"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THEODORA FONTENEAU RUTHERFORD

: Well, we won The High School Championships, but We Lost The Election" - Garry O Blanson The quote above is in reference to the two high school basketball State Championships recently won by Wossman High School girls & boys basketball teams, and the recent Mayor election in Monroe, Louisiana. For some reason, it seems these days like most "Black People" in Monroe are more concerned about basketball games that don't really count in the big scheme of things, than they care about local elections that do count!!! Additionally, I feel that when it comes to politics & finances, way too many Black citizens in Monroe are "Politically & Financially" illiterate.You see, when you take in account that the "Poverty Rate for Monroe is doubled that of the National Average," and that the Republican Party now controls "OVER 70%" of the members & vote of the Louisiana State House of Representatives & the Louisiana State Senate, you can't help but feel that much of the Black population in Monroe are financially & politically illiterates! Ok, now that we have identified part of the problem, what can we do to correct it? Alright, let's start with awareness, let's change the narrative of our daily conversations, let's start discussing finances and politics on a daily basis, let's incorporate reading & studying about politics and finances into our daily routines. In short, let's become more politically & financially literate, and let's teach our Black children to become more politically & financially illiterate too! Now, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Theodora Fonteneau Rutherford was born on January 28, 1904 in Jeanerette, Louisiana. Her mother was a school teacher, and her father owned a restaurant in Jeanerette.There's not much at all to mention about her childhood, except that she was raised in Houston,Texas. Sometime between 1918 & 1920, Theodora enrolled at Howard University. In 1923, she graduated summa cum laude, at the top of her class in the School of Commerce and Finance. In 1924, Theodora became the first Colored student to earn a master's degree in accounting from Columbia University in New York. However, she couldn't officially become a Certified Public Accountant, due to the New York State "Accountant Experience Requirement," and partially because of her race & gender. Disheartened to find out that she couldn't officially become an accountant, Theodora enrolled in graduate school, and even worked a job addressing envelopes to help pay her way. In 1925, she moved to West Virginia to accept a teaching position at West Virginia Collegiate Institute. Theodora worked at the school up until she married her husband, Charles R. Rutherford, who also worked at West Virginia. Once the marriage was official, she was forced to vacate her position, due to the school's nepotism policy. After her husband died in 1957, Theodora resumed teaching at West Virginia. Next, in 1959 the Accountant Experience Law was no longer required, and Theodora was able to complete her dream of becoming the first Colored CPA in West Virginia! Additionally, she also became the first Colored female member of the West Virginia Society of Public Accountants. Furthermore, Theodora was honored by Howard University for her lifetime of achievement in a special ceremony held at the University in 1983. Sadly,on August 15, 1993, after rendering nearly 50 years of dedicated service, Theodora Fonteneau Rutherford went home to be with our Lord.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : Attorney BUCK COLBERT FRANKLIN

: "Any time you throw your weight behind a political party that controls "TWO-THIRDS" of the government and that party can’t keep "THE PROMISE" that it made to you during election time and you’re dumb enough to walk around continuing to identify yourself with that party, you’re not only "A CHUMP," but you’re a traitor to your race! -Malcolm X Recently, I read an article online that mentioned, in the 2020 Presidential Election, reportedly 61% of the Citizens of Monroe, Louisiana & Ouachita Parish overwhelming voted for the Republican candidate! Also, presently in the state of Louisiana, the political makeup of the Louisiana State Congress is overwhelmingly Republican. Presently, in both the Louisiana Senate and the Louisiana House of Representatives, the Republican Party Members currently controls between 71% - 73% of the majority vote. Which brings me back to the Malcolm X quote that I started this article with,"Any time you throw your weight behind a political party that controls "TWO-THIRDS" of the government and that party can’t keep "THE PROMISE" that it made to you during election time and you’re dumb enough to walk around continuing to identify yourself with that party, you’re not only "A CHUMP," but you’re a traitor to your race!" - Malcolm X So, without further ado, let's get on to this week's Black Pioneer. Buck Colbert Franklin was born on May 6, 1879 in Pontoloc County, Oklahoma.Buck is best known for being a survivor of the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma Race Massacre, and for being one of the Colored lawyers who represented the other Colored People involved in the Massacre that occured in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921.His father, David Franklin, was a runaway slave who fought in the union military, and his mother, Millie Franklin was part Negro & part Choctaw Indian. In 1856, his parents moved from Mississippi to a 300 acre farm located in Indian territory on communal land of the Chickasaw Indian Nation. Being raised on a farm added considerably to his childhood learning. Before Buck entered formal school, his mother died suddenly from something unknown. Eventually, Buck attended Dawes Academy Boarding School near Springer, Oklahoma, where he was introduced to the famous educator, John Hope Bryant. After leaving Dawes Academy, he enrolled at Roger Williams University in Nashville, Tennessee. However, before he graduated from Roger Williams University, his father died.In 1900, Buck was invited by his former teacher, John Hope, to travel with him to Atlanta, Georgia to attend Atlanta Baptist College, which is now Morehouse College, where John Hope had just been hired. At Atlanta Baptist College, Buck meet a classmate, Mollie L Parker, who would later become his wife. After they were married in 1903, the couple ended up moving to Ardmore, Oklahoma. In Ardmore, Buck secured a teaching job, while he apprenticed with several Colored lawyers to become a lawyer. Once Buck was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1907, he practiced law in Ardmore, up until moving on to Rentiesville, Oklahoma in 1912. While in Rentiesville, he founded the Rentiesville Newspaper. As far as his lawyer work was concerned, Buck specialized in defending the land and mineral rights of Indians, and the rights of Colored People in the area. After hearing about the recent land run and the establishment of the new Colored settlement in Oklahoma, Buck decided to move to Tulsa. He established a law practice with I.H. Spears and T.O. Chappelle at 107 North Greenwood Avenue, in the Greenwood District known as "BLACK WALL-STREET." Well, during the bombing and massacre, his law office was destroyed, and he had to endure the terrible ordeal that followed the brutal destruction of Greenwood! The lawyer firm of Franklin, Spears, and Chappelle set up a makeshift tent as their office, and went to work on preparing to defend the victims of the massacre. Also, after the city government tried to block them from rebuilding Black Wall-Street, the lawyer team filed a lawsuit, Tulsa County Case # 15730, Joe Lockard vs Mayor T.D.Evans, the city commissioner, and others in the city government. The final result, by a three-judge panel of Tulsa County judges, found that the city government was wrong in its attempt to deny the property rights of the Colored citizens of Greenwood without due process.Thankfully, the Greenwood district was rebuilt ; mainly due to the efforts of these 3 amazing Colored lawyers! On September 24,1969, Buck Colbert Franklin died in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THE MONROE COLORED CHAMBER of COMMERCE

