"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : LELAND UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE - Part One of a Two part series

oday, when most people talk about Historical Black Colleges & Universities in Louisiana, they are quick to mention Grambling & Southern. Well, there was a Black University that came before both of those universities. It was known as "LELAND UNIVERSITY," however, the name was changed to "LELAND COLLEGE" when a new school was built in Baker, Louisiana. Well, Leland University was founded in New Orleans by Holbrook Chamberlain, a Brooklyn, New York Merchant and Philanthropist in partnership with the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Mr. Chamberlain named the college for his father-in-law, John Leland, who was a Baptist minister and abolitionist. The school's main purpose was to prepare Colored People for the ministry, to train Colored teachers for Colored classrooms, and help prepare Colored students for adult life in the South. After the University buildings were severely damaged following a hurricane that struck New Orleans in 1915, University officials thought about relocating the College to Alexandria, Louisiana, but they encountered "strong opposition" from the White Citizens of Alexandria. Therefore, they decided it was best to move the College to Baker, Louisiana. By the way, I'm reminded of an interesting love story involving two Black college students who both graduated from Leland College. The story took place sometime during the 1940s. Can you all picture a single young lady traveling alone, then she meets a nice young fellow, and they discover that they are headed to the same place? Well, that is exactly what happened. As the story goes, Christopher Van Rodgers Sr., a handsome young Black college student from from Monroe, Louisiana was returning to Leland for his Sophomore year of college. Somewhere along the train route, he met a charming young Black female from Shreveport, Louisiana, by the name of Johnnie Glover, who was also attending Leland College. I'm telling you all, not only did they become the best of friends, but their relationship blossomed so much that on August 12, 1950, the couple were united in Holy Matrimony. Now who would of thought that a chance encounter aboard a train, on the way back to Leland College would lead to a marriage that would produce 4 adorable children, and would last for more than 40 years!!! Also, the icing on the cake was when the young couple decided to make Monroe their home. Of course, both of them were popular teachers in the Monroe City School System, before they retired from teaching. Yes, it has certainly been my pleasure telling you all about this love story, because Rev. Christopher Van Rodgers Sr. was my pastor at Zion Travelers Baptist Church in Monroe... and Mrs. Johnnie Rodgers, she was our "First Lady!"

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : LILLER MADDOX MARBLES

"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept" - Angela Davis It was a grand ole affair, the President of Grambling University and the Carroll High School Choir were there. The members of the advisory committee included, Mrs. Henrietta Carroll, Morris Henry Carroll, Rev. P.C. Keal, B.D. Robinson , Mrs. R.E. Bose , and H.H. Marbles. Well, in case you all were wondering, the event that I am speaking of is the Dedication Program for the Liller Maddox Marbles Recreation Center on Renwick Street in Monroe Louisiana that was held on Sunday May 20, 1962. Today, approximately 62 years later, The Liller Maddox Marbles Recreation Center is still in existence, and being used in different capacities to help carryout various programs, events, and recreational activities within the Black Community. Additionally, the recreational center just happens to be named for This Week's Black Pioneer, Mrs. Liller Maddox Marbles. She was born in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, Morehouse Parish, on November 24, 1891. Sometime before 1901, her family made the move to Monroe,Louisiana. As far as her early schooling goes, Liller attended the Wisner School for Colored children. Also, in 1903, she joined the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Monroe. After meeting the love of her life, Herman Henry Marbles, the couple decided to get married on April 30, 1908. In 1927, during the Great Flood in Monroe and West Monroe, Liller jumped in and helped take care of all of the displaced people that were housed in the old Masonic building on Washington Street in Monroe. In addition to her church work, her obligations as a wife, and taking care of her 3 children, Liller was a faithful member of The Morning Star Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star Organization. Although I never got the opportunity to meet Liller Maddox Marbles, I think that she was made in the mold of Angela Davis and Fannie Lou Hammer. You see, Liller was sick and tired of being sick and tired, tired of accepting the things that she couldn't change, and she was all about changing the things she couldn't accept!!! Sadly in 1943, Liller Maddox Marbles, the mother of three and loving wife of the man of her life, went home to be with the Lord.