"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : CHARLIE BALLARD SR.

"By George, I think she's got it!" Just in case anyone was curious to know where the above expression came from, the expression is said to have originated from a line in the popular musical,"My Fair Lady." Well, on that note, let me inform everyone about a recent action of the Louisiana State Congress involving the "NEW JACK CITY" that was established a couple of years ago, in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is known as ST. GEORGE. "A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THE LOUISIANA STATE CONGRESS APPROVED A BILL ESTABLISHING THE ST. GEORGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH THE SAME AUTHORITY THAT A PARISH NOW HAS!" Come to find out, the Bill passed,"WITHOUT SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ACTUALLY VOTING FOR OR AGAINST THE BILL!" Truth be told,They simply didn't bother to vote, which is the complete opposite of what they keep telling the Citizens of Louisiana to do when it's time to Vote them into office! On the other hand, it shouldn't come as such a surprise, "BEING THAT 10 YEARS AGO, MEMBERS OF THE LOUISIANA STATE CONGRESS WERE ALLOWED TO GO IN AND CHANGE THEIR VOTE ON A BILL, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER THEY HAD VOTED THE OPPOSITE WAY!" Just think, these are the same people who get to decide the education and overall welfare of the Citizens, in all of Louisiana! Now, Ain't that A Biscuit! With that said, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer, Charlie Ballard Sr., who was a land owner in Ouachita Parish. It was reported that Charlie and his family moved to Monroe from North Carolina, sometime between 1888 and 1898. It should interest many citizens in Monroe to know that the land that Charlie purchased in the late 1800s, "JUST HAPPENS TO BE WHERE THE BLACK SUBDIVISION, KNOWN AS PINE BAYOU IS CURRENTLY LOCATED." When Charlie bought the land, it was known as Sixteen Section, and often referred to as Bristle Ridge. Additionally, in 1913, Charlie's son, Ben Ballard married Mattie Brown, possibly from the family of Browns in Richwood, Louisiana. When I say that they bought land, I'm not talking about a measly 4 or 5 acres, the father bought 75 acres and the son bought 185 acres. To help pay the land off, they used a system known as the "HALF HAND," whereby the tenants living on their land would split the crops raised 50/50. Something else that stood out when I read about Charlie Ballard was how he, along with his son and a few other Negroes founded "UNION HILL BAPTIST CHURCH, on Highway 15. Furthermore, the church stands today as a remembrance as well as a Testimony to what our Black Ancestors have been able to accomplish throughout the years!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : FRANK NED BRIDGES

"Whoever wants to educate adults really wants to act as their guardian and prevent them from political activity.The word education has an evil sound in politics; there is a pretense of education, when the real purpose is COERCION without the use of force” -Hannah Arendt's polemical 1958 essay,"The Crisis in Education" Yes, It seems that while many of the people in Louisiana minds were focused on the "slick calculated stunt" that Senator Stewart Cathey pulled off in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he "SLIPPED A MICKEY" into Senate Bill Amendment 220, at the last minute to deceive other Louisiana Senators and and State Legislators, so that they would Vote in favor of the Bill. "SOMETHING ELSE WITH A MAGNITUDE OF IMPORTANCE WITHIN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, FELL OFF THE RADAR!" What exactly am I talking about you ask? Why, I'm talking about Governor Jeff Landry's new highly touted and anticipated, "LA. GATOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM," of course! Even from the beginning when the La.Gator Scholarship Program "WAS FIRST PUSHED THROUGH AND PASSED," many of the State Senators and State Legislators had already told Governor Jeff Landry and Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley that there was no way that they could include "the extra $50 Million Dollars" that Governor Landry vehemently wanted in the budget, which began in July of this year. Nevertheless, the Governor still told Brumley to go full steam ahead with their plan to offer thousands of scholarships to Louisiana Students, who were mostly White Students that attended Private Schools in Louisiana. Therefore, in March of this year, Cade Brumley issued the invitation for Louisiana Students to submit their applications for the La.Gator Scholarship Program. Although, it has been rumored that "thousands of White Students had applied for the program," State Legislators were reluctant to move money around to come up with "the extra $50 Million Dollars" that Governor Landry and Superintendent Cade Brumley wanted, in order to fund the La. Gator Scholarship Program for the 2025 - 2026 School Year. So now it looks like