The MPDF will guide the identification and nomination of properties significant for their association with California's diverse Black community. The Due Process Clause provides that no states shall deprive any "person" of "life, liberty or property" without due process of law.Following is the complete text of the Oakland, Calif. , board of education resolution adopted Dec. African Americans gained the formal, if not the practical, right to study alongside their white peers in primary and secondary schools. Under the 14th Amendment, African Americans could now legally claim the same constitutional rights afforded to all American citizens. Black in the Bay Blog Posts. Read these original articles on the Bay Area's rich history of African American life and culture. African-American history started with the arrival of Africans to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. I am one who has attempted to convince the American people to pass a constitutional amendment.