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE : ORETHA D. ROBINSON & PATRICK H. ROBINSON "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" – George Santayana It appears that along with the resurgence of Jim Crow Laws in Louisiana, certain groups around Louisiana are returning to the practice of using "THE TOKEN NEGRO" to mislead Black People into believing that Racism is decreasing. You see, most younger Black People aren't aware that "in the late 1960s and early 1970s," there were cartoons & caricatures that depicted the Negroes who were chosen to serve in "TOKEN ROLES" where they were only given those positions to create a sense of inclusion. In other words some Black People were given high ranking positions,"similar to what is happening today," to make it appear that racism is no longer a problem in the workplace. Yes, this trend can be seen all over the United States, and especially in Louisiana. It's like more and more of our Black elected officials and Black leaders in Louisiana are more than happy to accept being used as "A GOOD OLE TOKEN NEGRO," especially when there's money and power involved! Well, I can surely see why George Santayana would say what he said about people being condemned to repeat the past. With that said, let's get on with this week's Black Pioneers. It's extremely puzzling to me that there is hardly any online information about this week's two Black Pioneers, Oretha D. Robinson & her husband Patrick H. Robinson. Well, you would think that considering their lifetime civic involvement and social status within the Black Communities of Monroe, Louisiana, there would be way more information about them online, especially since they spent most of their adult lives helping make sure that the needs of the Black Citizens of Monroe, Louisiana were being met. Oretha D. Robinson was born on October 6, 1931, to Maude Gipson and Robert Douglas. She died earlier this year on January 20, 2024, while her husband, Patrick H. Robinson was born on June 27, 1924, and died on April 25, 1994. Not only were both of them astute Educators, but both were active in the Black Community as well. In 2017, it was fitting that the library at Robinson Elementary School in Monroe, Louisiana was renamed to honor the legacy of Patrick H. Robinson. In closing, I must say that I am totally flabbergasted that We As "Black Citizens of Monroe, Louisiana" aren't recording and passing down more information about the achievements & accomplishments of our leading citizens like Oretha D. Robinson and Patrick H. Robinson "to the current generations of Black People living in Monroe!" Additionally, I feel that Black People in Monroe must continue working to "BE BETTER," in order that We and our Black Children might do better and have better!

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" – George Santayana It appears that along with the resurgence of Jim Crow Laws in Louisiana, certain groups around Louisiana are returning to the practice of using "THE TOKEN NEGRO" to mislead Black People into believing that Racism is decreasing. You see, most younger Black People aren't aware that "in the late 1960s and early 1970s," there were cartoons & caricatures that depicted the Negroes who were chosen to serve in "TOKEN ROLES" where they were only given those positions to create a sense of inclusion. In other words some Black People were given high ranking positions,"similar to what is happening today," to make it appear that racism is no longer a problem in the workplace. Yes, this trend can be seen all over the United States, and especially in Louisiana. It's like more and more of our Black elected officials and Bla"ck leaders in Louisiana are more than happy to accept being used as "A GOOD OLE TOKEN NEGRO," especially when there's money and power involved! Well, I can surely see why George Santayana would say what he said about people being condemned to repeat the past. With that said, let's get on with this week's Black Pioneers. It's extremely puzzling to me that there is hardly any online information about this week's two Black Pioneers, Oretha D. Robinson & her husband Patrick H. Robinson. Well, you would think that considering their lifetime civic involvement and social status within the Black Communities of Monroe, Louisiana, there would be way more information about them online, especially since they spent most of their adult lives helping make sure that the needs of the Black Citizens of Monroe, Louisiana were being met. Oretha D. Robinson was born on October 6, 1931, to Maude Gipson and Robert Douglas. She died earlier this year on January 20, 2024, while her husband, Patrick H. Robinson