Uncovering Diverse Histories of Yolo County

Cecilia Tsu
History
UC Davis

This project brings together academic researchers, county archivists, and K-12 educators to research and share the local histories of underrepresented groups in Yolo County, translating archival research into curriculum for K-12 classrooms. Located between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, Yolo County is one of the state’s original 27 counties dating to 1850. Although diverse communities of indigenous peoples, Asian Americans, Latino/as, and African Americans have long inhabited the county, there is scant historical research or broad public awareness about their histories. Residents are not taught that three Patwin tribes consider Yolo County to be their traditional lands or that the first African American resident arrived in 1854 as an enslaved person. During World War II, Yolo County had the largest number of Mexican braceros in California, while the U.S. government uprooted numerous local Japanese American farm families and incarcerated them. Our team of student researchers, scholars, and educators will uncover underrepresented histories of Yolo County in partnership with the Yolo County Archives. Working with curriculum experts and teacher leaders, this collaboration will ultimately bring those stories to K-12 students in our community to help address and repair the ongoing erasure of marginalized histories.

Image credit: Japanese American community in Winters, Calif., 1930s (Yolo County Archives).