“ OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : COACH EDDIE G ROBINSON

What a glorious night that Saturday night at The Cotton Bowl was back in 1985 when Coach Eddie G Robinson’s Grambling State University Tigers Team beat Prairie View A & M 27-7 before an almost entirely Black crowd of 36,652[ when Eddie G Robinson passed Paul “Bear” Bryant’s record of “323 wins” to become “THE WINNINGEST COACH IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY!”]. It is reported that Edward G Robinson was born on February 13, 1919 in Jackson, Louisiana. Eddie graduated from McKinley Senior High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After graduating, he attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Leland College in Baker, Louisiana, and he received his Master’s Degree from the University of Iowa( where he became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity ). In order to support himself, young Robinson decided to return to Baton Rouge to work at a feed mill for 25 cents an hour. However, he knew that life was too short to work hard a job that he didn’t really like{ or didn’t even really want ! } for the rest of his life! You see, Eddie always had a dream of being a head football coach. One day he heard that The Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute[ now Grambling State University ] was searching for a new football coach. When Eddie thought about how great it could be, he went and applied for the coaching position( he was interviewed and hired by the President and baseball coach of the school, Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones ). In 1941, at the tender age of 22, Eddie G Robinson became the head football coach at the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute{ little did anyone know then that he would go on to become The Winningest College Football Coach in History }! In his first year the team went 3–5–1, but the following season illwhen he recruited new players and dismissed those who did not live up to his expectations, the team had a perfect 9–0 season[ going unbeaten, untied, and unscored upon ]!Numerous of Coach Rob’s( as he was sometimes affectionately called ) were drafted into the National Football League.Some of the over 200 guys that played under Coach Rob and went on to play in the NFL were, “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd, Buck Buchanan ,Willie Davis, Willie Brown, Charlie Joiner,Charlie “Tank” Smith, Sammie White, James”Shack” Harris, Everson Walls, Jake Reed,Carlos Pennywell,and who could forget Doug Williams{ the first Black Quarterback to Start , Play in, Win, and be Named as the SUPER-BOWL MVP }!!! Coach Rob’s influence was so broad that the movie industry brought a film crew all the way down to Grambling, Louisiana to shoot a movie called, “Grambling’s White Tiger” in 1981[ there was also a Documentary about his life made in 2007 called,”Every Man A Tiger” : The Eddie Robinson Story ]. Also, Eddie’ rolodex included such names as Paul Bryant and New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner. In 1997, Eddie even got George Steinbrenner to bring his baseball team to Grambling, Louisiana to play their final exhibition game! Finally, on April 3, 2007, Eddie G Robinson died at Lincoln General Hospital in Ruston, Louisiana. Amongst the many awards established in his honor are : The “Eddie G. Robinson Trophy”( the award for outstanding NFL rookies from HBCUs was established in 1979 by the Black College All Star Bowl committee ; its inaugural winner was Doug Williams ). Grambling named its football facility, built in 1983, EDDIE ROBINSON STADIUM{ also there is street on GSU's campus named for him }. Additionally, in 1985 South 13th Street in Baton Rouge was renamed for him. Lastly, The American Urban Radio Networks sponsored an award for HBCU coaches called the “SBN Eddie Robinson Coach of The Year”[ it was won by Grambling's own Broderick Fobbs in 2014 ].

“ OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : MAGGIE L WALKER

The next time you go to the bank, “think” about Maggie L Walker. In 1903, Maggie became the “First African-American woman” to found & charter a bank( and the first African-American woman to serve as a bank president in America )! She was born on July 15, 1864, the daughter of Elizabeth Draper, a former slave and Eccles Cuthbert who was a former confederate soldier[ also an Irish -American journalist ]. When she was fourteen years old, Maggie joined the local council of the Independent Order of St Luke{ a fraternal burial society that ministered to the sick and aged, promoted humanitarian causes, and encouraged individual self-help and integrity }. After Maggie graduated from Richmond Normal Colored School in 1883, she worked at the school up until she got married( the school had a policy against hiring married women ). On September 14, 1886, she married a brick contractor named Armstead Walker Jr. During the years following her marriage, Maggie was busy learning and thinking of how she would help improve her Black Community[ in addition to taking care of her husband and 4 children ]. In 1899, Maggie took over the “head position” in the local council of the Independent Order of St Luke, which she had joined at the age of 14. Then On November 2, 1903,with the help of other Negroes, Maggie opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank for business at the Headquarters Building at 900 St. James Street{ St. Luke Penny Savings Bank accepted more than $9,000 in deposits on its first day in 1903, including one for 31 cents }. By 1913, St. Luke Penny Savings Bank was managing $200,000 in assets (or $5 million in 2021). One of the most interesting things about St. Luke Penny Savings Bank is that it was one of the few Black-Owned Banks in America to survive the 1929 Stock-Market Crash[ before 1929, there were more than 100 “Black-Owned” Banks in America ; excluding “The Dunbar Bank” which was located in “Harlem New York” that was Operated entirely by Negroes, but was owned by the famous “John D Rockefeller family” ]. Perhaps the greatest amongst her many accomplishments was having the St. Luke Hall Building built in 1905{ an office building in Richmond’s Jackson Ward, where Negroes lived that eventually housed her private office, the Order’s vault, and a printing press for her newspaper, The St. Luke Herald }. The building also housed a department store, as well as the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. The store was primarily staffed by Black women, featured Black mannequins and allowed Black customers to enter through the front door [ Sadly, after 5 years of business,the store was forced to close, due to pressure from White merchants ]. In 1934, Maggie L Walker died of diabetic gangrene. However, since her death, her house has been designated A National Historic Site and was opened as a museum in 1985. The site states that it commemorates the life of a progressive and talented African-American woman, Maggie L Walker.Furthermore, her spirit is most alive in Richmond’s “Jackson Ward Collective.” The Collective was started by Melody Short, Rasheeda Creighton and Kelli Lemon. The Collective is a small-business incubator, giving micro-grants and entrepreneurial advice to Black-Owned businesses in Walker’s hometown.

OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE : REV. WILLIAM G. HEAD

It’s strange how Black People Will travel all the way to Tennessee, Atlanta, and other states to visit Historic places when there are so many of them right here in the Monroe / West Monroe area. One of them just happens to be The “Hasley Cemetery” in West Monroe, Louisiana( located at 1500 Arkansas Road, right up the street from where “The Hasley Plantation” use to be , at “800 Arkansas Road” ). It is reported that a former Negro slave by the name of “Rev William G Head” is buried there on the grounds of the Hasley Cemetery{ NOTE : former Carroll High School Principal, Morris Henry Carroll is reportedly buried there as well }. Well, Rev. William G. Head [ affectionately called “Uncle Willie” & “Uncle Billy “ ] was born into slavery on a plantation owned by the Martha Head family in Mississippi in 1848. William moved to Ouachita Parish with The Head family in September of 1858. Sometime after the family’s arrival in Ouachita Parish, William was sent to serve J.P. Crosley, who was a son-in-law of the Head family{ he served Crosley before, during, and after the American Civil War }. After the War, William convinced a White teacher in Trenton, Louisiana( now the city of West Monroe ) to teach him how to read & write. It’s not known exactly when he decided to go into the ministry, but he attended seminary training in Gibsland, Louisiana. Since William was the only member who could read & write at the time of the formation of the Negro Baptist Association of Louisiana, he was chosen President and Secretary of the organization. Additionally, William was was a founder and President of the Gum Springs Baptist Association. Also, Rev. William Head served as pastor of Mt. Zion and Zion Traveler churches at Ruston, Mt. Avery church at Spencer , and Mt. Pisgah church at Spearsville. Furthermore, He was pastor of Trenton Missionary Baptist Church in Trenton, LA [ now West Monroe ] for 50 years up until his passing! Rev. William G. Head was a strong Educator. His accomplishments included helping found Coleman College at Gibsland,and the Ruston Institute. Not only did he teach school in Ouachita Parish, he also served as Secretary of the Ouachita Parish School Board for several years{ when he was elected to the School Board in 1877, it was reported in newspapers all over the state of Louisiana! }. In 1875, William married Mary Jennette “Jennie” Amos in Ouachita Parish in 1875( they were the parents of eight children ). Their daughter “Octavia” took after her father and went into the education field.  She married “J.S. Clark” and the two were founders of Southern University[ a local elementary school bears the name of her husband ]. Rev. William G. Head died at his home in West Monroe, Louisiana at 2:45 am the morning of July 29, 1930. His obituary was published in the News-Star.  His funeral was largely attended by both white and black at the church he pastored for fifty years ( Trenton Baptist ). In closing, I would like to say that since much of our Black History isn’t included in the history books of the public schools in our Black Communities, we must take it upon ourselves and learn more about our Black Ancestors by researching the internet, libraries, and talking to the older Black People in our families & our Communities.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : SARAH ELIZABETH GOODE

So, whose name comes to mind when you think about who was the first Black female inventor to receive a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office? Well, her name was Sarah Elizabeth Goode. Around 1870, Sarah and her family moved to Chicago,Illinois. In Chicago, she met and fell in love with a man named,Archibald Goode. After they were married, they opened Goode’s Furniture Store( Sarah attended the store, while Archibald repaired the furniture ). Since most apartments at that time were pretty small, many customers would often come into their store asking about small beds. When Sarah would get home, she would think of ideas of coming up with a bed that would solve this problem. After months of working at it, she was able to put her design in writing. Sarah’s invention was a folding cabinet bed which folded into a roll-top desk which had compartments for writing supplies and stationery{ her folding cabinet bed was the precursor to the “Murphy hide-away bed “ }. Next, she decided that she would apply for a patent for her bed idea. In 1885, Sarah Elizabeth Goode was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and became the first Black female to receive a patent in the United States of America! Sarah Elisabeth Goode passed away in Chicago, Illinois on April 18, 1905. Also, in 2012, the Sarah E. Goode S.T.E.M. Academy[ a science and math based school ] was opened on the Southside of Chicago to honor her contributions to the world. The school’s emphasis is on S.T.E.M. ( science, technology, engineering, and math ). The school hopes to help prepare students for their future careers. The Sarah E. Goode S.T.E.M. Academy is also a “P-TECH” school{ which stands for Pathways in Technology Early College High School }. P-TECH connects high school students to employment opportunities in promising fields as well as offering them the chance to take college courses while in high school. In closing, as we enter the start of Black History Month, it would be great if Black grandparents, parents, and the children could take a “deep-dive” into their own family’s history.