Allensworth: Spirit of former all-Black town lives on
KFSN
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) In the late 1800s, African Americans established towns across the country where they could escape racial discrimination and prejudice.
The former town of Allensworth is nestled between acres of farms in Central California and is the only town in the Golden State that was fully founded, financed, and governed by African Americans. Allensworth was this utopian community, said Steven Ptomey, the Cultural Resources Program Supervisor of California State Parks Great Basin District. They were living the American Dream by having their own businesses, owning property. There was a feeling of euphoria, looking forward to the future, building for tomorrow.