"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE'" . ORETHA CASTLE HALEY, President of The New Orleans Chapter of C.O.R.E., From 1961 - 1964

"Everything You Are and Possess Today, Whether Good or Bad, Will Pass Down To Those Who Come After You" - Paul J. Meyer Never would I have thought that my accepting to help a friend with an out of town assignment that I would learn that Morris Henry Carroll, the former principal of Carroll High School in Monroe, Louisiana, was one of "THE FIRST BLACK REAL-ESTATE MOGULS" in Monroe, Louisiana!!! Well, when we recently traveled to the Town of Tallulah, Louisiana, we met a former resident of Monroe by the name of Albertine Collins Johnson, who was one of "THE FIRST BLACK" Librarians in Monroe. As a matter of fact, she was trained by non-other-than Mrs. O. Richardson McDonald! Well, Albertine was able to confirm that Henry Carroll once owned a bunch of properties throughout Monroe. As a matter of fact, Albertine said that many of the teachers who taught at Carroll High School rented from Henry Carroll when he was the principal. By the way, the name of Henry Carroll 's Real-Estate Company was,"Better Home Realty Company," and it was located at 3010 Renwick Street, just up the road from Carroll High School, near the old Popeyes Chicken joint and King of Wings. Once again, this is something that I am just now learning.You would think that news as big as this would be taught at Carroll High and Carroll Jr. High Schools, but it isn't! Furthermore, as the older generations of Blacks in the City of Monroe die off, who is going to continue to inform Black People in Monroe about "OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE?" If you know me, you know that I could go on and on about this, but it's time for me to inform everyone about this week's Black Pioneer. Oretha Castle Haley was born on July 22, 1939 in Oakland, Tennessee. Sometime before her 8th birthday, her family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1958, Oretha graduated from Joseph S. Clark High School. From there, Oretha enrolled at Southern University of New Orleans. However, during her Junior year, she and a few of her friends decided to participate in the Civil Rights Movement as well as form The New Orleans Chapter of The C.O.R.E. Organization. As President of the New Orleans Chapter of C.O.R.E., Oretha led local boycotts in New Orleans, and setup sit-ins that led to the integration of lunch counters throughout the city. In 1963, John Reddix, a Black Man who was the local President of the Monroe Chapter of The NAACP requested that C.O.R.E., Congress of Racial Equality, send members to Monroe, Louisiana, to help with "A VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE." In 1964, Oretha was sent as a representative from the New Orleans Chapter of C.O.R.E. that she had helped organize. Upon her arrival to Monroe, Oretha served as a Field Secretary for the group. Additionally, the local C.O.R.E. office in Monroe that Oretha worked out of was located at 103 North 10th Street. Strangely, when The Monroe Chapter of C.O.R.E. closed, all of the records were boxed up and sent to the University of Wisconsin. Not too long after President Lydon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the New Orleans Chapter of C.O.R.E. ended up closing and Oretha decided to return to Southern University of New Orleans to complete the requirements for acquiring her degree. Between 1965 and 1967, Oretha earned her college degree and married nationally known "Civil Rights Activist and C.O.R.E. Attorney Richard Haley." Along with her accomplishment in helping raise their four boys, Oretha was instrumental in the accomplishment of several things in the City of New Orleans. First, she helped establish the New Orleans Chapter of the Sickle Cell Foundation ; Secondly, she helped stop the the city officials in New Orleans from building a bridge that would have displaced over 3,500 citizens, mainly Black residents ; Thirdly, she successfully took on the New Orleans Recreation Department to integrate the public parks system ; and Lastly, she headed and led the election campaign of Dorothy Mae Taylor, "Louisiana's First black female legislator!" Sadly, on October 10,1987, after years of fighting for Civil Rights for her people, and then having to fight cancer as well, Oretha Castle Haley passed away at the tender age of 48. To honor her memory, City officials in New Orleans renamed the blocks of Dryades St. between Howard and St. Philip, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, and two years ago, her home in Orleans Parish was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" . ABRAHAM "Jack" HENDERSON JR.

As some of our Black Youth in Monroe, Louisiana are celebrating the recent High School Basketball Championships of local High Schools in Monroe, I stumbled across information about a "NOW "DEFUNCT SEGREGATED" government program that was setup for "Young Black Men and other Non-White Young Men in Louisiana" that was known as the "Bayou Boys State Program." Surprisingly, this is the very first time that I have ever heard about this old government program! The main reason that I was so surprised is because it was held on "the campus of Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana." The program began in 1949, almost 10 years after the government youth program that was setup for "White's Only," which was known as the Pelican State Boys Program. As far as I can tell, the two youth programs were setup to provide young men with an environment where they could learn about the Louisiana political system as well as political processes. The groups even held an election for the position of Governor for each program.The programs sort of reminds me of another program that was established by The National Baptist Association for Black Youth in the 1980s and 1990s, which was also held on the campus of Southern University. It was known as the "Louisiana Baptist Youth Encampment," and it was always well attended by thousands of mostly Black Youth from all over Louisiana and other states. Well, after integration made it's way through Louisiana in 1970, the Bayou Boys State Program merged with the Pelican State Boys Program to form what is now known as the Louisiana Boys State Program. When the two programs merged, there were hopes that the color of people faces would no longer be the determining factor in Louisiana Government Election Races. I hope everyone enjoyed this interesting piece of information, now on to this week's Black Pioneer! Abraham Henderson Jr. was born on June 18, 1947, in West Monroe, Louisiana. Abraham was reared in the Trenton area of West Monroe, and he was a long-time member of Trenton Baptist Church. In 1965, he graduated from Richardson High School in West Monroe. Later he enrolled at Grambling State University, but eventually enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Abraham's tour of duty in the Navy expanded some 27 years. A short list of his accomplishments included : Earning his College B.S. Degree from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe ; His service in the Vietnam War ; His Distinction as being the First Black Navy Recruiter in Monroe ; and when he was initiated as a Master Mason on December 20, 1972 into the Trenton Lodge #195 Free Masons, Prince Hall Affiliation of West Monroe, Louisiana. Sadly, on Wednesday January 15, 2020, after decades of rendering honorable service to his country and his community, Abraham Henderson Jr. passed on to glory.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" ATTORNEY LOUIS BERRY

