“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : LAWYER JAMES SHARP JR

This week’s article is about a local Black man from the town of Richwood, Louisiana. Not only did he graduate from Richwood High School rand Southern University, but he was also a U.S. Veteran of WWll. After returning home to Monroe, Louisiana from Law School and the war, he opened up his Law Practice in April of 1952[ making him the first Black lawyer to open up a practice in Monroe ]. Three years later he married a local teacher by the name of Barbara L Wilson. Who knew that this union would later produce 2 lawyers( Carl Sharp & Alvin Sharp ; who both would serve as Ouachita Parish Judges ) and an actor{ George”Monti” Sharp }. This man was Lawyer James Sharp Jr. Being that Lawyer Sharp was one of the few Black lawyers in Monroe at the time[ and because people knew they could count on him to do his best to defend them ], he was often called on to help defend numerous Blacks in Ouachita Parish. One of his most memorable cases was “The Sharp vs Lucky court case”( James Sharp Jr. vs Mrs. Mae LUCKY, Registrar of Voters, Ouachita Parish United States District Court ) that took place in 1958. In addition to being connected to attempts by Whites to keep Blacks from registering to vote, the case was also connected to the “GREAT VOTER PURGE” which started around that time in Ouachita Parish. Originally, Lawyer Sharp’s lawsuit was only on behalf of himself{ stating that his rights as a lawyer had been violated }, but the case was dismissed due to causes of jurisdiction[ Lawyer Sharp countered by appealing the ruling ]. However, in his appeal, Lawyer Sharp was Sharp! He amended his lawsuit to read that this time he wasn’t filing his suit as a lawyer, but as a Negro citizen whose civil rights had been violated. By doing so, two of the judges not only allowed his suit to go forward, they advised Lawyer Sharp that if he wanted to, he could amend the lawsuit even further( so as to include other Negroes with similar lawsuits ) as a “CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT.” On the surface , the judges made it seem like they were trying to be impartial. Sadly, they had no intentions of being fair or ruling in favor of a Negro citizen against a White citizen{ again they dismissed his lawsuit on the grounds that Mrs Lucky and her White assistant wouldn’t lie in court }. Although both of his lawsuits were dismissed, Lawyer Sharp helped bring “National Attention” to how Black People in Monroe were being discriminated against in regards to voting. Before he died, the Louisiana Bar Association thanked Lawyer Sharp for dedicating his life to serving the public[ over 50 long years ]. Also, along with having The Monroe City Court Building named in his honor, a commissioned portrait of James Sharp Jr hangs inside of the Monroe City Courthouse Building. In closing, I would like to share this information with the Black citizens of Monroe. In case y’all didn’t know, I found out earlier this year that a new “VOTER PURGE” has begun in Ouachita Parish. If you didn’t vote in the last three elections, please contact the Registrar of Voter office and inquire if your name is on the list of “INACTIVE VOTERS.”