“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” - SAMUEL B FULLER

The Accomplishments of our Black ancestors should be and are very important to the older generation of Blacks living today( and to the younger generation as well). Back in 1905, when Samuel B Fuller was born in Monroe, Louisiana ( Ouachita Parish ), Black citizens were experiencing much prejudice and poverty. By the age of 10, S.B. Fuller had dropped out of school and had begun selling products door-to-door.Around 1920, his mother decided to move her family to Memphis Tennessee{ the same town where Martin Luther King was killed }.Two years later, his mother died and he and his six siblings had to fend for themselves.Samuel B Fuller didn’t mind working.By the age of 18, he was well on his way to becoming a very successful Entrepreneur. Before making friends with Lestine Thornton (who later became his wife), He worked several odd jobs.However, S.B. Fuller knew in his heart that he could never attain the financial success he desired working for someone else( you can’t either ).Therefore, he decided to enter a partnership with Lestine Thornton. In 1929, at the age of 24, he incorporated Fuller Products. While starting his own business, S.B. Fuller continued working at Commonwealth Burial Association.Due to the success of his own business, he was able to leave Commonwealth, open a factory for his business, and expand his line of products.Samuel B Fuller went on to purchase several newspapers including the New York Age and the Pittsburg Courier. Additionally, he owned the South Center Department Store and the Regal Theater in Chicago.In closing, I would like mention that the children of Black parents who lived here in Monroe between 1900 -1929 produced several of our strong,prominent “BLACK LEADERS.” Leaders like Dr. John Reddix Sr, Dr. Raymond Pierce, B.D. Robinson, Morris Henry Carroll, Abraham Bowie Sr, Ibra January Sr., and Joseph Miller Sr !!!” Furthermore, They did so with meager earnings , very little support from White people or Government Assistant programs such as W.I.C. or S.N.A.P.[ someway,somehow, someday soon, Black People in Monroe must find a way to repeat what Our Black ancestors have already done, done! ].