"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE": MARY L BOOKER

While most people have been conditioned to look at Education from an “Academic” viewpoint only, in this week’s article, I am going to inform everyone about a Black lady named,” Mary L Booker” who was able to use the preforming arts to reach Black kids and bring the Black Community together at the same time. In 1931, Mary L Booker was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. At the age of 24, Mary moved to San Francisco, California. Next, in 1960, she started “Infinity Productions” at the Bayview Opera House( a community theatre ). Also, Mary was able to offer free acting workshops{ she also wrote and directed several plays }. In time, Mary saw that she could utilize theatrical arts to help promote Black Culture and unite different generations of Black People simultaneously. Additionally, she used the opera house and her plays to entice Black youth to stay away from the street life. By the way, Mary was known for telling the cast members in her plays,”make sure that if you put your name on something that it is done in decent and order, and always on time!”Furthermore,she sought to use theater as a way of giving the children a sense of pride, discipline, and accomplishment! In addition to everything else, Mary would often incorporate her passion for civil rights into her plays. Throughout the Black Community of San Francisco, Mary was known as”Mother Booker.” Yes, Mary played a very important part in the performing arts movement in San Francisco[ she made the most of what she had, and she helped saved hundreds of young lives in the process]! On May 11,2017, Mary L Booker died of Leukemia, in San Francisco, California. In 2007, the San Francisco Public Library issued her the Unsung Hero award in her honor ; and in 2019, The Mary L. Booker Leadership Academy( charter school ) was established in San Francisco, California in her name. In closing, I would like to say that it sure would be great if the Black citizens in Monroe, Louisiana could come together and build an “Opera House” in Monroe.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : GEORGE WASHINGTON WILLIAMS

When I mention the names George Washington and George Washington Carver, many people have undoubtedly heard much about them. However, when I mention the name George Washington Williams, not many people can honestly say that they have ever heard anything about him at all! One reason that people haven’t heard about him is because he died when he was only 41 years of age. Another reason is simply because he wasn’t included in any of the American History books in our public schools. George Washington Williams is credited as the first Negro to compile the overall history of Negroes[ listing their various contributions within the early colonies, from 1619 - 1880 ] living in America. His groundbreaking book entitled,”The History of the Negro Race in America 1619–1880” was published in 1882. George Washington Williams was born on October 16, 1849 in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania. Since his parents were born “FREE NEGROES”( the state of Pennsylvania had abolished slavery sometime before his parents were born ), George was considered free as well! He was the son of Thomas and Ellen Rouse Williams. Although he had a very limited amount of formal education, George was trained as a barber at a place known as,”A House of Refuge.” Once the American Civil War started, he voluntarily enlisted into the Union Army. After the war ended, George traveled to Mexico and joined the Republican army in their fight against “Maximilian.” When he returned to the United States in the spring of1867, George rejoined the American army, but he was released of his duties{ due to being wounded in one of his lungs in 1868 }. In 1869, he applied to enroll at Howard University. Even though he went and attended Howard, his stay there was short! In 1870, George began studying at the Newton Theological Institution, near Boston, Massachusetts. In 1874, he became the first Negro to graduate from Newton! Following his graduation from Newton, George was ordained as a Baptist Minister, and married Sarah A. Sterrett. Next, he and his wife moved to Washington D.C. where he started a newspaper called the Commoner. Around 1876, he and his wife moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he studied law under the tutelage of Alphonso Taft(?the father of President William H Taft ). After passing the bar exam, George decided to run for a seat in the Ohio state congress! In 1879, he He became the first Negro to be elected to the Ohio state legislature[ he served one term, 1880 to 1881 ].Amongst his many accomplishments included being an historian on Negro History, securing an informal interview with King Leopold ll of Belgium[ after having been impressed by meeting the king, he traveled to the Congo Free State to see its development. George was shocked by the widespread brutaul abuses and slavery imposed on the Congolese people! ], and his letter he wrote to King Leopold ll( describing the horrible conditions that he had witnessed that led to the Belgian government taking over the supervision of the Congo Free State, which helped improved the treatment of the Congolese people ). Around 1890, he took ill on a trip from Africa. Although George was able to make it all the way to Blackpool, England, he would not live to see the shores of America again. Sadly, George Washington Williams died in Blackpool, England{ on August 2, 1891 }. In 1975 a tombstone was placed at George’s grave in Blackpool, England, noting him as an "Afro-American historian".Also, “The George Washington Williams Memorial Room” was named in his honor on the first floor of the Ohio State House.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : LINCOLN L BURWELL

When Black Civil Rights Marchers were attacked during the first “March On Selma,” at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, on “Bloody Sunday”( March 7,1965 ), one of the hospitals that the injured were taken to was the “BURWELL INFIRMARY.” One of the things that was special about the Burwell Infirmary was that it was originally owned and operated by a Black doctor named, Lincoln L Burwell[ the original infirmary he had built was the first Black-Owned and Operated hospital in Selma ]. Another thing that stood out about this medical facility is that it was located in a thriving Black middle-class neighborhood{ it was a 14-bed facility staffed by Black doctors and Black nurses }. Reportedly, the Burwell Infirmary started out as The Burwell Drugstore( Dr. Lincoln L Burwell had it built around 1886 and it was the first Black-Owned Drugstore in Selma ). Surprisingly, the story about the Burwell Drugstore has several similarities to the “MILLER-ROY BUILDING” that was built here in Monroe, in 1929. In both cases, Black doctors had the buildings built, both buildings had a doctor’s office, and both buildings had a drugstore. Along with the other similarities, both the Burwell Drugstore/Infirmary and The Miller-Roy Building helped fulfilled the needs within Black Communities! Now, let’s get to this week’s Black Pioneer! Lincoln L Burwell was born on October 25, 1867, in Marengo County{ part of Alabama’s Black Belt region, located in the west-central region of the state of Alabama }. His parents were Charles and Amanda Burwell. When Lincoln was eight years old, his parents sent him to live with his older brother( Charles Burwell Jr ) in Perry County. His parents and older brother had the make many sacrifices in order for Lincoln to attend school. school. In 1884, he enrolled at the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School [ present day Selma University ]. During the summer school-breaks Lincoln worked odd jobs to help pay for his school tuition. Lincoln excelled in school and he ended-up becoming the Valedictorian of the Selma University class of 1886. Around that time, there was a great need for a Colored doctor in Selman. Some of the people from The Alabama Colored Baptist State Convention{ the organization that supported Selma University }, suggested that Lincoln enroll in Leonard Medical School( it was established in Raleigh, North Carolina by Shaw University in 1880 and was the first four-year medical school in the United States, and the school trained more than 400 Black physicians ). Lincoln packed his bags and enrolled there in 1886. Not only did Lincoln become the first person to complete the 4 -year degree program in 3 years, but he also became the first person to earn a double-degree in medicine and literature! When Lincoln returned home to Selma, he opened his medical practice. Around 1890, he had a home built near Selma University[ his home also served as his medical office ]. Around 1893, Lincoln opened the first Black-owned pharmacy in Selma { which was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1897 }. In 1907, Lincoln had another building built( it too was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1913 ). Finally, around 1915, he had another building built! However, in 1922, the Edmundite Missionaries opened the Good Samaritan Hospital, and the Burwell Infirmary no longer was the primary Black hospital in Selma. Lincoln L Burwell died On March 6, 1928 and was buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Selma. The Burwell Infirmary remained in operation until 1966, when the facility became a retirement home[ Burwell’s home on Anderson Street in Selma is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, since 2015, and the National Register of Historic Places, since 2022 ].

OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : RICHARD HENRY BOYD

It is rather odd that so many Black People who consider themselves “BLACK BAPTIST” know about The National Baptist Convention, but aren’t aware of the “Two Separate Splits” of the National Baptist Convention{ one occurring in 1915, and a second in 1961 }. The split in 1915 resulted in the formation and incorporation of “two separate” National Baptist Conventions”( one was incorporated in 1915 as The National Baptist Convention of America, while the other one was incorporated in 1916 as The National Baptist Convention USA,INC. ). While the split in 1961 was largely due to a disagreement over “The Issue Of Civil Rights,” and resulted in Martin Luther King Jr and his allies leaving the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. to form The Progressive National Baptist Convention. The main thing involving the split and controversy in 1915 had to do with “The National Baptist Publishing Board.” Well, it was at the 1895 annual meeting of The National Baptist Convention[ held in St Louis, Missouri ] that a Black gentleman by the name of Richard Henry Boyd approached Elias C Morris{ who was the president of The National Baptist Convention at the time } with the idea of starting a publishing board for the Black Baptist Organization. Mr Elias agreed to support Richard’s idea, but told him that the National Baptist Convention was in no position to fund the project.Therefore, Richard decided he would come up with the money himself! Using real-estate that he owned in Texas for collateral, Richard was able to acquire the necessary funds to begin the project. In 1896, he moved to Nashville,Tennessee, and with the assistance from the White Southern Baptist Convention( which too had its main publishing operations in Nashville ), he was able to get the ball rolling! Initially, the National Baptist Publishing Board was only printing the National Baptist Magazine. Then in 1897, it began publishing the new Teacher's Monthly[ the same year, the publishing board was not only showing a profit, but had distributed more than 180,000 copies of published materials ]. The following year{ probably since he had used his own money to finance the publishing board }, Richard decided to incorporate the National Baptist Publishing Board, under a Tennessee state charter. Under the charter, the Publishing Board was to be owned by Richard Henry Boyd and governed by a regular board of trustees. Wow, who knew that by 1906, the National Baptist Publishing Board would became the principal source of religious publications for Black Baptists worldwide( and be the largest Negro Publishing Company in the United States at the time )! The National Baptist Publishing Board business employed approximately 110 workers[ it also issued more than 128 million periodicals, and is credited with being the first publisher of the old songs of Negro slaves ]. Richard Henry Boyd was born on March 15, 1843 in Noxubee County, Mississippi{ reminder : since he was born into slavery at the B.A. Plantation , as customary in those times, he took the surname of his master, which was Gray }. His mother’s was a Negro female named Indiana Dixon. She had originally named her son, Dick Gray. Rumor had it that one of the three Gray brothers was Richard’s father( his mother never told him which brother ). Several interesting things about Richard were : he didn’t learn how to read and write until he was 22[ he hired a White girl to teach him as well as using the reference books : the Webster’s Blue -Backed Speller, along with McGuffey’s First Reader ], he changed his name to Richard Henry Boyd when he was 24, he was baptized when he was 26, and he was ordained as a minister when he was 28 years old. Also, Richard served as pastor of a host of churches in the state of Texas. To his credit, he helped organize the first Black Baptist Association in Texas{ the Texas Negro Baptist Convention }. Along with founding the National Baptist Publishing Board, Richard Henry Boyd helped found The National Baptist Church Supply Company, The Only Black-Owned Public StreetCar Transit System( The Union Transportation Company in Nashville, Tennessee that resulted from the forgotten street car boycott in 1905-1906), The Nation Negro Doll Company, and most importantly he helped found The First Black-Owned Bank in Nashville, Tennesse[ The One-Cent Savings and Trust Company Bank ; the bank is currently operating as Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Company ]. The One-Cent Bank was originally started and expressly intended to serve the financial needs of Negro depositors! Furthermore, the founders believed that White-owned banks looked down on their small deposits. Please Note : Between 1888 and 1934, there were 134 “BLACK-OWNED” Banks to help the “BLACK COMMUNITY.”{ Today, there are only 20 Black-owned banks that qualify as Minority Depository Institutions, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation }.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : Attorney LOLIS E ELIE