was born on June 27, 1924, and died on April 25, 1994. Not only were both of them astute Educators, but both were active in the Black Community as well. In 2017, it was fitting that the library at Robinson Elementary School in Monroe, Louisiana was renamed to honor the legacy of Patrick H. Robinson. In closing, I must say that I am totally flabbergasted that We As "Black Citizens of Monroe, Louisiana" aren't recording and passing down more information about the achievements & accomplishments of our leading citizens like Oretha D. Robinson and Patrick H. Robinson "to the current generations of Black People living in Monroe!" Additionally, I feel that Black People in Monroe must continue working to "BE BETTER," in order that We and our Black Children might do better and have better!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE"" : DR. FELTON GRANDISON CLARK

"Underneath the different colors of our skin, People are far more alike than they are different" -Lisa Nichols Wouldn't It Be Nice If Race Didn't Matter? This question reminds me of a forgotten Louisiana court case that was filed in 1982, by a lady who had identified herself as being "A MARRIED WHITE FEMALE," but her birth certificate listed her as being "A BLACK FEMALE!" The lady's name is Susie Guillory Phipps of Sulphur, Louisiana. Back in 1982, after the case drew national attention, the Louisiana Congress, and then Governor David C. Treen decided to take a hard look at "the age old Louisiana Statute" that used a mathematical formula, similar to "THE ONE-DROP RULE," also known as "ONE DROP OF BLACK BLOOD RULE," that many of the southern states had used to determine if a person was deemed as being "Legally Black." You see, Mrs. Phipps birth certificate listed her as being the great, great, great,great grand-daughter of a "COLORED FEMALE SLAVE," and a French planter. You see, according to the "segregated laws" that were in place, during the time she was born, if the baby's mother was documented as being COLORED, then the baby was listed and considered COLORED too! Therefore, officials for the State of Louisiana refused to change Mrs. Phipps Race on her birth certificate, which led to her having to pay thousands of dollars to try and have her "RACE" Changed on her birth certificate! In the end, Governor David C. Treen and the State of Louisiana repealed the long-term Louisiana Statute, in 1983. Now, because of the repeal of that law, people in Louisiana are allowed to change their birth records by providing "a preponderance of evidence" to prove the record was wrong. Ok, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer. Felton Grandison Clark was born on October 13, 1903, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Joseph S. Clark and Octavia Head Clark. When it came time for Felton to attend college, there was no doubt that he would be attending Southern University! After graduating from Southern, Felton completed his undergraduate work at Beloit College. In 1922, he earned his bachelor's degree from Beloit, and then went on to earn his Master's degree & his PhD from Columbia University. Well, in 1938, Felton decided to take on the daunting task of following in his father's footsteps, and became the next President of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the position that his father had held for more than 20 years! From 1938, up until 1969, Felton was President of Southern University. During his tenure, enrollment of students at Southern increased from about 1,500 to over 11,000. Many people have said that the enrollment would have been significantly larger had it not been for the incidents that took place during the Civil Rights Protests of the 1960s, especially the demonstration that took place at the doorsteps of the Louisiana State Capitol. In 1960, Felton and other school officials ended up giving in to pressure from Governor Earl Long," and expelled 18 of the Southern University students who had participated in the protests." On top of everything else, in 1962,"they actually had to shutdown Southern University for a short period of time," because students at Southern University held a large demonstration on the campus of Southern University. The students were determined to exercise their right to protest! So, about a year after retiring as President of Southern University, Dr. Felton Grandison Clark died on July 5, 1970. When it came time to bury him, there was no doubt that he would be buried next to his mother and father on the campus of Southern University!!! In 1975, officials at Southern University honored him by naming a newly built building in his honor, the F.G.Clark Center. Additionally, a dormitory on the Southern University campus named Felton Grandison Clark Hall, informally called Grandison Hall, is named in his honor.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : ALICE MARIE THOMPSON

