"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : MANTAN MORELAND

As I thought about the bills that Governor Jeff Landry and the Louisiana State Congress are passing, my mind got me thinking about the C.O.R.E.( The Congress of Racial Equality } Organization. The C.O.R.E. Organization was founded in 1942 by James Farmer and a few other Negroes. The organization's main goal was "to erase the color line through methods of direct nonviolent action." Additionally, C.O.R.E. leaned heavily on using "sit-ins and acts of civil disobedience" to challenge the Jim Crow Laws that were setup to enforce racial segregation. Also, I feel it's a terrible thing that very few Black People in Monroe, Louisiana remember when C.OR.E. came to Monroe, during the "SUMMER of 1964, and held sit-ins at the "WHITES ONLY" libraries and at the "WHITES ONLY" lunch counters of several downtown stores! Furthermore, it's disturbing that so much of the history of what went on in Monroe during the Civil Rights Era has been practically erased. Well, to make a long story short, I'm wondering if the Black Citizens of Louisiana might need to be looking into forming a new organization similarly to the one that was co-founded by James Farmer in 1942. Nevertheless, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer. Mantan Moreland was born on September 3,1902, in MONROE, LOUISIANA. His parents were, Frank and Marcella Moreland. In 1910, when he was between the ages of 11 & 14, Mantan ran away from home to join a minstrel show. By the time he reached the age of 25, Mantan had worked various shows on the Vaudeville Circuit, performed on Broadway, and had even toured Europe! Mantan would end up working with Black People such as Redd Foxx, Nipsey Russell, and Della Reese.Many of the films Mantan appeared in were aimed at Black audiences. They included the films One Dark Night, Lucky Ghost, Mr. Washington Goes To Town, and Mantan Runs For Mayor. By the way, Mantan also appeared in movies involving major film studios as well as some independent film producers. He even once played a serious role as the sergeant in charge of a squad of Senegalese Tirailleurs in French Colonial Algeria, alongside Ralph Byrd. Mantan 's last featured role was in the 1968 film, Spider Baby. Cc. Who would of 'THUNK" that a poor Black runaway kid from a small town in Northeast Louisiana would have been able to make it all the way to Hollywood! Sadly, on September 28, 1973, Mantan Moreland succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage, in Los Angeles, California. In 2004, Mantan was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : CHARLOTTE HAWKINS BROWN

Recently, I went online to see how much the current National Studentloan Debt is. Well, I was thinking that since President Biden had forgiven some of the studentloan debt during his term in office that the studentloan debt amount would have decreased, but it hadn't. As a matter of fact, the number is close to what it was before President Biden implemented his studentloan forgiveness program. As of March 2024, the total student loan debt in the United States was $1.727 trillion dollars! Well, ain't that a biscuit? Next, I found another interesting online article that said that when it comes to taking out studentloans and defaulting on studentloans,"BLACK WOMEN" are ranked number one out of any other group or race. Also, an online article reported that 67% of Black students who attended, but did not complete a for-profit college defaulted on their studentloans! Call it a conspiracy theory, but it seems to me that certain people in high places are using Black People's strong belief in Higher Education to lure Blacks into the proverbial Studentloan Debt "BLACK HOLE!" Jeepers Creepers, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Charlotte Hawkins Brown was born on June 11, 1883, in Henderson North Carolina. When she was very young, her mother moved her and her brother to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Charlotte graduated from Cambridge English High School, and then enrolled in Salem State Normal School.A Lady by the name of Alice F. Palmer stepped in and paid for all of Charlotte's school expenses! In 1901, after completing just one year of college, she was hired to teach at the Bethany Institute school for Colored children, in Sedalia, North Carolina. A year later the school officials decided to close the school. So what did Charlotte do? She did the same thing that a Colored man named Lawrence C Jones did when he founded Piney Woods School in Rankin County, Mississippi. She went and founded a new school called, "The Palmer Memorial Institute," in honor of the lady who had paid for all of her college expenses. Her school officially opened on October 10, 1902, as a day and boarding school for Colored children. Interesting enough, the Palmer Memorial Institute lasted throughout the turbulent times of the Great Depression, the rise of Jim Crow in America, and the Civil Rights Movement as well. In 1971, there was a fire at the school that prompted the Board of Directors to finally close the school for good. On January 11, 1961, after almost 60: years years of tireless dedication to educating Black Youth, Charlotte Hawkins Brown was laid to rest in Greensboro, North Carolina. Furthermore, several of the buildings of her school were restored, and are known today as The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : TERESA GARLAND LEW

