Johnson Canyon Panel Discussion at the Rood Center - March 11th!

The first of 3 free community events to complement the current Art in Public Spaces exhibition,
We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California

EVENT DETAILS:

March 11th, 5-7pm
at the Rood Center
950 Maidu Ave, Nevada City

Guided tour of We Are Not Strangers Here with Linda Jack of Nevada County Historical Society, followed by a presentation and panel discussion.

Facilitated by Teresa Baker, founder of In Solidarity Project and co-director of the Outdoor Diversity Alliance, this presentation and panel will discuss the historic renaming of Johnson Canyon in 2022 by the Truckee Donner Land Trust and the man it is named for, Albert Johnson. By reclaiming history and telling the stories of the individuals who’ve shaped our communities, the panel will discuss how renaming projects help to increase visibility for BIPOC voices in outdoor and recreation spaces. Joined by Communications Director of the Truckee Donner Land Trust, Greyson Howard, Chaun Mortier of the Truckee-Donner Historical Society and Linda Jack of the Nevada County Historical Society, the group will explore how renaming landmarks and other historical places helps to reclaim the narrative of public spaces. This will be an informative and fun event for history buffs and outdoor/recreation enthusiasts alike.

Nevada County Arts Council is honored to present this event that highlights the work done by the Truckee Donner Land Trust and Truckee-Donner Historical Society in this historic renaming project.

ABOUT THE PANEL:

  • Facilitator Teresa Baker is founder of the In Solidarity Project, where she works with outdoor orgs and brands on matters of diversity and inclusion. She is also the co-director of the Outdoor Diversity Alliance. Throughout her time in outdoor spaces, stories from underrepresented communities remain her focus.

  • Chaun L. Owens-Mortier headed research for the Johnson Canyon renaming project. She works extensively with Truckee-Donner Historical Society and is the Recorder/Archivist for the Truckee Cemetery District. She received her A.A. in police science from College of the Siskiyous, where she became one of the first two women to finish the program and become campus security. Chaun has had a lifelong career in law enforcement as a dispatcher at Dunsmuir Police Department until moving to Truckee in 1977 to work at Nevada County Sheriff’s Office as the overnight dispatcher–eventually retiring as the 911 Center Manager for the Truckee substation in 2008.

  • Greyson Howard is Communications Director of the Truckee Donner Land Trust. The Land Trust owns Johnson Canyon for open space conservation and public recreation. The Land Trust has protected nearly 45,000 acres of open space, manages 50 miles of trails, and stewards its open space for future generations to enjoy.

  • Linda K. Jack is a public historian who researches the social history of California, with a special focus on groups that have been underrepresented in Nevada County’s history, and individuals and topics that have been overlooked. She has done extensive research on Nevada County’s African American community that includes partnering with the Nevada County Landmarks Commission to recognize five sites associated with African Americans in the County.  Most recently she has written about the stories of local African Americans for We Are Not Strangers Here: Stories of African Americans in Rural California. She is a member of the Nevada County Historical Society’s Board of Directors, has been editor of the Society’s Bulletin, and served on the Grass Valley Historical Commission.

ABOUT WE ARE NOT STRANGERS HERE:

On display at the Rood Center: January 31 - April 18, 2025

While it is widely recognized that many Black people who migrated to California moved into booming cities, African Americans are not strangers to rural California. Rural Black residents opened schools, worked the land, and exercised vigilance about the equal rights of citizens. Over successive migrations in the 19th and 20th-centuries, generations settled in agricultural and rural areas from as far north as Siskiyou County, to the Central Valley, to the Imperial Valley in the South. The traveling exhibition by Exhibit Envoy features these stories and Nevada County Arts Council has collaborated with the Historical Society and the Historical Commission to shine a light on figures from the local community.

We Are Not Strangers Here is a collaboration between the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies; Susan Anderson of the California African American Museum; the California Historical Society; Exhibit Envoy; and Dr. Caroline Collins from UC San Diego. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. It is presented by Nevada County Arts Council in partnership with the County of Nevada and Nevada County Historical Society.

ABOUT ART IN PUBLIC SPACES:

Art in Public Spaces is a new program of Nevada County Arts Council in partnership with the County of Nevada. Together, we present quarterly displays at the Rood Center, 950 Maidu Avenue, Nevada City.

Art in Public Spaces is a pilot program through which we are developing a process of engagement and selection in tandem with the County and our community.

Hannah MosbyART IN PUBLIC SPACES