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<font size=3>From: Scott Braley <scottb@igc.org><br><br>
Dear Friends: <br>
<br>
As some of you know, Mickey Ellinger and I have been working the last two
years with Mrs. Alice Royal of Visalia to produce a book about the town
of Allensworth. The book is now published, is beautiful, and
available! <br>
<br>
Allensworth, 50 miles northwest of Bakersfield, was founded in 1908, and
was the only town in California founded, funded, and governed by African
Americans. Mrs. Royal was born in Allensworth in her grandparents’
home in 1923, and has worked tirelessly to bring the history of
Allensworth to public attention. <br>
<br>
In 1976, 240 acres of the old Allensworth downtown were declared a State
Historic Park, and since then over 20 buildings have been rebuilt and
furnished. <br>
<br>
At the end of the 19<sup>th</sup> century, one of the forms of struggle
for Black liberation was to build independent towns. Between
1877 and 1900, over 200,000 Blacks left the South to found more than a
hundred autonomous communities. Allensworth was one of those towns,
named for its founder, Allen Allensworth, whose own life was a journey
from being enslaved to chaplain of the U.S. Army’s (Black)
24<sup>th</sup> Infantry Regiment, retiring as a Lt. Colonel.<br>
<br>
The town could have changed US history if its vision had been realized:
African Americans managing their own affairs, farming, running
independent businesses, providing housing for retired and active duty
military people, shipping from the railroad depot at the edge of town,
and building a trade college, a Tuskegee of the West. <br>
<br>
But within a few years the development company reneged on its agreement
to provide water, the railroad station moved six miles north, and
proposals to the State legislature to build the trade school were
defeated. In 1914, Col. Allensworth was killed by two
motorcyclists, in what was probably a racial attack. <br>
<br>
The town held on for another decade, but the depression drove most of its
residents into the cities. By the 1960’s downtown Allensworth
was abandoned or destroyed, and the rest of the town is now home to about
a hundred families, mostly Latino farm laborers. <br>
<br>
The book, <i>Allensworth, the Freedom Colony; an African American
Township in California</i>, by Mrs. Alice Royal with Scott Braley and
Mickey Ellinger, tells the story of the town and its citizens - its
conception, it’s pioneers, the building of the park, the town of
Allensworth today. Guided by Mrs. Royal, we did dozens of new
interviews with children of the pioneers, and found many old interviews
and photos. Mickey did the writing, and Scott has more than
80 full color photos in the book. There are dozens of historic
photos from many personal archives. <br>
<br>
The book presents a little-known chapter of African American history.
Response has been excellent, and we think it should go into every
bookstore and school library in California. Heyday Books, the
publisher, has priced it at $17.95, inexpensive for a full color
book. You can order it from
<a href="http://www.heydaybooks.com">www.heydaybooks.com</a>, although
getting it from Amazon or Powell’s moves it up in the
ratings. Asking for it at your local bookstore is better
yet. <br>
<br>
Let us know what you think of it. And, we hope you can help
us get the book into libraries and curriculums. If you are a
parent, teacher, or have friends who work in schools or libraries, please
show the book to them, and give us their contact info so we can send them
an announcement. <br>
<br>
<br>
Scott Braley and Mickey Ellinger<br>
<br>
PS- the town’s centennial blow-out will be Saturday, October
11<sup>th,</sup>. All the buildings will be open, Mrs.
Royal will be signing books, and we hope to see you there. If you are
interested in an inexpensive one-day bus or train excursion, let us know
and we can give you the information. <br><br>
<br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
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