Make a statement in this soft cotton sweatshirt custom made by us. The Never Forget Collection pays homage to destroyed Black communities like Allensworth. Allensworth was founded by a retired Black veteran who made his way to freedom, sought an education, and set out to build a town of progressive and self-sufficient Afro-Americans; a term he fought to coin. He founded the town in 1908, creating a self-governed society that valued arts and academics, noted by the establishment of several clubs and organizations. After his untimely passing in 1913, the town began to decline as the residents faced difficulties navigating the politics of white society. They were denied access to purchase land and charged extraordinary amounts for land they were able to acquire. Local officials counteracted even the simplest efforts of the townspeople such as requests for the building of wells as sources of clean water, choosing instead to install the wells in neighboring white towns. In conjunction with the decision of the railroad companies to relocate the stop that once passed through this historic town, Allensworth was left all but uninhabitable. It soon became yet another American ghost town story. Let us never forget the distinguished town founded by scholar and activist Colonel Allen Allensworth.