convention of Colored People, San Jose * 1865 California State Convention of Colored Citizens, Sacramento * 1880 California State Convention of Colored People, San Francisco * 1889 State Convention of the California Afro-American League * 1902 State Convention of the California Afro-American League, Oakland