Well, as I was researching online, I came across information about a forgotten group of pioneering Colored People.What was so surprising about them is that they lived in Monroe, Louisiana! I learned that the group started with only 19 Colored members, consisting of laypersons, businessmen, and other professionals.Well,this amazing group of people would become what was officially known as,"The Monroe Colored Chamber of Commerce," which was later changed to The Twin-City Chamber of Commerce in 1963. The organization was officially founded in 1946, with pharmacist Dr. Raymond O. Pierce presiding as president.The main purpose of the organization was improving the general welfare of the Colored Communities in Monroe, Louisiana.The members of the group met once a month in the Pierce building, which was located at 917 Desiard Street in Monroe. After Dr. Raymond O. Pierce, there were other presidents of the Monroe Colored Chamber of Commerce. They were : Mr. Ibra January, a tailor by trade ; Mr. B.F. Robinson, an educator ; Mr. Abraham Bowie, an insurance agent ; Mr. Joseph Pendleton, a service station owner ; and Mr. Charles Edwards, Supervisor of Instruction for Monroe City Schools. Who would of believed that this small organization, known as The Monroe Colored Chamber of Commerce, would help inspire Colored Citizens to secure a library within their own community, the Carver Branch Library, for their children. Not only that, but inspired other Colored Citizens to have the courage to start their own businesses in Monroe. These are just some of the Black-Owned businesses that use to be in the city of Monroe: Hensley's Supermarket ; Moore's Grocery ; Carradine Grocery & Market ; Pelican Cafe & Bakery ; Slim Jenkins Barbeque & Ice Cream ; H.H.Bar-B-Que Meats ; Johnson's Beauty Salon ; La Henri-Anna Beauty Shoppe and School ; Ritz's Barbershop ; The Southern Advocate Weekly Newspaper ; Roosevelt's Paradise Inn ; January's Tailor Shop ; Julius & Sons Tailor Shop ; Martin's Cleaners ; Houston's Bootery & Shoes ; B.B. & O. Printing ; A & A Print Shop ; Wright's Taxi Service ; Flintroy's Cycle Shop ; Sudden Service Garage ; Oliver Smith's Auto Repair ; Joseph Pendleton's Service Station ; and Long's Skelly Service Station. Furthermore, there were at least 3 Colored-Owned Insurance companies in Monroe : Keystone Life Insurance Company ; People's Industrial Life Insurance Company ; and Louisiana Industrial Life Insurance Company. Along with all of the above, there were Colored doctors such as Dr. John T. Miller, Dr J.C. Roy, Dr. Raymond O. Pierce, Dr. Arnetta Pierce, Dr. S.D.Hill, Dr. Madison W Foster, Dr. J.B.Thomoson, and Dr. John I. Reddix. In closing, I would like to say to the Black Citizens of Monroe, Louisiana, Please teach your Black children about the history of our Black ancestors who lived in Monroe during and after the American Civil War!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE": MARTHA E. L. HAYNES