students in Louisiana will just have to wait untill the 2026 - 2027 School Year to find out whether or not the Governor can convince more of the members of the Louisiana State Congress to allocate the money that he wants for his flagship program. By the way, on the other hand, $44 Million Dollars was approved and allocated in the budget to pay for 5,600 students who will be attending Private Schools in Louisiana, under a voucher program that was initiated more than a decade ago, by former Governor Bobby Jindal. Now, on to this week's Black Pioneer! Frank Ned Bridges was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 14, 1896. While I couldn't find out anything about Frank's early childhood, I did find out that somehow, he made it all the way to Monroe, Louisiana. Also, I learned that he lived somewhere on Olive Street in Monroe, as a border, in the home of Joseph and Lizzie Johnson, a married Mulatto couple. By the way, Frank worked as a cook at the "Monroe Hotel," similar to the "Hotel Monroe" that recently opened in Monroe. Additionally, Frank was married to a Colored lady by the name of, Bessie Doris West, they were married in the town of Sterlington, Louisiana. Bessie and Frank had two boys, Robert and Dan. As I read about Frank, something that especially stood out was that he had served in the U.S. Military during both World War l and World War ll. During my research, I found out that once he returned home to Monroe, Louisiana from World War ll, Frank and Bessie, along with their two sons, "DECIDED TO TAKE PART IN THE GREAT MIGRATION FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH!" On another note, I think that "EVERY TEACHER and EVERY STUDENT in LOUISIANA" should be taught thoroughly about the "GREAT MIGRATION" as well the circumstances and conditions that triggered it! Well, like Uncle Jed and Ellie Mae Clampett, Frank and Bessie were advised that California was the place where they ought to be, so they loaded up the family and moved to Oakland "OAKTOWN" California. Finally, on June 3, 1966, this proud Black Veteran of World War I & World War ll, and former Cook of the Monroe Hotel, went home to meet his maker! Frank Ned Bridges was buried on June 10 1966, at Golden Gate National Cemetery, in San Bruno, San Mateo County California.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : OLLIE MAE HAMILTON BURNS

Aaaah, Snap," is a common expression that's often used in urban slang, as a reaction to a witty comeback, or a surprising event. However, in this instance, I happen to be referring to the government program known as "SNAP," or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as the "U.S. GOVERNMENT FOOD STAMP PROGRAM." Recently, in several States, in America, there was a "BAN" placed on several food items, under the SNAP PROGRAM that has made "THE FOOD STAMP PROGRAM A HOT TOPIC," within the Black Community in Monroe, Louisiana! You see, it's "NO GREAT SECRET" that in 2024, Monroe, Louisiana was "RANKED AS THE #1 STATE in The UNITED STATES" for having the highest percentage of Metro Households living below the poverty line, according to a MYARKLAMISS.COM REPORT. Which means that a great number of Monroe Citizens are "CURRENTLY RECEIVING GOVERNMENT SNAP BENEFITS EACH MONTH." For some odd reason, something lead me to go online and do a search on the SNAP PROGRAM. One of the interesting things that I found out was that recently, President Trump, along with many White Political Leaders,Representatives, and Lawmakers of different States recently "DECIDED TO DO A CRACK DOWN ON FOOD STAMP FRAUD IN AMERICA." Oooooops,it seems that "PEOPLE SELLING FOOD STAMPS & SNAP BENEFITS IS CONSIDERED A FORM OF FRAUD, PUNISHABLE BY LAW!" Also, in many states, "SELLING FOOD STAMPS" IS LEGALLY CONSIDERED "TRAFFICKING," which is also punishable by law! As I dug deeper, I found out that the SNAP FOOD BAN and THE FOOD STAMP CRACK DOWN are both a part of "A FIVE POINT AGENDA, WITHIN PROJECT 2025!" The Five Points include : 1. PLACING BANS ON FOODS THAT CAN BE PURCHASED WITH A SNAP CARD 2. CUTTING THE SNAP BENEFITS OF "OVER 40 MILLION RECIPIENTS," THROUGH CHANGES IN THE PROGRAM 3.FORCE STATES TO MAKE DEEPER CUTS IN SNAP BENEFITS, BY RADICALLY ALTERING SNAP'S FUNDING STRUCTURE 4.END SNAP ELIGIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WHEN PEOPLE GET A RAISE IN PAY OR PUT OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT IN THEIR SAVINGS ACCOUNT 5.EXPANDING WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR VETERANS, HOMELESS PEOPLE, PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS WITH INSUFFICIENT JOBS, OLDER ADULTS OVER THE AGE OF 50, AND PARENTS WITH SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN!!! By the way, the crazy thing about it is that President Trump, White Politicians, Representatives, and Lawmakers are doing it all "UNDER THE GUISE OF KEEPING PEOPLE FROM EATING SUGARY F youOODS, SO THAT PEOPLE WON'T GET CERTAIN DISEASES! "WELL, AIN'T THAT A BISCUIT!" Enough about all that, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer! Ollie