"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.