Sitting on the ancestral lands of the Yokuts, Allensworth, CA was founded in 1908 to fulfill a vision for Black self-determination. Colonel Allen Allensworth with William Payne and three partners founded the town to serve as a center for Black innovation, and a place of refuge and prosperity for Black families to thrive. While the town was originally successful, it experienced severe setbacks created by systemic racism. In 1974, California State Parks purchased 240 acres in Allensworth and operates it as Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park where it has restored and reconstructed primary buildings that made up the historic town.

Today, the living community of Allensworth just south of the State Park is populated by about 600 people and is predominantly Latinx, including many farmworkers living with high levels of economic, health, immigration status vulnerabilities. Despite challenges, the Allensworth Progressive Association (APA) serves as a community organization that has been pivotal in securing funding to ensure Allensworth “rises again.”

Building on and revitalizing the original vision for community sovereignty and resilience, the Allensworth Community Plan is a roadmap to arrive at a more climate resilient, economically diversified, water secure, and healthful future for this culturally rich place. By celebrating rural life, community and neighbor connections, educational opportunities that strengthen multicultural relations, as well as nature stewardship and regenerative living, Allensworth will become a model for rural communities in the Central Valley. The aim is to not only create a community that can withstand climate change but one that can contribute to the healing and health of the larger region and neighbors.