"Don’t be afraid of being an agitator, because every housewife knows the value of an agitator ; an agitator is the instrument in the washing machine which bangs the clothes around and gets rid of all the dirt" - Thurgood Marshall Recently, while I was researching, I came across an article about an event that probably helped influence Black Leaders in Monroe, Louisiana to agree to turn Martin Luther King Jr. around at the Monroe Airport, the time he came to speak in Monroe.The article was about an event known as "THE PLAQUEMINE RIOT." Not only did this shocking and horrific incident coinside with the "HISTORIC MARCH ON WASHINGTON," but it actually aired nationally on the evening news with Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, back in September of 1963, "ONLY DAYS AFTER THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON!" Well Reportedly, some of the Negro leaders in Plaquemine had requested James Farmer, the founder of "The Congress of Racial Equality," to come and help organize "A VOTING REGISTRATION DRIVE." You see, there had recently been a 'VOTER PURGE" in Plaquemine, causing many of the Negroes to be stripped of their "VOTING PRIVILEGES." Also, there was a strong concern that WHITE officials were "GERRYMANDERING" Black precincts out of city elections. At first, James Farmer had planned to make a short trip to Plaquemine, and then travel on to Washington D.C. for the March On Washington. However, the police in Plaquemine had other plans for him! The police decided to arrest him and several other Negroes, and hold them at a jail in Donaldsoville, Louisiana, until the March was over. Once he was released, seeing that he had already missed attending the March On Washington, James Farmer decided to lead another March in Plaquemine. Long story short, the police and other White Citizens in Plaquemine chased James Farmer and the Marchers to the Plymouth Rock Baptist Church, tear-gased the people in the church, and stormed the church on horses, armed with guns and cattle prods. All of a sudden, in the midst of the chaos and mayhem, James Farmer escaped out the back of the church to "The Good Citizen Funeral Home," located next to the church! Wow, just when it looked like they were going to have to turn James Farmer over to the police, the Negro lady who owned the funeral home came up with one hell of a plan! She decided to send out two hearse cars at the same time, but they would go in two different directions. So after she handed James Farmer "a loaded 45 caliber pistol," they had him get into a coffin, loaded him into one of the hearse cars, and sent out both hearses at the same time! The police didn't even realize that James Farmer was in one of the hearses. The driver drove him to New Orleans, Louisiana where he held a press conference about it the next day. Ok, let's fast-forward to August 2024, as we prepare for the November Elections. Despite the passing of "More Than 60 Years," the very same 2 main concerns that were at the center of The Plaquemine Riot,"Removing Black Voters from the Voting Rolls and Gerrymandering" are still with us today, even after all those years!!! With that being said, I'll just switch the conversation to this week's Black Pioneer. Alice Marie Thompson was born on September 25, 1939 in Lake Providence , Louisiana. She graduated from Southern University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. While Alice was no Lady Godiva, she was a "FREEDOM RIDER!" Rarely do you hear about 3 Black biological sisters joining 2 separate Black Organizations at the same time However, that is exactly what the Thompson sisters, Alice, Jean, and Shirley did in the early 1960s when they all joined the New Orleans Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality and the Youth Council of the New Orleans Branch of the NAACP. As I mentioned earlier, Alice was A Freedom Rider with the C.O.R.E. Organization. The Freedom Riders main task was to test the passage of the Interstate Commerce Commission’s ruling outlawing segregation on buses, terminals, restrooms, restaurants. By the way, here are 3 of the more notable Freedom Rides that Alice took part in : The first one that occurred on November 1, 1961, at the New Orleans Trailways Bus Terminal, located on Tulane Avenue, the one that took place on November 14, 1961, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the one where Alice and other CORE members were physically beaten, in McComb, Mississippi on November 29, 1961. After 30 years or more of blazing a trail for future generations of Black People in America, Alice Marie Thompson died on August 24, 2015. In closing, I truly wish that teachers at the schools in our Black Communities were allowed to fully discuss the "Negro Freedom Rides and the Freedom Riders" with our Black Children. You see, I feel that they would better understand what The Civil Rights Movement was all about, and gain a greater appreciation for "OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE!"