Allensworth 2012

Allen and Josephine Allensworth, founders of Black California town Allensworth.

 

Yesterday, the Bigger Than Your Block team was very honored to be part of the Juneteenth Celebration at Allensworth State Historic Park. Financial Education Speaker & Author Shay Olivarria gave a wonderful speech on building a solid financial foundation based on learning about personal finance, sharing information about personal finance, and learning to pass on wealth to future generations. During the speech participants laughed and really interacted with Shay. When she came off of the stage people kept coming up to the table to speak with her, congradulate her on a job well done, share why she was a different type of financial education speaker, and find out what the Rule of 72 is! Kids took part in the financial education cross word puzzles and word search puzzles for prizes. Adults took home copies of the referral sheet that could net them $250 for referring an organization to Bigger Than Your Block. It was a wonderful day.

Allensworth is sometimes called The Town That Wouldn’t Die because of the tenacity of the people that settled there. The drummers mentioned that Black history is a living thing. We have to remember our history, and contribute to it for the next generations. I’m Black & I Travel says, the Allensworth family created a Black town in central California

.. Allensworth turned his eyes west. He wanted to create a town where black families could own their own homes, their own land, run their own farms and control their own destinies ..

It’s up to us to keep Allensworth alive. For those of you that haven’t been to Allensworth yet, we thought we’d share a few photos to motivate you to come up and celebrate next year.

There were tons of vendors, BBQ, ice cream, and people! Buses of folks kept coming up. It was good to see kids running around and folks hanging out under the trees.

 

The plaque reads:Elizabeth Dougherty, a wealthy Oakland business woman, purchased the property and financed the construction of the hotel in 1910. The hotel was her investment in Allensworth, but she did not live here….”

 

Mary Jane Bickers arrived in Allensworth in 1909 and opened the town’s first business, a general store.

 

If you’d like to read a bit more about Allensworth visit VirtualTourist.com. See you next year!

 

Allensworth Juneteenth Celebration

Col. Allensworth created the town of Allensworth, CA. It was a town founded in 1908, with the idea that African Americans could own property, learn, thrive, and live the American Dream. Every year they have several events to celebrate and commemorate this town.

Saturday, June 9th from 10am to 4pm Shay Olivarria of Bigger Than Your Block will attending the Allensworth celebration of Juneteenth in Allensworth, CA. She’s pleased to be presenting a lecture on financial education among Blacks.  The town was founded by Col. Allensworth because he believed that Blacks needed to be financially independent. He envisioned a town with it’s own school, businesses, and a college. The water turned brackish and people left, but the park has been turned into a state park.

Click the photo to visit the park’s page.

Of course it’s a celebration of enslaved Africans finally being made aware that freedom had come, but it’s also a celebration of our survival. As we remember how far we’ve come, it’s important to plan for the future. Working towards owning businesses, increasing our networth, and passing on our wealth to our children has got to become paramount.

The day will include entertainment for all, food, and of course some great speakers. Shay Olivarria will sell copies of her three books on site or buy them beforehand and have her sign them at the event. Either way, come on out and help celebrate the beauty of Black folks in America June 9th in Allensworth, Ca.

Book Shay Olivarria to speak at your event.

Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. She speaks at high schools, colleges, and companies across the country. She has written three books on personal finance, including Amazon Best Seller “Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook”. Shay has been quoted on Bankrate.com, FoxBusiness.com, and The Credit Union Times, among others. To schedule Shay to speak at your event visit www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com.

Purple Project

I’m really excited about speaking at The Second Annual Youth & Adult Foster Care Conference from The Purple Project. As you know, I was in foster care from 13 years old to 17 years old. That time in my life shaped many of my core values so I’ve decided to write a book about it. “All My Mistakes: Money tips for kids in care” will be published June 2011.

I’ll be delivering the keynote lunch address on Friday, two personal finance seminars on Saturday, and signing copies of my books:

Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook
10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money
All My Mistakes: Money tips for kids in care

Register for the Second Annual Youth & Adult Foster Care Conference now!

Other notables include hip hop icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Judge Michael Ryan, country music star Jimmy Wayne, and foster care advocate Cherish Thomas.

