Sacramento lowriding community tells its story in new museum exhibit

Lowriding has always been a part of Francine Mata’s life.

“Hearing my uncle's story, he had his first cruise at 5 years old in the ‘60s,” she said. “It's really a family tradition, bringing the car out on a Sunday morning … getting the family together, pulling out your chair, sitting there listening to your music and everyone gathers.”

That history is now being celebrated in a new exhibit at the Sacramento History Museum, titled “Boulevard Dreams,” which runs through Jan. 21. 

Mata, now the chair of the Sacramento Lowrider Commission, worked with the museum on the exhibit along with others at her organization, numerous Sacramento lowriding clubs and local arts group Sol Collective. She said it has been rewarding seeing a culture that has until recently been criminalized in Sacramento and throughout California be recognized.

“It was emotional seeing someone that looks like you up there,” Mata said. “I like to kind of be behind the scenes, but I want those that have paved the way and that are still living this lifestyle … I'm proud of you, we're proud of you.”

Last year, Sacramento repealed a ban on cruising that had been in place since 1988. This year the California Legislature passed a bill, now awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature, that would remove all cruising bans statewide.

“I was five, six, seven years old. I remember seeing my dad get pulled over and being mistreated,” Mata said of the discriminatory history of the ban.

The Boulevard Dreams exhibit at the Sacramento History Museum.Courtesy of the Sacramento History Museum

The exhibit addresses that history, as well, according to museum Executive Director Delta Pick Mello. She said the exhibit is part of the museum’s goal to reflect a wider view of the history of the region.

“The museum has long focused on the many communities of Sacramento, but it's been from the early 1800s through the 1900s,” she said. “So we started down thinking, how can we reflect more of the community and be more relevant to the people who live here today and bring in those stories as well? And Francine came to us and said, ‘We would like to do this.’ And it was an easy decision to make, and we were so honored to be able to be the vessel for this story.”

The Boulevard Dreams exhibit at the Sacramento History Museum.Courtesy of the Sacramento History Museum

Throughout the exhibit visitors can see photos, memorabilia and explore the history of cruising and lowriding in Sacramento and California, including the pushes from lowriding communities throughout the state to repeal the bans.

“The response is that we're getting people that have not come to this museum before and didn't feel they had a reason to come to this museum,” Pick Mello said. “I've walked through the exhibit a couple of times in the last few days and seeing people that are pointing to the pictures and recognizing people and talking about their family history or their connection, and that’s what we want.”

Mata said the response has been rewarding, so much so that she’s motivated to keep spreading the history of lowriding beyond the current exhibit.

“We've given back so much and endured so much and so seeing people smile, seeing people cry, now everyone's like … we need our own museum, you know?” she said. “There's so many people that are now trying to come and it's just a sense of pride, happiness, and like, wow, we are here. It came full circle.”

Mata is getting part of her wish next month, when the exhibit will also begin a run at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento.