"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : CHESTER ARTHUR FRANKLIN

By the time this article goes to press, a federal three-judge panel may have already ruled on whether Louisiana's new congressional map that created a second Black district will stand or not! Well, for the past 2 or 3 years, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the ACLU ,and others have been fighting to secure a second Black majority district. What's surprising to me about the case is that the plaintiffs in the case are claiming that the map's boundaries were "gerrymandered" solely based on race to create a second Black district. You see, all through school whenever I heard the term "gerrymandering," it was mostly used to describe White politicians manipulating voting districts, in order to favor one party or class against Black People and minorities. However, this is "one of the few cases" where I can recall that White plaintiffs in the case are the ones claiming that gerrymandering was used against them based on race! Oh well, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Chester A. Franklin was born on June 7,1880 in Denison, Texas.His parents were George and Clara Franklin.In 1887, Chester 's family moved to Omaha, Nebraska. His father was very business minded, and he owned a barbershop as well as a local newspaper called the Omaha Enterprise. Watching his father run his newspaper planted seeds in the mind of young Chester! After graduating high school, Chester attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for two years.However, due to the failing health of his Dad, he had to return home to help run the family newspaper with his mother, Clara. In 1898, as George Franklin 's health continued to deteriorate,so for the sake of his health, the Franklin family decided to move to Denver, Colorado. Soon after their arrival in Denver, the Franklins purchased a local newspaper and changed the name of the newspaper from the Colorado Statesman to The Star.Three years later, his father passed away,leaving Chester and his mother to run the family newspaper. The mother & son duo ran The Star newspaper up until 1913 when Chester 's ambitions and drive triggered his move to Kansas City, Missouri. Chester went on to become a leading Negro newspaper figure, Civil Rights Activist, and an outstanding civic leader for Black People in America! Chester A. Franklin died on May 7, 1955, while attempting his recovery from a heart attack less than 10 days before his demise.