Mae Hamilton Burns was born June 13, 1911, in Ouachita Parish. Ollie attend elementary school at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, on Horseshoe Lake. Yes, many of the first schools for Colored People in Monroe and Ouachita Parish were operated through local churches! Upon graduating, she enrolled at Monroe Colored High School in Monroe. In 1929, Ollie graduated after finishing the 11th grade, because at that time, Monroe Colored High only went up to the 11th grade. After attending Southern University for 2 years, Ollie had to dropout of college for a couple of years.However, because there were few or no laws against teaching without a college degree, Ollie was able to teach and earn money for when she got the opportunity to go back to college. In the meantime, Ollie taught at different schools, in different parishes in Louisiana. Although, she married Rev. Alex Burns and started her family, her fire and desire to attend college never left her! Finally, around 1945, Ollie was able to enroll at Grambling State University, the college where she graduated from in 1947. "It may also interest you to know that in 1957, Ollie became the first Negro in History to ever receive a Master's Degree in Library Science from Louisiana State University!" Furthermore, Ollie went on to become a fine librarian and teacher within the Ouachita Parish School System. Among the list of her many accomplishments included : Her work as a dedicated Church Member & Worker at First Missionary Baptist Church in Monroe, where she wrote the initial proposal for the funding of the "NEW WAY CENTER," as well as served as the Director of the center for 20 years, and her work as librarian at First Missionary Baptist Church; Her work as a member of the Monroe Human Right Council ; Her work in helping start the Ouachita Head Start Program ; and Her work in helping to desegregate schools in Ouachita Parish. Without a doubt, Ollie definitely made an impact within the Black Communities of Monroe, Louisiana, Ouachita Parish, and the State of Louisiana! On February 26, 2004, after over 50 years of toiling and sacrificing to give the future generations of Black People in Monroe and Ouachita Parish a chance of a better life ; thousands of people cried, as Ollie Mae Hamilton Burns laid down and died!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : FORMER MONRO BARBERSHOP OWNER BENNERSON STAMPER

"If Knowledge Can Make A Man Unfit To Be A Slave as Frederick Douglas said, then Research Can Certainly Make A Man Unfit To Be Fooled and Manipulated by Main Stream Media!" -Garry O'Dell Blanson While I was researching online, I came across one of Mayor Oliver Ellis's campaign promises that he made during his first run for Mayor of Monroe, Louisiana, but hasn't been able to keep! In an interview with a local television station in Monroe, he talked about how he learned that many citizens in Monroe felt like White Citizens and Black Citizens were divided as well as the City itself, and that he was going to work hard at fixing the division. No offense to the Mayor, but after "OVER FOUR and A HALF YEARS" of him being in office, Black Citizens and White Citizens in Monroe are "EVEN MORE DIVIDED THAN THEY WERE BEFORE HE TOOK OFFICE!" Not only that, but recently Mayor Ellis took it upon himself to persuade Senator Cathey to amend a bill that essentially transfers the authority to elect a new Fire Marshal from the Monroe City Council to the Governor of Louisiana. It's no wonder that many Black and White Citizens of Monroe view this blatant type of behavior by Mayor Ellis as extremely reprehensible! Additionally, it reminds me of the time during his first term in office, when he tried to move the date and time of a regular Monroe City Council Meeting, so that many Black Citizens could not attend the Council Meeting concerning the Council's Vote "about a stipend to be awarded to his friend, Michael Echols." Furthermore, it seems that now that Black Council Members are beginning to gain more power and authority, the Mayor feels that he needs to undermine their efforts, by any means necessary, including using Louisiana State Senators to introduce and pass bills that totally disrupt the policies and procedures of the Monroe City Council. Well, that's enough about Monroe's egotistical Mayor, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer! Bennerson Stamper was born on August 5, 1935, in Grayson, Louisiana to Frank and Lillie Stamper. After graduating from Union Central High School in Columbia, Louisiana, Bennerson enrolled at Southern University. However, before he was able to graduate, financial circumstances and family concerns led him to take a job working at the Brown Paper Mill in West Monroe, which is now Graphic Packaging. When he wasn't at work, his dad, who was a Barber, would always encourage Bennerson to cut hair on the side. "One day, Bennerson decided that his time was worth more than he was being paid at the paper mill!" Therefore, he decided to quit his job and go to Barber School instead. The Barber College that he chose was Tyler Barber College, which was located in Tyler, Texas. Once he graduated, he began working at Benjamin's Barbershop, which was located on North 6th Street in Monroe. After apprenticing, what many young Black Men in Monroe did before going to college became so popular, Bennerson was able to open his own Barbershop on North 7th Street in Monroe. Later, he went on to open two more Barbershops in Monroe, one at 3310 Renwick Street and another at 3009 Burg Jone Lane, in Monroe. Throughout the 70's, 80, and 90s, Bennerson trained and mentored thousands of aspiring Barbers, including Dawana Collins Foster & Wardell Coward. Finally, Bennerson was a member of the American Legion, a member of the Prince Hall Masons, and a faithful, dedicated member of St.Joseph Missionary Baptist Church, in West Monroe, Louisiana. Sadly, on September 5, 2007, after rendering "50 PLUS YEARS " of service in the Black Community as a Barber, and "OVER 20 YEARS" as a School Bus Driver, Bennerson Stamper took his eternal rest in Heaven!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : COLORED BUSINESS-OWNER T.J.DAVIS,THE DAVIS MARKET, and THE CENTRAL CA'FE

One of the things that makes this week's article extra intriguing is that it's sheds light on 2 Colored-Owned Businesses that opened after Colored Businessman John Robert Patterson Sr., who owned Patterson's Million Article Store and Market that was located at North 18th and Grammont Street in Monroe, Louisiana, closed his businesses and moved to New Orleans, around 1930. Although the exact address of his 2 businesses seem to differ in reports, the thing that's agreed upon is that it was during "THE GREAT DEPRESSION ERA!" The name of the 2 new businesses were,"THE DAVIS MARKET, and THE CENTRAL CA'FE." Both businesses were owned by a young Colored Man by the name of T.J. Davis. Reportedly, T.J. was only 23 years young when he opened his businesses. Another interesting fact is that this was around the time-frame that Maryland Brooks, "THE COLORED CATTLE KING," owned his meat market on Desiard Street, at Young's Bayou, and it was also around the time that Abraham Bowie Sr. owned and operated his restaurant,"Town House," which was located on Desiard Street. Furthermore, it was close to when "THE HISTORIC MILLER-ROY BUILDING WAS BUILT, BACK IN 1929!" Sadly, very little is known about the owner, T.J. Davis, or the businesses that he owned. However, an online article did say that T.J. Davis was a very forward thinking individual to even risk such a venture, during such a desperate time in America as well as in Monroe. By the way, there's a single picture online of The Davis Market, along with mention of the Central Ca'fe. Also, a man by the name of Henry Washington is listed as being the Manager of the Central Ca'fe. Finally, I found out that during the time that his businesses were around, the one and only,LOUIS "SATCHMO" ARMSTRONG came to Monroe, Louisiana to perform in the "FAMOUS SAVOY ROOM," which was housed in the Miller-Roy Building that was recently renovated and reopened as an apartment complex in 2023.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : "THE FORGOTTEN" - Council for United Civil Rights Leadership

l "In Order for Situations to Change for Black People in Monroe, Louisiana, Black People in Monroe, Louisiana Are Going to have to Change" -Garry O'Dell Blanson We'll begin this week's article with a story about an incident that took place, back when I was in elementary school. One day, during the 1970s, at "Swayze Elementary School," while several of the students and I were throwing "friendly mixes on one another" ; mixes are when a group of guys try and catch some guys from another group off guard and hit one another with open palms, just for fun. Well, after I had finished mixing and was trying to get away from the action, J.J. grab my arm and I accidentally hit my head up against the boys bathroom wall. It hurt, but I was still trying to get away from J.J.'s grasp. Suddenly, he let go of my arm and put his hand on my head and said, "man you're bleeding!" You better believe that got my attention! I placed my hand on my head and sure enough, I saw a hand full of blood. The guys told some of the teachers about my head bleeding.Next, the teachers led me all the way down the main hall to where we washed out hands, before eating in the school cafeteria. Fortunately, for me on that day, there was an off-duty Monroe Police Officer by the name of Richard L Jackson,"who was also the director of the SOUTHSIDE BOY'S CLUB in MONROE that was ran out of the Swayze School Gymnasium." Officer Jackson turned on the cold water and told me to put my head under the faucet. Also, he applied pressure to where the blood was leaking out of my head, and after about 10 or 20 minutes, the bleeding had stopped. The hole in my head was actually large enough for me to stick my finger in the wound! By the way, I got to go home early, but our principal, Charles