"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" :JAMES FORTEN

If you were to ask 20 Black High School Students what year Black Slaves were freed in America, many of them will probably say that it was when President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Well, that is unequivocally the wrong answer! You see, I recently came across a Black man by the name of James Forten who was born "FREE" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Also, James served in the Revolutionary War in 1776. portrait of James Forten, c. 1834, probably by Robert Douglass Jr. Furthermore, as for Black Slaves were concerned, many Black Slaves were freed in many states in America well before the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery when it adopted a statute that provided for the freedom of every slave born after its enactment, once that individual reached the age of majority, and Massachusetts was the first to abolish slavery outright, doing so by judicial decree in 1783. Additionally, on March 31, 1817 the New York legislature ended two centuries of slavery within its borders, setting July 4, 1827 as the date of final emancipation and making New York the first state to pass a law for the total abolition of legal slavery. Now, this is one of the main reasons I feel that Critical Race Theory should be included in the school curriculum and taught at the schools in our Black Communities! Anyways, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer. When James Forten's father died , James started working at the age of seven to help his mother and sister, all while going to school part-time. The school he attended was ran by a Quaker abolitionists, named Anthony Benezet , who founded it to teach Black children free of charge. Although his mother wanted him to continue school, at the age of 9, young James left school to go to work full-time. During the Revolutionary War, he was only 14 years old, but James left home and joined the Revolutionary Army. Soon after he joined, he was captured by British forces. However, after being a prisoner for 7 months, James was released in a prisoner exchange. In 1790, he took a job as an apprenticed to sail-maker Robert Bridges, his father's former employer and a family friend. When Robert Bridges retired in 1798, James bought him out! Within 20 years, James had built up one of the most successful sailing businesses in Philadelphia. James believed in hiring both black and white workers, and he became one of the wealthiest Philadelphians in the city, black or white! James used his wealth, influence, time, and money towards working for the national abolition of slavery and gaining Civil Rights for Blacks.. When James Forten passed away in Philadelphia on March 4, 1842, thousands of people, both black and white, attended his funeral. In February 2023, the Museum of The American Revolution in Philadelphia opened the first-ever museum exhibition dedicated to James Forten's life and family, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" :MINNIE M.G. COX

Today, with companies like Amazon receiving huge "government subsidies" and Black History Month right around the corner, I decided to present this short Martin Luther King Jr. speech that he made months before his untimely demise.The title of his speech is,"We Coming To Get Our Check." Please note that the speech can also be found on You-Tube. Personally, I feel that the video should be viewed at every school in our Black Communities, and several times in February, during Black History Month! In his speech Martin said,"Our government was giving away millions of acres of land---NOT ONLY did they give the land, they built land grant collages with GOVERNMENT MONEY to teach White People how to farm---NOT ONLY THAT, they provided county agents to further their expertise in farming----NOT ONLY THAT, but they provided low interest rates in order to mechanize their farms ----NOT ONLY THAT, today these people are receiving millions of dollars not to farm and they are "THE VERY PEOPLE" telling the "BLACK MAN" that he needs to lift himself up by his own boot straps… this is what we are faced with! This is the reality! Now when we come to Washington in this campaign,"WE ARE COMING TO GET OUR CHECK!" Of course, we all know that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated before he was able to make it to Washington to request that CHECK! Remember, although Martin Luther King Jr mentioned that this all was going on in the sixties, the U.S. government is still carrying on some of the same shenanigans in 2024. Except now they calling them "Government Subsidies!" Enough about that, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer! Minnie M. G.Cox was born in Lexington , Mississippi, in 1869. I couldn't find any records of her schooling before she enrolled at Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee, around 1886. Within a couple of years of earning her Teaching degree, Minnie married Wellington Cox, who was a teacher and Principal of Indianola Colored School in Mississippi. By saving a part of all that they earned, Minnie and Wellington were able purchase about 160 acres of prime real-estate! Two things worthy of mentioning about the Cox Family is that around 1904, they opened one of the earliest Black-Owned Banks in Mississippi , The Delta Penny Savings Bank, and they founded one of the first Black-Owned Insurance Companies in the entire United States, The Mississippi Life Insurance Company! Another interesting fact about Minnie is that in 1891, she was one of the first Negroes in Mississippi to be appointed as Postmistress for the United States Postal Service, by President Benjamin Harrison.When Minnie served as Post-Mistress, the position could only be appointed by the president of the United States. Minnie held the position up until just after President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was elected as President of their United States. It seems that a White Man by the name of A.B. Weeks wanted her position, and he strongly resented that a Negro held the position as Postmaster! Eventually, Minnie decided it was best to resign her position. However, when she submitted her resignation to President Roosevelt, he had resignations about accepting her resignation,Lol! So she kept her position for a while longer.That is, until a group of White People started making trouble for Negroes in Indianola, Mississippi. Why the White People even went as far as having all of the Negro Businesses in town closed over this issue! Reluctantly, President Roosevelt finally accepted Minnie 's resignation and even allowed her to keep receiving her salary up until her term expired. Finally, President Roosevelt decided that it was best to just close the post office for awhile. So the post office remained closed for most of 1903, Sadly , when the post office reopened in 1904, it opened without Minnie as the town's Post-Mistress. Well, Minnie M.G. Cox died in 1933, and in 2008, a post office building in Indianola was named the Minnie Cox Post Office Building "in tribute to all that she accomplished by breaking barriers!"

