"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THE FORGOTTEN BLACK-OWNED SERVICE STATIONS in MONROE

"A People without  knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without Roots" -Marcus Mosiah Garvey Recently, I discovered that when the "MONROE CIVIC CENTER" was built, several Streets like "VICKSBURG STREET" disappeared into the oblivion! Interestingly, Vicksburg Street was located where the Monroe Civic Center now sits. Also, most Black People in Monroe, Louisiana don't remember that Vicksburg Street was located near a Negro Church named Zion Travelers Baptist Church. Furthermore, it was said that Monroe Colored High School Principal Madison J. Foster traveled Vicksburg Street weekly on his way to Zion Travelers Baptist Church, where he was a member as well as to get to Monroe Colored High School. The reason I mentioned Vicksburg Street was to show everyone how streets, people, and other places that use to be here in Monroe...sadly, now have long been forgotten! Case in point, not long after the Monroe Civic Center was built in 1965, several Black-Owned Service Stations began springing up around Monroe. By 1972, there were "OVER 12 BLACK-OWNED SERVICE STATIONS" in the City of Monroe. Why, even Roosevelt Rankins, the former Dean of Students at Neville High School owned a Gulf Service Station that was located at 2501 Renwick Street. Furthermore, there were many other prominent Black Citizens who owned Service Stations in Monroe. For instance, there was Pendleton's Texaco Service Station, owned by Mr. Joseph Pendleton that was located at 1111 Desiard Street ; Willie T's Texaco Service Station that was located at 1205 Powell Ave, owned by Mr. Willie T ; William Conley's Texaco Service Station that was located at 1812 Desiard Street, owned by Mr. William Conley ; Winter's & Nelson's Service Station that was located in Lincoln Park, on Burg Jones Lane, owned by Elijah Nelson & Mac Winters, and ran by Mrs. Annie Burrell ; Abram's Billups Service Station that was located on Burg Jones Lane, owned by Mr. Abram, Burton's Service Station that was located at 825 Atkinson Street, owned by Martille Burton ; and Dunn's Skelly Service Station that was located at 2000 Texas Avenue, owned by Mr. Columbus Dunn, just to name a few! In closing, I would like to admonish the Black Citizens in Monroe to be fervent in their efforts to teach our Black Children about the history and accomplishments of our local Black Pioneers, for they were the ones who helped paved the way for Black People living in Monroe today!