H. Johnson told me that there was to be no more mixing going on, while we were at school. With that said, I would like to share a little information about "The Forgotten Council For United Civil Rights Leadership." Surprisingly, it was President John F. Kennedy who encouraged and helped organize the main funding for the organization. It was often called an "UMBRELLA GROUP," because it consisted of 6 of the most influential Black Organizations in the United States. The main Black Organizations involved were: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, headed by Martin Luther King Jr ; The National Association For The Advancement of Colored People,led by Roy Wilkins ; The National Urban League, led by Whitney Young ; The National Council of Negro Women, headed by Dorothy Height ; The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, led by James Forman and John Lewis ; and The Congress of Racial Equality headed by James Farmer, and advised by Bayard Rustin. By the way, it was only five months after the forming of The Council For United Civil Rights Leadership that "U.S. CITIZENS AND THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD" witnessed the gruesome assassination and death of President John F Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963! Amazingly, one of the good things that resulted from the formation of the group was that many White Owned Corporations, including the Rockefeller & Ford foundations, agreed to provide funding for the organization. At a fundraising event, held on "JUNE 19TH, in 1963, at a hotel in New York, representatives from 96 Corporations were successful in raising "approximately $800,000 dollars" that was later divided amongst the Black Groups in The Council For United Civil Rights Leadership Organization. However, on the other hand, once the Black Leaders of these Black Organizations agreed to accept the money from the American White-owned Corporations, the Civil Rights Groups and the Civil Rights Movement itself experienced more and more regulations and restrictions from outside sources. Nevertheless, the organization was instrumental in helping organize and funding the Historic March On Washington, in August of 1963. Finally, it was rumored that it was lack of adequate funding, along with disagreements and several conflicts between the Black Leaders of the organization, which ultimately led to the dissolvement of the short-lived organization that was known as,"The Council For United Civil Rights Leadership Organization, in January of 1967."

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : RICHARD L. JACKSON and THE SOUTHSIDE BOY'S CLUB.

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that A familiar symbol,"Fleur-de-Lis," which is displayed on LOUISIANA'S STATE FLAG and on the FOOTBALL HELMETS of the NFL FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS FOOTBALL TEAM, and was also designated as the official state symbol in 2008,"WAS USED DURING SLAVERY IN BRANDING COLORED SLAVES, LIKE CATTLE!" They say, the practice was a way of identifying slaves who had escaped from various plantations, as well as helping determine whether a Colored Person was a SLAVE or a "Free Person of Color." Wow, I wonder how many of the Black New Orleans Saints Football fans will "feel differently about the "Fleur-de-Lis symbol,"after reading and hearing about how it was used during slavery! With that said, let me inform everyone about a former Black Organization that helped save many Young Black Kids in Monroe from the streets. The organization was known as "THE SOUTHSIDE BOY'S CLUB." The director of The Southside Boy's Club was a police officer by the name of Richard L. Jackson. Since the Boys Club was housed in the gymnasium of Swayze Elementary School, you can say that the Boy's Club was a Community Partnership Project. Back when the Club existed, Charles H. Johnson was principal of Swayze, and he would visit the Boy's Club on a regular basis. By the way,me and my brothers were members of The Southside Boy's Club. Along with basketball, the club offered other game opportunities such as, table tennis, pool, and bumper pool. In addition to providing Young Black Kids from several local Black Communities a place to play and get to know each other, during the summer, Officer Jackson collaborated with Ervin Peter Turner, who was the director of "THE TRI-DISTRICT BOY'S CLUB" in Monroe to make sure that the children from both clubs were provided with nutritional meals for lunch.Officer Jackson would load us all on a bus, and we would travel up the highway to Tri-District Boy's Club, where we got to break bread with other Young Black Kids from across the City of Monroe. Yes, The Southside Boy's Club helped save and changed the lives of many Young Black Kids in Monroe,"Myself Being One of Them!" In August 2023, a special "Thank-you Program" was held in Monroe, Louisiana to honor Richard L. Jackson for his dedicated service and the wonderful things he accomplished as the director of The Southside Boy's Club!