Loans

I had the pleasure of closing out my Cross Country In A Ford adventure in San Diego. I delivered a free workshop entitled, “10 Money Tips for Students” based on my new book 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money. We laughed, we cried, we …. well… we didn’t cry, but you know what I mean. You can view more of the workshop, see what vendors were there, and hear what participants had to say by visiting the Cross Country In A Ford site.

Here’s a clip from the workshop about finding a loan:

5 Most Common Mistakes College Students Make

As students get ready to go back for the fall semester of college, I thought it would be a great time to take a moment and share some tips for saving a few dollars and getting started on the right financial foot. This is an article that I wrote for HBCU Digest.

Read the full article here.

Love my articles? Don’t forget to come out and see me as I drive cross country to spread simple financial literacy tips in a 1994 Ford Aspire.

Los Angeles Black Book Expo

I’m thrilled to be exhibiting at the Los Angeles Black Book Expo this year. The event will be held Saturday, August 21st at the Sheraton near the airport. The event is free for attendees.

There will be exhibitors, panels, workshops, spoken word, story telling, and the Sunset & Gumbo Radio Show will be broadcasting live from the event!

Save the date!!

Zahra’s Book Signing TODAY

Today I’ll be signing books at Zahra’s Books located at 900 N La Brea in Inglewood, CA. If you get a chance come on out! As a special bonus, those that buy books today will get the password to access 3 Financial Checklists to help your whole family get on the same money team. Happy Financial Literacy Month!

See you at Zahra’s at 2pm.

Shay Visiting Jackson, MS

This summer I’ll be touring the south promoting Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook. Thankfully, I have been able to connect with Cryus Webb at Conversations Book Club in MS. Cyrus is doing great work around reading. Please connect with him on Facebook.

I’ll be visiting with Conversations Book Club Tues. August 10, 2010:

* 9:30-10:30a.m. — Peeples Middle School (Jackson, MS)

* 11:30-12:30p.m. — Morrison Academic Center (Jackson, MS)

* 4-5:30p.m. — Pearl Public Library (Pearl, MS) — Meet and Greet

* 6-8p.m. — Appetizers Restaurant (3000 HWY 80 E * Pearl, MS) , discussion

Come on out and say, “hi”. You can also buy your book early and come with questions to the Meet & Greets.

Find out if Shay is visiting your state here. Don’t see your state, school, or book club listed? Invite Shay to visit your group by calling (323) 596-1843.

Zahra’s Bookstore Meet & Greet

This Saturday, April 3rd I’ll be signing copies of Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook. Come by between 2pm – 4pm.

Bring your teens!

Youth development speaker and author Shay Olivarria will discuss the 5 things we should be doing now to master our money. Lecture will be followed by a Q & A session and book signing for Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook.

This free event should not be missed.

Zahra’s Books N Things in Inglewood from 2pm – 4pm.

Shay Olivarria has worked with Upward Bound, Orangewood Children’s Foundation, and several other youth organizations and universities. Her second book, “10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money” will be out May 2010.

Books available online at: Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Powells.
Books available in store at:

Zahara’s Books
900 N. La Brea
Inglewood, CA

Smiley’s Books
22709 Avalon
Carson, CA

The Dock Bookshop
6637 Meadowbrook Dr
Fort Worth, TX 76112

Nubian Bookstore
2445 Southlake Mall
Morrow, GA

Malcolm’s Reading Room
404 17th St. North
Birmingham, AL

Network of Empowered Women May 29th

I’m really looking forward to working with the Network of Empowered Women. Join us Saturday, May 29th at the Rita Walters Learning Complex in Los Angeles for a timely discussion about healing your relationship with money.

Order your copy of Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook before the workshop or pick up your copy on site.

The audio companion to Money Matters will be available online soon.

See you there!

Buy Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook

Are you looking to support your local bookstore? Awesome! You can find my new book Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook at these fine stores:

Smiley’s Bookstore
Carson, CA

Zahara’s Books N Things
Inglewood, Ca

Want to purchase online? Get your copy at Amazon.com.

I’m scheduling Meet & Greets now. Come chat with me at:

Feb. 6th Smiley’s Bookstore Carson, CA
Feb. 27th Malcolm X Library San Diego, CA
April 3rd Zahara’s Books N Things Inglewood, CA

See you soon!