Come, listen all you gals and boys, Ise just from Tuckyhoe ; I'm goin' to sing a little song, My name's Jim Crow." Those words are part of a song called,"Jump Jim Crow" made famous by a White minstrel performer named Thomas D Rice, aka "Daddy Pops Jim Crow," aka Daddy Rice. The song sprang up in America around the late 1820s. Additionally, the song and Rice became so popular with the White folk in America, he ended up performing it all over the United States! By the way, he always performed his song and dance routine painted in Black face.Therefore, without A doubt, he was saying to White People that Negroes was Jim Crow! It was a way of mimicking and making fun of Negroes.You see, before 2017, c I never even knew that the song "Jump Jim Crow" existed. Before then, all I ever knew about Jim Crow was them dirty dam Jim Crow laws that White People used to enforce racial segregation. Even though the laws were called Jim Crow Laws, they could of just as well been called "Negro Laws," because they only applied to the Negro, not to Whites. Well, the reason I brought this up is because there seems to be a revival of Jim Crow Laws in America. Some new Laws have popped up in Georgia, some new ones in Mississippi, and it looks like some new Laws are about to pop up in Louisiana too! With all that being said, I feel that we as Black People and as African-Americans need to start paying attention to all these new bills and ordinances that are being presented and passed by School Boards, City Councils, Governors, and especially the President of the United States! If we don't, then we are the ones at fault. Well, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer.Martha E. L. Haynes Was born in Washington D.C. on September 11, 1890 to William S. Lofton, a Colored dentist and financier and Lavinia Lifton, a Colored kindergarten teacher. While in high school, Martha attended the national famed M Street High School in Washington D.C., where she graduated as Class Valedictorian in 1907. From there, she attended and graduated from Normal School for Colored Girls, now known as The University of the District of Columbia, with a degree in education. Later in 1914, Martha attended and graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, earning a mathematics degree. Next, she gained her master's degree in education from the University of Chicago in 1930. Finally, Martha received her doctorate degree from The Catholic University of America in 1943, becoming the first Colored Woman in America to earn a PhD in mathematics! It was reported that Martha's dedication to the educational system of the District of Columbia went far and beyond the normal call of duty for a teacher and educator.Interesting enough, her overall contributions covered a span of almost 5 whole decades! Additionally, Martha was an outspoken critic of the American educational "track system," a system of separating students by "academic ability" into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. She felt and argued that by assigning Colored students to tracks, it left them unprepared for college.In the end, Martha's efforts against the "track system" culminated in the 1967 court case of "Hobson vs Hansen" which led to the end of the "track system" in American public schools. On July 25, 1980, at the ripe old age of 89, Martha E. L. Haynes died in Washington D.C. where she spent nearly 5 decades paving a way for current Black Educators and Black Teachers! Before she died, Martha setup a trust fund of $700,000 dollars to support a student-loan fund for the Catholic University School of Education. Also, her papers are housed in the Catholic University archives.In 2024, one of her Alma Maters, Smith College renamed the residential house formerly known as Wilder House to Haynes House to honor Martha.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE": REV. RALPH D ABERNATHY

One of the things I like about this week's Black Pioneer is that he was born on th e same date as me, March 11. Besides that, he worked with Martin Luther King Jr in the Civil Rights Movement! Our story begins in Linden, Alabama, where Ralph D Abernathy was born on March 11, 1926, at his family's home. From there we travel to The Linden Academy Baptist School in Linden, where Ralph led his first public demonstrations to improve the conditions of the school and the lives of his fellow students.Next, we travel to World War ll , where we find young Ralph, other Blacks, and White members of the U.S. Military battling the forces of Fascism abroad! Next, we travel back to Alabama , where Ralph is enrolled at Alabama State University, partially due to benefit of the military G.I. Bill. During his sophomore year, he was elected president of the student council. As student council president, Ralph led a successful hunger strike to improve the quality of the food being served to students on campus. Additionally, while he was still attending Alabama State University, he became an ordained minister. In 1950, Ralph graduated with a degree in mathematics. Also in 1950, he became the first Black disc jockey in Montgomery, Alabama to host a show on a White radio station. Next, we travel all the way to Atlanta University, in Atlanta, Georgia, where Ralph earned Master of Arts degree in Sociology. Finally, we travel back to Alabama State University, where Ralph began his professional career as the dean of men at the University. Furthermore, later that year, he became the Senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, which was the largest Black Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Well, some of the interesting things about him were ; he was a member of the brotherhood of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, he was a close friend and mentored Rev Martin Luther King Jr, he help create the Montgomery Improvement Association to defend the civil rights of Black People, he was President of the SCLC, and Ralph led the Poor People's Campaign in Washington D.C., in May of 1968. On April 17, 1990, Ralph D Abernathy died at Emory Crawford Long Memorial Hospital. Following his death, officials at Alabama State University dedicated Ralph D. Abernathy Hall in his honor. Also, officials in Atlanta, Georgia named Ralph David Abernathy Freeway, Abernathy Road, and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in his honor.