The Gold Chains project by ACLU of Northern California uncovers the hidden history of slavery in California by lifting up the voices of courageous African American and Native American individuals who challenged their brutal treatment and demanded their civil rights, inspiring us with their ingenuity, resilience, and tenacity.

Gold Chains exposes the role of the courts, laws, and the tacit acceptance of white supremacy in sanctioning race-based violence and discrimination that continues into the present day. Through an unflinching examination of our collective past, we invite California to become truly aware and authentically enlightened.

California’s Hidden History of Slavery: The Case for Reparations, a video from the ACLU of Northern California’s Gold Chains campaign, tells a story that was deliberately left out of official CA histories. Watch and learn why reparations are not only just but necessary.

The Gold Chains podcast uncovers the Hidden History of Slavery in California, where we unearth the stories that were deliberately left out of the “free” state’s official history. And we connect that dark past to today’s calls for justice.