During the month of May, it's common for schools in America to hold graduations. Every May, thousands and thousands of Black students graduate from elementary schools, high schools, and colleges. So, with all of the graduating going on, what is the likelihood that "40% or MORE" of Black Graduates are "FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATES?" The use of the term functional illiterate is linked to a Caucasian educator by the name of William S. Gray. For those who don't know, William S. Gray and A female Caucasian lady by the name of Zerna A. Sharp were the ones who introduced the "Dick and Jane," reader series of books to the American school system, during the "GREAT DEPRESSION ERA" in America. Generally, a person who is functional illiterate has a limited vocabulary, has difficulty expressing simple ideas or abstract concepts, and prefers to memorize information rather than write it down. By the way, as of March 2025, there are reportedly between 48 million to 60 million people who are functional illiterate in America. Well, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Teresa Garland Lew was born in an area known as Pawtucketville, a neighborhood within the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1894. Also, her great-grandfather, Barzillai Lew,was a Freedman who "fought in the American Revolution," how about that!!! Additionally, her father, William Lee, owned a dry cleaning business in Pawtucketville. Although there isn't any mention of Teresa attending grade school, it was reported that she graduated from Lowell High School in 1912, where she was the Class Salutatorian! At the time when she graduated, school policy mandated that a female couldn't be Class Valedictorian, only Salutatorian.Next, Teresa enrolled in Lowell Normal School, where she graduated and received her teaching degree in 1914. Her teaching stops included teaching at a segregated school in Virginia, teaching at The Colored Orphan Asylum, New York City's oldest orphanage for children of color that was founded by Quakers in 1836, and teaching in the Lowell Public School System. In the 1930s, just when everyone got use to looking at Teresa as only a teacher, she went and earned her law degree from Portia Law School, located in Boston, Massachusetts! Tragically, Teresa Garland Lew didn't live to see her 47th birthday, she died in 1941 at the tender age of 46. Even though she only lived to be 46 years old, Teresa helped paved the way for millions of Black Women in the field of Law & Teaching! In 2008, Teresa was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by Lowell High School for her dedication and commitment to equality and education.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : ABRAHAM LINCOLN DAVIS

More and more each day, it seems as if we're at the dawn of "A NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT" in Louisiana! Last Friday, May 10th marked the "FIFTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY" of the murder of a Black Louisiana citizen by the name of Ronald Green, at the hands of Louisiana State Troopers. On Friday, May 10th, Mona Hardin, the mother of Ronald Green, helped lead a rally at the Union Parish Courthouse, and a memorial was held later that afternoon in Monroe. Also, when we look at all of the new "Jim Crow" like bills that are being presented and passed by the Louisiana State Congress,"All I can say is "DEJA VU!" Additionally, the fact that Black residents of Louisiana are under represented in the Louisiana State Congress, doesn't help present matters at all. Finally, there's the unresolved issue of the congressional map. As of now, due to a federal court panel's divided decision to throw out Louisiana's congressional boundaries, the state is left without a map to hold the Nov. 5 election, and less than two weeks to produce one before the state's chief elections officer's deadline to conduct a fall ballot. Oh well, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Abraham Lincoln Davis was born in an area of Louisiana known as Bayou Goula, in 1914. Sometime between 1917 & 1921, his family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. Young Abraham graduated from McDonough 35 High School around 1931. In 1935, he was ordained as the minister at the New Zion Baptist Church in New Orleans. Abraham went on to earn his BA degree from Leland College in 1949. Among the interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln Davis are : in 1957, he was one of the founders of the Civil Rights group known as "The Louisiana Leadership Conference," which was a satellite organization of the SCLC organization headed by Rev Martin Luther King Jr. ; on September 30, 1963, he led a march of over 10,000 people, including Black & White people, on the New Orleans City Hall ; in 1975, he won the appointment race to replace a White City Councilman named Eddie Sapir, making him the first Black Man to serve on the New Orleans City Council since the "RECONSTRUCTION ERA!" Three years later, Abraham Lincoln Davis died at the age of 63.

OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : DR. GILBERT R MASON

"A boy is born in hard time Mississippi ; Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty ; His parents give him love and affection, to keep him strong, moving in the right direction, Living just enough, just enough,for the City!" - Stevie Wonder Often during the year, and especially during the summer months, many Black People from Monroe, Louisiana take trips to Biloxi, Mississippi to get away and enjoy the beach environment. Sadly, many go and come back without even realizing that they have just visited a site that held such significance for Black People during the Civil Rights Movement. You see, the Biloxi beach is where the "BILOXI WADE-INS," which were 3 protests conducted by local Blacks on the beaches of Biloxi, took place between 1959 and 1963. Well, I must admit that without the internet, I wouldn't have known about the Biloxi Wade-ins either. By the way, the Biloxi Wade-ins were led by a local Black doctor by the name of Gilbert R. Mason. During the first demonstration, Dr. Mason led 9 Black Biloxians onto a restricted spot along the Biloxi beach that was reserved for "WHITE'S ONLY!" Additionally, about a year later at a different Biloxi Wade-in, a literal "blood-bath," took place between Black citizens & White citizens of Biloxi, while White Biloxi police officers just stood by and watched! The race-riot was so bad that it led the U.S. Justice Department to initiate the first-ever federal court challenge of Mississippi’s segregationist laws and practices. In the Spring of 1963, about two weeks following the assassination of Medgar Evers, Gilbert led a third Biloxi Wade-in. This time, the Black protesters faced a group of about 2,000 White People, but the Biloxi police on the scene were instructed to keep the peace and keep the two groups apart. Even though a legal challenge had been initiated by the U.S.Department of Justice in 1960, it wasn't until 1968 that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Mississippi beaches were indeed public property, and not private property! Up until the ruling, White private homeowners had insisted that the Biloxi beach was private property. So, the next time you visit Biloxi, Mississippi, please be sure and remember to visit the beaches where the "BILOXI WADE-INS & RACE-RIOT" took place between 1959 and 1963! Now on to this week's Black Pioneer. Gilbert R. Mason Sr. was born on October 7,1928 in Jackson, Mississippi to Willie A. Mason and Adeline J Mason. He was raised and received his childhood education in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1949, Gilbert left Jackson to attend Tennessee State University in Tennessee. After graduating from TSU, he enrolled at Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington D.C.. In 1954, Gilbert received his M.D. degree and moved to St. Louis, Missouri to serve his internship. In 1955,he completed his internship and moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he opened a family medical clinic in Biloxi, Mississippi. Not long after being in Biloxi, Gilbert met a fellow Black doctor by the name of Felix Dunn, who had a office in Gulfport , Mississippi. They found out that they were both interested in the Civil Rights Movement, and both of them were members of the NAACP. Additionally, they set up a Black Citizens Action Committee to address the discrimination practices and Jim Crow Laws that were going on in Biloxi. Furthermore, the two doctors resented the fact that the Biloxi beach was reserved for the White citizens of Biloxi. Therefore, in 1959, Dr Gilbert R. Mason, Dr. Felix Dunn, and a group of other Black residents of Biloxi decided to organize a non-violent protest that became known as "THE BILOXI WADE-INS!" On July 8, 2006, Gilbert R. Mason died in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and was laid to rest in Biloxi City Cemetery.