Mr. Olinga, I admire the thinking a lot. Its inspiring.
Just about 240 miles south of Oakland is Allensworth, the first town in California to be founded by, financed by, and governed by African-Americans. Today, the town of Allensworth is a state historic park and well preserved. However, the story of the founder, Colonel Allensworth is really worth knowing.
Allen Allensworth was an American chaplain, colonel, city founder, and theologian. Born into slavery, he escaped during the American Civil War by joining the 44th Illinois Volunteers as a Union soldier. After being ordained as a Baptist minister by the Fifth Street Baptist Church, April 9, 1871, he worked as a teacher, led several churches, and was appointed as a chaplain in the United States Army. In 1886, he gained appointment as a military chaplain to a unit of Buffalo Soldiers in the West, becoming the first African American to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. He served in the Army for 20 years, retiring in 1906.
Just about 65 miles east of Oakland, in the heart of the Sacramento Delta, sits the town of Locke on the banks of the Sacramento River. The Sacramento Delta is a stunning place, and Locke offers powerful lessons in the history of Chinese immigration to America.
You can read and see more in BBC link below, but hopefully this excerpt will wet your appetite – and maybe tempt you to visit.
“The California Swamp and Overflow Act of 1861 opened the Delta's once-inhospitable swampland to the possibility of agriculture by allowing landowners and private companies to drain it. This opportunity attracted thousands of immigrants from China's Guangdong (formerly Canton) region who were already skilled at draining swamps and building levees back home in the Pearl River Delta. These reclamation projects lead to the establishment of small settlements for Chinese labourers along the California Delta. Between 1860 and 1880, Chinese workers drained and reclaimed a staggering 88,000 acres of Delta soil, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape and helping to transform the region into the agricultural powerhouse it is today.”
“Beginning in 1872, California passed a series of laws prohibiting Chinese from owning land or securing business licenses. This was followed by the United States' Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which effectively halted further Chinese immigration and naturalisation until its repeal in 1943. In 1913, California passed the Alien Land Law that specifically prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning agricultural land or possessing land leases longer than three years.”
“Beginning in 1915, hundreds of Chinese workers settled in Locke, working in nearby canneries and local Delta farms. However, their contributions weren't limited to labour. Residents established a Chinese school, where most children learned calligraphy and took Chinese language lessons.”
Mr. Olinga, by retaining their language and their culture, Chinese immigrants built a network for themselves all across America. Whenever I travel to rural American towns, I look for the Chinese restaurant. New arrivals work in these restaurants and get established, before moving into their own businesses or go to college. Because they are trained in American-ized Chinese cooking, new arrivals can work almost anywhere in America.
Black American history once lost and hidden in archives for centuries, is now available on the internet, bookstores and periodicals. Here on Medium, stories by authors like William Spivey offer tons of history. Just like the Chinese do, Black history can finally be passed on from one generation to the next, without any say, help or permission from white people.
Here is that link
Locke, California: The only town in the US built for Chinese people
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240529-the-only-town-in-the-us-built-for-chinese-people
PS I know these places, because I worked in rural land-use for just about 35 years.