Please travel back in time with me to the “Historic Happenings” that took place in Monroe , Louisiana during “The Summer of 1964.” However, before we do that, I would like to mention something that transpired in 1963. In April, 1963, John Reddix( D.D.S. ), president of the local NAACP chapter[ and a leading civil rights leader in Monroe, Louisiana ] made a urgent request of CORE's{ Congress Of Racial Equality }Southern Regional Office that a CORE “Voter Registration Drive” be initiated in Ouachita Parish( at that time, the NAACP chapter in Monroe was all but defunct ). On December 9, 1963, members of C.O.R.E. , Brendon Sexton, Tom Valentine, and Mike Lesser, came to Monroe and took over the old NAACP offices. Now,let’s get to some of the events that occurred here in the city of Monroe, Louisiana in 1964! When the CORE members arrived in Monroe, they found the high school age group to have the most enthusiasm[ they decided to utilize this nucleus for sit-ins to test discrimination and segregation policies of local libraries and public accommodations ]. When the CORE members decided to have sit-ins at several of the local libraries, “22 Black Youth” along with their parents and several CORE members were arrested{ the 22 children were arrested on charges of trespassing, while their parents and CORE workers were jailed on charges of contributing to the delinquency of minors }. Also, CORE members worked with a “Unity Committee” of workers to point up practices of employment discrimination at the segregated paper mill and four container plants of the Olin Mathieson Plant in West Monroe. The first Mass CORE Meeting for Voter Registration in Ouachita Parish was held at Mt Calvary Baptist Church in West Monroe, Louisiana( although 100 people were expected,only 18 Negroes showed up ). Several White police officers were stationed along the way to the meeting to discourage Black People from attending the meeting. The White police officers warned the Black Citizens that they would arrest them if they went to the CORE meeting[ some of the CORE members reported that “the streets in Monroe, La. were patrolled by automobiles with members of the Ku Klux Klan, or the White Citizens' Council, all using citizen's band two-way ra- dios. Their cars were armed with the favorite weapons of the southern bigot, baseball bats and shotguns ]. During the long summer of 1964, “2 9 2” additional Negroes were registered to vote in Monroe. The lone Negro attorney that was dispatched to Monroe with other White attorneys was Attorney Lolis E Elie{ CORE's Chief Southern Attorney }. Lolis was born in New Orleans, a block from the Mississippi River, on Jan. 9, 1930( according to his family ). His parents were Theopile J Elie and Elizabeth Elie. Lolis grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. After High School, he became a merchant seaman for a short time. Somehow or another Lolis ended up in New York City. When WWll broke out, he was drafted into the American army and was stationed in California[ where he was trained as a clerk ]. In the army, a fellow{ an American-Italian } soldier encouraged him to become a lawyer. So once Lolis was released from the army, he use the GI Bill to attend college. Initially, he attended Howard University, but later transferred home to Dillard University in New Orleans. At Dillard, he help organize a sizeable student chapter of the NAACP( the group went undercover in 1956, after the Louisiana legislature required civil rights groups to publicly reveal its members, putting members at risk ). Sometime later, he attended Loyola University. In 1959, Lolis received his law degree from Loyola University law school and established a law firm with Nils Douglas and Robert Collins. During the 1960s, Lolis’s client list included many civil rights figures, who he defended in many high profile civil rights cases in the State of Louisiana! Additionally, he was Chief Southern Counsel for the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1967, Lolis represented Ernest “Dutch” Morial[ Morial would later become the first African-American Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana ]. He also represented the Bogalusa Chapter of the Deacons For Defense, after their members clashed with the Klu Klux Klan in Bogalusa. For approximately 50 years, he used his talents and skills as an Attorney At Law to help improve the the plight of people{ Black and White } in Louisiana. On April 4, 2017, Lolis E Elie died,and we all can be thankful that while he lived, he help paved a way for other aspiring Black Attorneys in Monroe, Louisiana like Atty Louis Scott, Atty George Britton, Atty Carol Powell Lexing, Atty Eddie Clark, and Atty Bobby Manning.