by Staff – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Coalition Chairman Charles Blatcher, III Calls for Renewed Commitment to Preserving and Teaching Allensworth’s Legacy
TULARE COUNTY, California — October 12, 2026 — On October 10, an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Californians were on the move from Northern and Southern California, heading to the Central Valley and the historic community founded by legendary Buffalo Soldier Colonel Allen Allensworth. They came by train, bus, and car to commemorate the 50th Rededication of the 3,715-acre Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.
The grounds were filled with merchandise and food vendors, while entertainment included line-dancing instruction and a demonstration of square dancing. The main musical entertainment was provided by the Bay Area’s own West Coast Blues Society. The gathering brought together families, veterans, descendants, and supporters. Prominent among the veterans were members of the Buffalo Soldier Association, dressed in period uniforms and accompanied by horses. Together, attendees celebrated a community whose history remains an enduring expression of African American courage and self-determination.
Under the sun and heat of the day, speakers were asked to limit their remarks to five minutes. Among those who complied was Charles Blatcher, III, chairman of the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations. The trip marked Blatcher’s first return visit to the park since the 1976 public opening. He opened with a touch of humor: “A good speech has the main ingredient of a good homemade pie—plenty of shortening.”
Blatcher then turned to the meaning of the occasion.
“We have gathered to celebrate fifty years since this park was dedicated,” he said. “More than that, we have gathered to remember the people who built a community here and to renew our commitment to telling their story.”
His remarks traced Allensworth’s journey from slavery in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was born in 1842, to service in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Allensworth later became a minister, educator, and Army chaplain with the 24th Infantry, one of the Buffalo Soldier regiments, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Blatcher emphasized that Allensworth’s vision extended beyond his own accomplishments. In 1908, he joined other pioneers in founding a town where African Americans could own land, operate businesses, educate their children, worship, and participate in governing their community.
“They built homes, a school, a church, and a library,” Blatcher said. “They put their belief in self-determination into practice, here in California’s Central Valley.”
He also recognized the founders, residents, and families whose work transformed that vision into a living community.
“A vision becomes a community only when people give it their labor, their resources, and their faith in one another,” he said. “The families who settled here made Allensworth more than an idea. They made it home.”
The community endured serious water-supply problems and the loss of Colonel Allensworth in 1914. Although the town declined over time, Blatcher credited former residents, descendants, and supporters with preserving its history and helping make the park possible.
He described the rededication as a renewed commitment to ensuring that African American military service, community building, and contributions to California remain part of the history preserved and taught to future generations.
As a Navy veteran, Blatcher expressed a personal connection to Allensworth’s service. He encouraged visitors to look beyond the park’s buildings and imagine the parents, neighbors, business owners, and families who made decisions within them, united by the conviction that they could shape their own destiny.
Blatcher thanked California State Parks, the descendants, the Friends of Allensworth, and everyone working to keep this history visible. He urged the public to bring young people to the park, listen to those connected to its history, and give the site the care and attention it deserves.
“Colonel Allensworth and his neighbors left us a legacy of courage and purpose,” he concluded. “On this fiftieth anniversary, may we honor them by carrying that purpose forward.”
Blatcher is calling on the Black community to help increase the use of the park. Plans are underway calling for discussions among community leaders to begin pursuing plans for a Gospel and Blues Festivals to be held on the property. Such events could draw statewide and national attention, increase visitation, and introduce new audiences to Allensworth’s history.
In a letter dated August 24, 2026, the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations called on Governor Gavin Newsom to grant Colonel Allensworth a posthumous honorary promotion to Brigadier General in the California National Guard. The Coalition requested that the promotion coincide with the October 10 rededication ceremony. According to the Coalition, the request received no written response from the Governor’s Office. “We would like to think the lack of response reflects an oversight by the Governor’s staff, rather than a slight by the Governor himself,” Blatcher said. The Coalition is calling on the public to support the request by contacting the Governor’s Office at 916-445-2841.
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