The video I am sharing is from "Land of Promise: The Story of Allensworth," a short documentary film I made about the town of Allensworth, CA, an intentional, all-black community founded in the early 1900's in a far flung corner of California's central valley. This clip features Ed Pope, a resident of the town and passionate advocate for its preservation. Mr. Pope has passed away since the film was made, and we are so blessed to have his intimate memories captured on film for future generations to encounter.
“Land of Promise” came about because I grew up just two hours away from Allensworth - but didn't hear about the town until I was in my mid-30s. I had no idea there was such a thing as an all black town or that one was so close to me while I was growing up. My curiosity was piqued!
I took my curiosity as an opportunity to learn more about the history of this unique place - the only all-black town in California. The resulting film “Land of Promise,” is my attempt to share with others what I discovered and the wonderful people I met along the way.
I am continuing my scholarship of intentional black towns and would be very interested in hearing your stories of other all-black towns you may have visited or your ancestors may have lived in – places like Eatonville in Florida, Mound Bayou in Mississippi, Nicodemus in Kansas, Boley in Oklahoma and Allensworth in California, to name but a few. To me, intentional black towns represent the hope, resilience and vision of a people. Through my scholarship and storytelling, my goal is to share those aspirations and values with a broader community that may not be familiar with this hidden aspect of African American history.
I look forward to hearing from the community here at blackhistory.com - your reflections, observations and memories. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy the clip!
Posted By: Pamela Harris
Friday, February 12th 2010 at 3:27PM
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