Dear Editor,
How wonderful to see the article on Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth on your 26 October 2016 edition. Your tribute – along with that of Mayor Tom Adams’ and KGEM’s Ralph Walker’s – is cause for pause. As we worry about Americans in harm’s way in Mosul, and as we near Veteran’s Day, I reflect on the sacrifices of all soldiers.
But Allen Allensworth was more than just the highest ranking African American military officer of his time. After his retirement from the Army, Allensworth fought even harder to build peace through equality. In Tulare County and in our Monrovia, Allensworth built communities for a better future. Monrovia’s Second Baptist Church, now on Shamrock, is a living testimonial to Allensworth’s vision.
As Muslims and Christians, as African Americans and police officers, as American-born and immigrants, we can build a lot together. I hope Monrovia never forgets our role model, Allen Allensworth.
– Susie Ling, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies at Pasadena City College shling@pasadena.edu
