“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : NEGROS FOR DEFENSE AND JUSTICE INC.

 Before I  begin my lead story, I would like to mention a few events surrounding and leading up to it. Most of the events took place between 1961 and 1965. First up, the State of Louisiana tried to get the NAACP to turnover a list of the names of its members. The State even went as far as “suing” the NAACP in court( Louisiana ex rel. Gremillion v. NAACP court case ) in 1961  to keep the NAACP from operating in Louisiana. Nevertheless, to keep from dealing with the Louisiana law about turning in member names, many of the NAACP Chapters in Louisiana discontinued operations and became Voter Leagues instead.  Next, who could forget “FREEDOM SUMMER” in 1964. Freedom Summer was a C.O.R.E.[ Congress of Racial Equality ] operation  to register more Black voters . The Deacons For Defense protected all of the members of C.O.R.E. who stayed in Jonesboro, Louisiana during Freedom Summer. During those times, some  people would say that the greatest event that transpired was the landmark  Civil Rights Law passed by the U.S. Congress, known as The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Conversely, some people would say that the 1965 Jackson High School boycott in Jonesboro, Louisiana was equally important as  any other event at that time. Throw in the fact that the White Citizens’ Council and The Ku Klux Klan had begun their racists & brutal attacks on Negroes in Louisiana, escalating racial tension amongst the Whites and Blacks . Plus, Martin L. King Jr and the NAACP were insisting on using non-violent civil disobedience measures in response of attacks by whites. Additionally, the local  police weren’t trying to stop the Klan from harassing the Black citizens of Jonesboro. Needless to say, the Black citizens of Jonesboro,Louisiana were in strong need of protection! Now to the featured story. Several months before the death of Malcolm X,  in the small town of Jonesboro, Louisiana, a group of Black males{ some who had fought in Vietnam  } united,organized, and founded the “Deacons For Defense”( and Justice Inc ) Organization. Although the group was actually established in 1964, they didn’t file their paperwork with the state until March of 1965[ Note : Mrs Barbara L Sharp of Monroe, Louisiana name appears on the witness page of the group’s Articles of Incorporation ]. It is also rumored that the group sought and received counsel from Barbara Sharp’s husband{ Attorney James Sharp Jr } when they came to Monroe in March of 1965. Also, it was reported that a Deacons for Defense Chapter was established in Bogalusa, Louisiana on February 21, 1965( the same day that Malcolm X was assassinated ). In order to become a member of the Deacons For Defense, you had to be a male, at least 21 years of age, know how to properly handle and operate a gun, be mild mannered( not a hot-head ), be well respected in the community, and pay your monthly dues and other membership  fees.  One of the members named Army Johnson, owned a place of business called “The Joy Room.” The facility featured a cafe’, a barbershop, a roller skating rink, a washateria, and a boarding house. Like most of the Black organizations, the Deacons of Defense were said to have had FBI informants who infiltrated their group. One of the White C.O.R.E. members from New York is said to have personally given secret information to the FBI about the group as early as January of 1965. In a speech given by the group’s Vice-President, Ernest Thomas, the group had over 55 Chapters throughout the South and the United States. It was surprising…no shocking for the police{ and the Klansmen } to see Black men with guns who weren’t afraid of them, and weren’t afraid to use their guns to defend themselves and members of their Black communities. There were several instances where members of The Deacons For Defense had to use their weapons to show the Klan and the police that they were going to defend themselves with guns and rifles, if necessary. In 2003, the story about the Deacons For Defense was made into an American television drama film directed by Bill Duke,  and starred Ossie Davis and Forest Whitaker. In closing, I would like to say that while the Deacons For Defense group only  lasted a few years, the impact they made and the legacy they left behind will last forever!