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : SADIE M ALEXANDER

Even though, I don't know the full significance of these two forgotten Black Communities that are a part of the history of the City of Monroe, Louisiana, I feel compelled to mention them in this week's article! One of the Black Communities was known as "Bright Oak." It was located near North 18th Street and the main branch of the Ouachita Public Library on Stubb's Street.The Bright Oak Community had a school for the Black Children of the community, a church, and a beautiful pond, where Black People would hold Baptisms and fish.The other Black Community was known as "Jones Quarters," which may have been near Burg Jones Lane in Monroe. By theay, the Jones Quarters included a set of rental properties owned by one Henry T. Benoit, a wealthy White Businessman of Monroe, Louisiana.The City of Monroe later had a recreational center on the Southside of Monroe named for his son, Harvey H. Benoit. Also, a report said that the properties were rented out to several Negro families back around 1923 - 1935 or so, and that a Mr. Russell P. Moore, of Russell Moore Lumber Company, who was the authorized rent collector, had set up a railroad fence which closed one means of entry to the Negro housing properties. Furthermore, being that it is "National Black History Month," I felt that this was an appropriate time and opportunity for me to bring these two forgotten Black Communities to the attention of the residents of the City of Monroe, Louisiana.With that being said, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Sadie M Alexander was born on January 2, 1898 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When it was time for Sadie to attend elementary school, her parents chose to send her to live with her uncle. By moving to Washington D.C. and staying with her uncle, Dr. Lewis B Moore and his wife at their home on the campus of Howard University, Sadie was able to attend the famous M Street School. Once Sadie graduated in 1915, she returned to Philadelphia and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. Sadie earned her B.A. Degree in 1918, and then earned her Master's Degree the following year. In 1921, Sadie became the first Colored Woman to ever earn a College PHD from an American University! Well, you would think that after earning a B.A. Degree, a Master's Degree, and a Doctorate Degree that she would easily be able to find a job doing Professorship work. However, in her case, it was so difficult for her to find that type of work in Philadelphia, she ended up taking a regular job at a Black-Owned Insurance Company in Durham ,North Carolina. After working there for two years, Sadie got married to a lawyer by the name of Raymond P Alexander, and the couple ended up returning to Philadelphia. Sometime between 1923 - 1925, Sadie decided to return to school. Since she wanted to work along side her husband, she filled out an application to attend the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The school accepted her application and Sadie became the first Colored female to ever be admitted to the school. Additionally, when Sadie graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1927, she became the school's first Colored female to ever graduate from the school, and the first to ever be admitted to the Pennsylvania State Bar. Furthermore, Sadie, was the first Colored female to ever practice law in the entire State of Pennsylvania! Upon her admission to the State Bar, Sadie joined her husband's law practice as partner just as she had planned. A few of her accomplishments included : her being elected the first Honorary National President of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated in 1919, where she served as legal advisor for the Sorority for 35 years ; she served on the board of the National Urban League for 25 years ; and she was one of the founding members of The National Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in 1963. On November 1, 1989, Sadie M Alexander went home to glory. An elementary school in West Philadelphia, the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School, frequently referred to as "Penn-Alexander" is named after Sadie.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : CLARA B.D. WILLIAMS

