Jonathan Burgess, who fought for family’s legacy and CA reparations, dies at 52
Jonathan Burgess, the Sacramento Fire Department battalion chief, entrepreneur, author, and forceful voice for reparations for Black Californians including his own pioneering family, died after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to family members. He was 52.
Jonathan Gregg Burgess was born Oct. 2, 1973, and died May 11. For four years Burgess fought the neurological disorder known as ALS, said family members in a remembrance posted to social media.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Jonathan Gregg Burgess, who left us peacefully after a courageous four-year battle with ALS,” the family wrote in a social media post. “He will always be remembered for his radiant smile, acts of service, and unwavering devotion to his family and community, even in the face of adversity.”
Burgess, a graduate of Land Park’s C.K. McClatchy High School, served more than three decades with the Sacramento Fire Department, rising through the ranks to battalion chief. His twin brother, Matthew Burgess, survives him and has served as both a California Highway Patrol officer and Sacramento police officer.
Matthew Burgess paid tribute to his brother in a remembrance posted to Facebook.
“Death in this life is inevitable, yet it was never something you feared,” he wrote. “Though you are no longer here in the flesh, your spirit and legacy will live on.”
Out of uniform, the pair were Burgess Brothers, mining family recipes from their south Sacramento upbringing to launch their eponymously named barbecue and catering business.
They later developed a line of barbecue sauces, cornbread mixes and sausages sold in supermarkets and military commissaries in California and other states. The brothers also mentored aspiring capital entrepreneurs.
But Jonathan Burgess’ most enduring legacy may be his advocacy for reparations for Black Californians.
The fight was deeply personal.
He documented his family’s history as among the earliest Black settlers of Coloma in El Dorado County in his book, “Gold Rush: Burgess Family Descendants.” He later joined his brother in bringing that history to the California Legislature.
His family said his work reflected his commitment to “passionately upholding justice and revealing untold truths about his ancestral land.”
The California Gold Rush began in 1848 after gold was discovered along the American River near Coloma. Two years later, in 1850, Burgess’ great-grandfather, Rufus Burgess, used gold he mined there to purchase his freedom from slavery.
The Burgess family owned land, farmed and operated businesses in Coloma from the mid-1800s until after World War II, when the state acquired the property through eminent domain to create what is now Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.
Their story mirrored that of many Black American families who lost land and generational wealth to eminent domain during the last century.
Burgess said his family was never compensated for the property. He later discovered a government document threatening his grandfather and two brothers with prosecution if they did not surrender the land.
In a 2024 interview with The Sacramento Bee, Burgess recalled his mother, Bernice Powers Burgess, pressing for recognition and compensation.
“This reclaiming of land starts well before me with my mother in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. I remember my mother was so passionate. All that land up there — she was beside herself,” Burgess told The Bee. “She would say, ‘Look at what your grandfather went through.’”
Jonathan and Matthew Burgess testified before the California Reparations Task Force in 2021. The first-in-the-nation panel examined ways to compensate and restore land to descendants of enslaved Black Californians.
The task force’s findings laid groundwork for the historic 2024 Reparations Priority Bill Package carried by the state’s Legislative Black Caucus to repair the wrongs of slavery and the systemic injustices that followed.
In the 2024 Bee interview, Burgess summarized the principle that guided his work.
“Historical wrongs should not be accepted as status quo,” he said.
Burgess is survived by his life partner, Lauren Brown; daughters Justice and Jordan; sister Tonia; brothers Matthew, Dwayne, Morgan, Milton and Ronnie; and numerous nieces and nephews.
At his request, no service will be held.
The family asked that donations be made to the ALS Association.
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