Mrs. Julia B. Allen

Deepest Sympathy is extending to the Allen Family

Lloyd Daniel

Mrs. Julia Allen
1931-2005
At a time when a gardener and a home healthcare aide could raise five children and purchase a home in California, the Allen family settled in Oakland's Fruitvale District in 1960. They were part of a wave of migration of black people from up out of the Deep South to points westward seeking the warmth of other suns. As her neighbor for thirty-eight years, I saw her raise her children from toddlers to adults, produce grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She and her husband encouraged them to get an education and contribute to the legacy of ensuring a future for the next generations. With the constant companionship of her husband, Mrs. Allen went on to become a seasoned elder. She remained solidly grounded in her faith and deep concern for the young.
As the matriarch of her family and our block, she witnessed multiple changes in her lifetime from black people gaining the right to vote to the election of the country's first black president-- twice. Across the decades, we wished each other happy birthday, as we shared the same birth month though not year. May her spirit travel well and rest in the joy of what meant the most to her.
Daphne Muse

Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.