Systemic neglect and environmental injustice have left residents with contaminated water.
Allensworth Rising: A Fight for Water is a 21-minute documentary that follows Sherry Hunter—a lifelong resident and community leader—in her tireless effort to secure safe, clean water for the historic town of Allensworth, California. Founded in 1908 by Lt. Col. Allen Allensworth, a formerly enslaved man turned visionary, the city was created as a self-governed utopia for Black families, a place where African Americans could thrive, free from systemic oppression.
Over a century later, Allensworth’s residents still fight for that original vision in the face of an arsenic water crisis that threatens their health, dignity, and future. Adding a spark of hope is Ashok Gadgil, a University of California, Berkeley, environmental engineer who has developed an innovative piece of equipment capable of removing arsenic from groundwater.
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