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AFRICAN DIASPORA SUMMER EVENTS
AFRICAN DIASPORA SUMMER EVENTS
TICKETS DEADLINE
VENDOR BOOTH REGISTRATION DEADLINE
SATURDAY JULY 22, 2023
STATE PARK FEES
DUE UPON ENTRY TO THE PARK!!
STATE PARK FEES
DUE UPON ENTRY TO THE PARK!!
THE "TESTIMONY OF SOUNDS" FESTIVAL IS DEDICATED TO COLONEL ALLENSWORTH AND THE TOWN HE CREATED FOR FREE BLACK SLAVES AFTER THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY!!
THE HISTORY OF ALLENSWORTH, CALIFORNIA (1908 TO PRESENT)
Allensworth, the first town in California established exclusively by African Americans, was founded in 1908 by a group of men led by Colonel Allen Allensworth. Born a slave in Louisville, Kentucky in 1842, Allensworth became the highest ranking black officer in the U.S. Army when he retired in 1906.
As a boy, Allensworth was punished for learning to read and write which was unlawful for enslaved people in Kentucky and across the South. During the Civil War, he escaped and sought refuge behind the Union line, where he worked as a civilian nurse in the Army Hospital Corps.
From 1863 to 1865, Allensworth served in the U.S. Navy and afterwards became an ordained Baptist minister. In 1871, Allensworth met Josephine Leavell, a school teacher, organist and pianist. They were married on September 20, 1877. Josephine Allensworth worked diligently with her husband to promote his educational and religious works. The couple had two daughters, Nellie and Eva.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/history-allensworth-california-1908/