I spoke with Kourtney Square who is organizing the upcoming centennial of the Rosedale incident in Johnstown. On September 7, 2023, Square, her aunt Dr. Carol Francois, Banished from Johnstown author Cody McDevitt, and local photographer Jackie Gunby will hold a panel discussion on the incident at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. The flyer for the event is at the bottom of the post. For those of you who are not familiar with Rosedale here is a background.
During World War I, while locals were off fighting and demand for steel was high, African Americans, Mexicans, and other ethnic groups were recruited to Johnstown to work in the steel mills and coal mines. Many lived in the Rosedale section of town which is now a vacant lot. Today there is no indication that anyone lived there. In 1923, an African American shot and killed three police officers. Correspondingly the mayor of Johnstown, Joseph Caulfiel, issued an order that every African American and Mexican who had been living in the city for seven years or less had to leave the city.
Square and Francois also run a podcast and education website called Why are They so Angry. The aim of the project is to inform about the effects on systemic racism on peoples attitudes and behaviors. In addition to the centennial of the Rosedale incident, we spoke of other events going on in the Johnstown area at the time. Bishop McCort High School (then Johnstown Catholic High School) and Sunnehanna Country Club both started in 1923. Also we spoke of issues facing minority groups in Johnstown. This includes health disparities in the area and controversies around Afghan refugees coming to the area.