"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : HENRY MORGAN GREEN

About 60 years ago, a horrible event occurred in Knoxville, Tennessee under the auspices of the Knoxville City Council. Back at that time, the city council introduced an Urban Renewal Program that led to the "leveling and demolishing" of an entire Black Community in Knoxville.Today, the area is known as "East Knoxville!" It is said that there were over 100 Black-owned businesses demolished.In addition to the Black businesses, it was reported that over 2,000 structures were destroyed to make way for City Urban Renewal Projects. Additionally, a report stated that 70% of the Black Citizens of Knoxville were forced to move from their homes and community. Well, it is rumored that a similar event like this took place in Monroe, Louisiana. However, because most of the people who were alive in Monroe, Louisiana back then have died and most of the records were either hidden or destroyed ; there are very few ways to let Black People living in Monroe today know that it even happened! Other than word of mouth, I haven't been able to find any information about when Black Citizens in Monroe were displaced from there homes and Communities back then. Heck, I wouldn't even have known anything about the former Black Community of "Bright Oak ," if I hadn't heard it from the mouth of Bernard Menyweather, a former resident of the Bright Oak Community. Yes, it's a shame that our Black Children in Monroe can graduate each year from all these schools, but still not learn anything at school about all the former Black Leaders, former Black Business Owners, and other Black People in Monroe who helped paved the way for them to even be able to attend these public schools in the city of Monroe and Ouachita Parish!!! Okay, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Henry Morgan Green was born born in 1877 in Adairsville, Georgia. Later his family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he attended the local Normal School, later known as Knoxville College. After graduating in 1895, Henry took a teaching position in Riceville, Tennessee. Around 1898, he moved back to Knoxville to enroll in the college 's new medical department. Not long after obtaining his medical degree, Henry moved to Jellico, Tennessee, where he ran his first medical practice. In 1900, he got a hankering to return once again to Knoxville, Tennessee. However, this time when he returned home, the people referred to him as "Doctor Henry Green!" In addition to practicing medicine in Knoxville from 1900 - 1939, he served as the official Colored City Physician in Knoxville, Tennessee. Also, Henry was one of the founders of the Knoxville Medical College. Several of his other business interests included being a real-estate investor, President of the National Medical Association, and a town Alderman. Interesting enough, Henry was the first Colored Alderman in the city of Knoxville, and when he left office in 1912, it would be another 62 years before the Knoxville city council had another Black Alderman! Yes, it was a sad day on March 19, 1939, because that was the day that Henry Morgan Green died of pneumonia. When they buried him, it was fitting that they laid his body to rest on the campus of Knoxville College.