"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE' : LUTHER P. JACKSON

As Black History Month for February 2025 heads along pass the halfway point, I would like to mention two significant things that have taken place thus far in Louisiana, during the current Black History Month. The first one is the "boycott of 3 of the larger Corporations in Louisiana, Walmart, Target, and McDonald's!" The boycotts stems from "the decision of the 3 Corporations to rollback their Company Diversity Programs." Reportedly, Civil Rights Activist as far away as Minneapolis, Minnesota have called for "A National Boycott of Target stores, over its decision to phase out its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives." By the way, the second event took place at one of the most popular events of the year! It was one of the highest anticipated events of the year,"The Annual NFL Superbowl Halftime Show that was held in New Orleans, Louisiana." All I can say is that I don't believe any of the NFL Owners or President Donald Trump, who was also in attendance at the NFL Superbowl Halftime Show, ever expected the type of show that Kendrick Lamar and Company gave them. Also, the coded messages throughout the entire performance even had some Black People saying,"Wow, did we just see what we just saw!" Well, we will just have to wait and see what the fallout from these two events will bring. In the meantime, on to this week's Black Pioneer! Luther P. Jackson was born on July 11, 1892, in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1910, after graduating from Chandler Normal School in Lexington, he enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1914, Luther received his bachelor's degree in Education from Fisk University, and later received his master's degree in Education from Columbia University's Teachers College in 1922. Luther's teaching career took him from Denmark, South Carolina and Topeka, Kansas, all the way to Virginia. However, in 1928, he decided to enroll at the University of Chicago to earn his PhD degree in Education. Along with acquiring a PhD degree, Luther ended up becoming a professor of history at the college. Eventually, he would serve two entire decades as chairperson of the University's Social Sciences Department. Outside of his vocation as an Educator, Luther was actively involved in the fight for civil rights for Negroes in Virginia. In 1935, he was one of the founding members of "The Petersburg League of Negro Voters." Additionally, in 1937, he helped found "The Petersburg Negro Business Association," which allowed him to work with attorneys Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Hill, in the negotiations to equalize the salaries of Black and White teachers. Finally, he was a very close friend of Carter G. Woodson. They were so close that they both died of a heart attack, in the same month and year, within days of each other. Carter having died on April 3, 1950 and Luther dying on April 20, 1950. Since his death, Luther Porter Middle School, in Surry County, Virginia was named to honor him, and The Luther Porter Jackson Black Cultural Center at the University of Virginia was named in his honor as well. "OUR