Gig’s Black History Month Driving Tours

Bay Area, Seattle, and Sacramento

Black History Month is underway. It’s an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans. It’s also a chance to explore the communities where local heroes, past and present, have left their marks in Northern California & Seattle.   

Here are a few destinations and nearby Black-owned eateries to include in your driving tour:

Bay Area

Mary Ellen Pleasant Park - 1699 Octavia St, San Francisco

Once the site of Bell Mansion, a massive boarding house built for abolitionist Mary Ellen Pleasant. Pleasant, known as “the mother of civil rights in California,” brought the Underground Railroad to its western terminal in California and financed John Brown’s revolt. Her memorial plaque & eucalyptus grove is the smallest park in SF.  

Stop by Z Soul Cafe on Eddy St. for some amazing roasted lamb shank or lentil soup. 

The Presidio - 101 Montgomery St - San Francisco

Sitting on the grounds of a 200-year old military encampment, The Presidio was once the station of the Buffalo Soldiers, the famous brigade of Black soldiers that patrolled the ‘wild west’ in the early 20th century. 

Stop by Taqueria Los Mayas on Clement to pick up some ceviche or a burrito bowl for lunch. 

Black Panther Party HQ - 1048 Peralta St, Oakland

At the intersection, there’s a two-story Victorian home* that was the original operations center of the Black Panther Party. Founded in 1966 by Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and Elbert Howard, a mural remains at 14th St as a testament to the movement that sparked a revolution. 

Stop by Vegan Mob at 500 Lake Park Ave to pick up some delicious plant-based brisket or burgers for lunch.

_{*Please note, some of these locations are privately owned. Do not disturb residents or trespass.}

Seattle

Hendrix Monument - Greenwood Memorial Park 

Watch out for the crosstown traffic as you make your way to this shrine memorializing the birth city of the legend himself – Jimi Hendrix. “If you listen closely here, you may hear the wind cry 'Mary.'

Stop by the Angel City Deli (about 3 miles west) for fried catfish or their giant rib dinner plate. 

August Wilson Way - Lower Queen Anne

This monument to one of the most prolific playwrights of the 20th century can be found kitty-corner from the Pacific Northwest Ballet. A Seattle resident until his death in 2005, Wilson translated the Black experience to a mainstream audience with his 10 hit plays, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences (1985).

Stop by Toulose Petit on Queen Anne Ave for some wonderful N’Orleans fare, including duck confit and crawfish beignets.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial & Park 

In the center of MLK Memorial Park sits a black granite monument to Dr. King’s “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” speech he gave shortly before his final day in 1968.

Stop by The Original Philly’s about a half mile south on MLK Way for the best Philly-style cheesesteaks in town. 

Sacramento

The Nathaniel Colley Building

Famed Black lawyer Nathaniel Colley’s former office is recognized as a formal Sacramento landmark. Colley fought for the desegregation of public housing in Sacramento. The Nathaniel Colley Building was built in1967 and designed by James C. Dodd, the first licensed Black architect in Sacramento. It is located at 1810 S St.

Florin Square

Florin Square is known as “Sacramento’s Black Wall Street” and is the largest collaboration of Black-owned businesses in Northern California. It features a diverse group of service businesses, retailers, and nonprofits. Florin Square houses the SoJourner Truth Art Museum and the African Marketplace, spotlighting African American vendors. The African Marketplace is held the first and third Saturday of each month from 12:00 - 6:00 pm.

St. Andrews African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church

In 1850, the St. Andrews African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Sacramento was founded. This congregation was the first Black church established on the Pacific Coast, and was the site of a groundswell of the first organized political activity by Blacks in California. The original wooden church was located at 715 Seventh St., while the current location is 2121 8th St.

Make sure to check out this list of Black-owned restaurants from Sacramento Magazine before you head out, to plan your driving tour meal stop!