Back in the day, the Black Singer, Johnny Taylor had a Hit Song called,"We're Getting Careless With Our Love." Well, in 2024, it seems to me that "Black People" in Monroe are getting careless with their votes! All you have to do is look at some of the people who we as a "Black Race" have helped vote into office. Some who have actually decided to side against projects that would have benefited our Black Communities in Monroe. As of 2023, many reports say that Black People make up 56% - 58% of the total population of Monroe, Louisiana. With that said, it's a shame that more registered Black Voters show up for "football and basketball games" than they do for Elections that decide who makes and shapes the laws and ordinances within the City of Monroe. Yes, I believe it's fair to say that we are getting careless with our "BLACK VOTES!" Furthermore, I can only imagine what our ancestors would have to say about what has transpired within the last 4 years, in the City of Monroe. Well, on to this week's Black Pioneer, Clara B.D. Williams. Clara was born in Plum, Texas on October 29, 1885. Not much was recorded about her early schooling, however, an article said that Clara was able to earn a scholarship to attend Prairie View Normal and Independent College. When she graduated in 1905, Clara was the lone Valedictorian of her class! After taking about a 4 year hiatus from her educational studies, Clara traveled to Chicago where she enrolled at the University of Chicago, in 1910. There is no record of her getting any type of degree from her time at UOC. Sometime between 1911 & 1927, Clara taught at Tuskegee in Alabama, and at a school called Las Cruces. Well, in 1928, Clara decided to enroll at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Although her college professors did not allow her into their classes, Clara was able to sit outside the classroom and take notes in the hallway! In 1937, at the age of "51," she became the first Negro to graduate from the New Mexico College! Additionally, Clara continued taking graduate courses at the college well into the 1950s. By-the-way, it is worth mentioning that "all 3 " of Clara's sons became doctors, and she served as their receptionist when they opened their practice! On July 3, 1994, at the ripe age of "108," Clara B.D. Williams went home to be with the Lord. After her death, New Mexico State University named a street on its campus after her , awarded her an honorary doctorate of laws degree, and the school publicly apologized for the harsh treatment she received as a student at the University. In addition to all those things, the University instituted a scholarship for undergraduates in her name.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : HORACE MANN BOND

Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying,"The only two certainties in life are death and taxes." Well, I recently received a letter in the mail, and by looking at the front of the letter, I could tell that it was my annual "Property Tax Notice." So when I went to pay it, to my surprise, there was a line of 20 -25 people ahead of me.The line was all down the hallway of the Ouachita Parish Courthouse! Although I knew that I was in for a pretty long wait, I decided to get in line and wait my turn. After about 25 to 30 minutes, I finally reached the cashier window to get it over with. You see, in Louisiana, and pretty much every other state in America. If you fail to pay your property taxes by a certain date, they tack on late fees and add your name to the "delinquent tax list!" Furthermore, if you fail to pay it within a certain length of time, your property can go to the Sheriff's sale. Countless numbers of people have lost their family property over the failure to pay the property taxes owed. Therefore, if you don't want to have these things happen to you, please make sure you get your property taxes paid ASAP! Now to this week's Black Pioneer. Horace Mann Bond was born on November 8, 1904, in Nashville, Tennessee. One of the interesting things about his parents is that they both were College Graduates, something that was very rare for that time period. With his parents tutoring and mentoring him, young Horace was able to enter High School at the age of 9, and enroll in College at the age of 14! In 1923, at the age of 19, he graduated with honors from Lincoln University, a historically Black College in Pennsylvania. Furthering his Education, Horace graduated from the University of Chicago, earning his M.A. & PhD degree. For his dissertation, he chose to write about the Education of Black People in Alabama, which won him the Rosenberger Prize in 1936! In 1924, in response to the negative IQ Test scores of Black military soldiers in the Brigham's Intelligence Analysis Report, Horace critiqued the logic behind Brigham's s conclusions that the lower test scores of Negro Soldiers indicated an inherent intellectual inferiority of the Negro race, noting that a high number of White soldiers also had low IQ Test scores. Additionally, in 1956, when a group of White Southern Senators signed the "Southern Manifesto" in opposition to racial integration and the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, arguing that Negroes were not sufficiently intelligent to participate in the same schools as Whites ; Horace shot back with his rebuttal in the form of "A PARODY!" , Horace entitled the essay," Intelligence of Congressmen Who Signed the Southern Manifesto' as Measured by IQ Tests." Here he concluded that based on the Army intelligence tests the average of the "Signing Senators" was in the lowest 20% of American Whites, on average signatories attended a college of the lowest ten percent of median National scores, and had a constituency whose majority was in the intelligence category of "morons!" Some of the other interesting facts about Horace Mann Bond are : He became the first Black President of his Alma Mater, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania; he was appointed the first president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia; he was a Dean at Dillard University; he was Chairman of the Education Department at Fisk University; and he was the Dean of the School of Education at Atlanta University. Furthermore, most importantly, his work and efforts were recognized by the Rosenwald Fund, which granted him fellowships in 1931 and 1932 and went on to support most of the rest of his career! On December 21, 1972, after dedicating over 50 years of his life to Educating Black People in America, Horace Mann Bond died and was laid to rest.