Black Meetings and Tourism

Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 30 Josephine Blodgett Smith, 94, the granddaughter of Josephine and Lieutenant Colonel Allensworth, on October 11th and 12th joined close to 5,000 people gath- ered at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park to com- memorate the founding of the "town that would not die." Celebrants arrived by car, bus, RV, and train. Strolling along the streets of the historic town, they toured the many restored and reconstructed buildings where docents shared tales of people and events past. High tech raised children put aside their MP3 players and comput- ers to play the games of pioneer days and learn how to make cornhusk dolls, tallow candles, plus churn butter. Vendors kept busy serving up delicious meals of every- thing from ribs to catfish to salads, while other vendors offered a variety of crafts, art, and centennial keepsakes. The preservation of Allensworth State Park and the celebration of the 100th anniversary of its founding was a priority for the Legislative Black Caucus (LBC), accord- ing to former Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas, caucus chairman. "Today walking through this town and its his- toric homes, businesses, church and schools, is an experi- ence in turning back the clock," stated Ridley-Thomas. "One sees much of this restored community as it appeared in the early 1900s," he added. "It was more than creating an all-Black community," commented Lonnie G. Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. "There was a national political strat- egy involved in the founding of Allensworth that makes it unique." This community 40 miles northwest of Bakersfield was not the first all-Black settlement of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, or the longest-lived, but to Bunch it was unique in its sociological and political mission. At the celebration, people of all ages swayed to the music of gospel, jazz, and the irresistible beat of drum corps. Dignitaries inspired the crowds with their words while descendants of the original Allensworth pioneers brought the past alive with their remembrances. The sounds of laughter, children's voices, friends greeting one another, the clip-clop of the Buffalo soldiers' horses, and the ringing of the school bell were all a part of the spirit ALLENSWORTH, THE TOWN THAT WOULD NOT DIE, CELEBRATES ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY FOUNDING BY PATRICIA ANN JORDAN

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