"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : DR. JOHN TILDON MILLER - CO-FOUNDER OF THE HISTORIC MILLER-ROY BUILDING

Today, while many Black People in Monroe, Louisiana have heard about the Miller-Roy Building that was built across from the Old Monroe City Cemetery in 1929, near the meeting hall of The Local Chapter of "The Colored Knights of Pythias," as a safe meeting place to house Black Businesses, few Black People in Monroe know that one of the founders of the building, John T. Miller, had a wife named Martha Gair Miller, who died on September 19, 1932, following an operation at the clinic in which they owned together that was located in the Miller-Roy Building. For the record, Martha and John had 3 children ; a son name John Gair Miller, and 2 daughters, Harriet F. Miller, and Beatrice M. Miller. Sadly, Beatrice died on December 30, 1934, at the tender age of 7. Without a doubt, the sudden deaths of his wife and adorable young daughter happening so close together took an extreme toll on John, being that he died of heart failure on July 5, 1935. Looking back, who would of imagined that within that short 3 year period of time that death would come calling so frequently on this family? Interestingly, all three of their funerals were held at Martin Temple Christian Methodist Church that was located near North 19th & Adams Street in Monroe, Louisiana, and they were all buried at the Monroe City Cemetery, located on Desiard Street. Well, I couldn't find much information about Dr. John Tildon Miller, however, I did find out that he was born in Lexington, Mississippi, in 1879 to John H. Miller and Mrs Frances Golden Miller. Also, John and Martha Miller were Charter Members of the local NAACP Chapter in Monroe. Additionally, John Tildon Miller was listed in The 1930 Book Publication of "WHO'S WHO in COLORED LOUISIANA," which was published by The Douglas Loan Company of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to admonish all Black residents living in Monroe and Ouachita Parish to do their best to past down to our Black Children as much of the local Black History as they can, so that our Black Children will know more about"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE," than they know about sports and video games!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : FORMER GRAMBLING STATE & SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY - Track & Field Olympians

"The mind is the strongest muscle in your body. If you can overcome the doubt in your mind, you can achieve success." -Jesse Owens When people talk about former track and field runners who possessed Olympic Class Speed, it's not unusual for names such as Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Bob Hayes, Renaldo "Skeets" Nehemiah, Wilma Rudolph, Evelyn Ashford, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Florence Griffith Joyner to come up in the conversation. Well, I recently posted a Black History Trivia Question online about a former Southern University Track & Field Runner who had won a Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympic Games. Former Wossman High School Championship Basketball Coach George "Vamp" Belton mentioned Rodney "Lightning Rod" Milburn Jr., who attended Southern University in 1972. At the 1972 Olympic Games, Rodney ran an unprecedented time of 13.24 seconds in the 110 hurdles,"Establishing A New World Record" as well as winning himself an Olympic Gold Medal! Another name that came up was Willie Davenport, who attended Southern University in 1968, and won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1968 Olympic Games that was held in Mexico City. During the 1968 Olympic Games, Willie ran an impressive time of 13.3 seconds. in the 110 hurdles, "Setting An Olympic Record, " and he won the Gold Medal in the process! Also, in a different conversation about Grambling State University Track & Field Runners who had performed at the Olympic Games, the names Debra Edwards Armstrong and Stone "Cold" Johnson came up. Debra attended Grambling in the early 1970s ; not only did she possess Olympic Class Speed, in 1975 she was U.S. Champion in the 200 meter race! Stone "Cold" Johnson attended Grambling in 1960, and participated in the 1960 Olympic Games held in Rome. During the trials for the 1960 Olympics, Stone ran a time of 20.5 seconds in the 200 meter race, "Setting A New World Record!" Cassandra Shelling stated that her father, Roy Neal Shelling, who also attended Grambling at that time, said that Stone was the fastest man alive! In closing, I would like to say that these are just a few of the many, many forgotten Student-Athletes that have come through Southern University and Grambling State University. Furthermore, it is my hope that some of the people who read this article will tell someone, who will tell someone, who will tell someone, and help spread the word about "OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE!"

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THE FORMER BLACK--OWNED INSURANCE COMPANIES IN MONROE

"If the misery of our poor be caused not by the Laws of Nature, but by our Government Institutions, then great is our sin!" -unknown When discussing the former Black-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe, Louisiana, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the "HISTORIC MILLER-ROY BUILDING" that was built here in Monroe at 1001 Desiard Street in 1929, "as a business hub for Black-Owned Businesses." You see, several of the Black-Owned Insurance Companies had their offices within the Miller-Roy Building. As a matter of fact, many of the Black-Owned Businesses in Monroe at that time, began in that Building. Additionally, before the Stock Market Crash in 1929, several Black-Owned Insurance Companies were becoming as large as some of the White-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe. Furthermore, it was reported and recorded that some of the Black-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe contributed part of the first $1,000 dollars to start the "Louisiana Chapter of The National Urban League when it was first organized, back in 1938." I wished that I could have found physical records of some of the former Black-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe, but so far I haven't been able to find any of them. Never-the-less, I was able to come up with a list of a few of them Below is the list of the ones that I was able to verify : 1. Acme Insurance Company that was owned by William & Orel Medlock, one of the companies that was merged with Miller Funeral Home w ; 2.People's Industrial Life Insurance Company that was owned by Abraham Bowie ; 3. Unity Industrial Life Insurance Company ; 4.Standard Industrial Life Insurance Company ; 5.Good Citizens Life Insurance Company ; 6.Keystone Life Insurance Company ; 7.Supreme Life Insurance Company ; 8.Universal Life Insurance Company ; 9.Britton's Insurance Company that was located near Desiard & Renwick Streets, which was owned by Don Britton ; and 10. Miller Funeral Home 's, Reliable Insurance Company, which is still operating in Monroe today! Before I end this week's edition of Our Rich Black Heritage, I would like to mention that when Joseph Miller Jr., of Miller Funeral Home was living, he stated that several of the former Black-Owned Funeral Home Establishments in Monroe were bought out by his father Joseph H. Miller Sr., and were merged with Miller Funeral Home.