"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.