Ethnographic Study of African American Homesteading in Lanfair Valley, CA
Number: P16AC01804
Non-federal partner: Fort Lewis College
Federal partner: National Park Service
Location of project: Lanfair Valley, California
Principal investigator: Dr. Rebecca Austin
Right: Interview with community consultants Dr. La Theia Black and Judy Gomez holding photo of homesteaders in Lanfair, early 1900s.
Description of project:
This project, in conjunction with applied anthropologist Ginny Bengston, of Applied Cultural Ecology, LLC in Arizona, looks at turn-of-the 20th century African American homesteaders in the Mojave Desert (now the Mojave National Preserve) and the broader African American westward migration. The project is part of the National Park Service Cultural Anthropology program and Obama-era Civil Rights initiatives. As stated by the NPS: “The Cultural Anthropology Program of the National Park Service harnesses the power of research and communication to connect cultural communities with places that are considered essential to their identity.” It is common for minorities’ stories to be missing from public history, and this study is one attempt to remedy perceptions about homesteading in general, westward migration, and the stories of post emancipation life for African Americans.
Project start and end date: 09/30/2016–06/20/2020
Total project funding: $214,328.00
Project outcome: Interviews with homesteader descendants were conducted in 2018 and a reunion with descendants was held in March 2019 in Ontario, California. More than 65 people attended the reunion.
Student support: Yes