Recently, I came across a legal term known as,"Racial Polarization." Although you don't really hear the term used that much anymore, the term actually goes all the way back to the 1860s! It seems that the term started soon after the American Civil War, before the passage of the 15th Amendment. Not only that, but the term was also connected to what was known as, "Racial Polarized Voting." You see, Racial Polarized Voting played a big part in the passage and ratification of the 15th Amendment. Additionally, the term was widely used here in Monroe, Louisiana, during the 1970s when several Upstanding Black Men were trying to win election to public offices. Racial Polarization came up in the election for Commissioner of Streets, when Richard O. Miles ran for election in 1972, and again when Rev. John L. Russell ran for Commissioner of Finance, in 1972. By the way, the term was still being tossed around in 1976 when former Carroll High School Principal Morris Henry Carroll ran for Commissioner of Public Works. Finally, Racial Polarization and Racial Polarized Voting was referred to in the Famous Class Action Lawsuit,"Ausberry versus the City of Monroe," on behalf of the Black Citizens of Monroe that occurred in the 1970s. After reading the lawsuit online, I have to admit that some of the accusations mentioned backed then, are still going on in Louisiana today, in 2025! With that said, on to this week's Black Pioneer. Louis Berry was born October 9, 1914, in Alexandria Louisiana. He was the son of Frank Berry Sr., a tailor and grocer in Alexandria. In 1941, Louis graduated from Howard University's School of Law. By the way, it May interest you to know that on August 1, 1945, "Louis was the first Negro admitted to practice Law in the State of Louisiana for almost 20 years!" Up until then, a Negro by the name of A.P. Tureaud was the last Black person to be admitted to practice Law in Louisiana, back in 1927. A turning point in Louis's career came in 1947, when Southern University opened it's new Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Louis was elated when he was chosen to serve on the faculty at Southern University! However, a few years later, he decided to return to Alexandria to practice Law there. According to reports, when Louis made it back to Alexandria, he became the first and only Negro Lawyer in Alexandria at that time. Along with being a lawyer, Louis was also a Civil Rights Activist. He worked side by side with most of the BLACK ministers in Alexandria. to help register Negroes to vote! A local Alexandria newspaper credited Louis and his activism for helping improve the living conditions and voting turnouts in the Black Communities of Alexandria. Near the end of his life, Louis was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, located in Winnfield, Louisiana. Finally, on May 3, 1998, Louis Berry, a Champion for Justice and Equality for Black People, passed away in Lafayette, Louisiana. I a line saying, 'You've been informed...." Is that part of your column? Once I open the email, it disappears. If that is something that needs to be added, please resend. Thank You! Shalivia Monroe Free Press 507 N. 17 St. | Monroe, LA 71201 T(318) 388-1310 F(318) 388-2911 www.monroefreepress.com Show quoted text

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" C.S. GUNDY and MRS. JESSIE W. GUNDY

"When We Choose Community over Chaos, We recognize the disparities that exist for Black People in America, not only with respect to COVID-19, but in healthcare as a whole." - Marcus Goodloe, PHD A racial divide at in America, a foreign war with mounting American casualties, an economic disparity expanding across the nation like a raging wildfire—from inner city streets to Native American reservations, the sweltering backroads of the American South, and the Appalachian trails of the Northeast, "all amidst a political divide offering little hope for a triumphant future." Undoubtedly, many people who read the statements above can't help but think that I'm describing conditions in America, in 2025! However, the statements were actually made by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967, the same year he wrote his last book,"Where Do We Go From Here : Chaos or Community?" Well, the thing that's really shocking is that even though it has been more than 55 years since Rev. King first talked about the conditions above, "America and Black People are still dealing with these same things in 2025!" Also, I would like to add that on YouTube, there's a very short interesting Martin Luther King Jr. video called, "We're Coming to Get Our Check," where Rev. King expounds about some of the other things that were going on right before he was assassinated in 1968 ; things that are still going on in America today. Since there's not enough time to talk about it all, let's move on to this week's Black Pioneers! Although, I didn't find much information on C.S. Gundy and his wife, Mrs. Jessie W. Gundy, there was information that connected both of them to the Simms and Gundy Funeral Homes that were in Tallulah, Rayville, and Monroe, Louisiana. Also, both were connected to the People's Progressive Burial Insurance Company that operated in conjunction with their funeral homes. While C.S. Gundy was listed as Vice-President, Mrs. Jessie W. Gundy was listed as being the Treasurer as well as the Secretary. Through their funeral and burial operations, they were able to service many areas of Northeast Louisiana for almost 75 years! Since it was a family business, there were several other family members who were involved in the day to day operations. One of their daughters, Marion G. Hill, was the main contact person for the Rayville Funeral Home location, and their other daughter, Dorothy Bell-Gundy Washington, served on the Board of Directors. They also had a son by the name of William Sills Gundy, who serve as Funeral Director at the Tallulah Funeral Home location, before he was shot to death by police, in Tallulah, Louisiana, on March 27, 1958. Additionally, their grandson, Dwayne J. Hill, the son of Willie Lee Hill and Marion Gundy Hill, served as a mortician in the family business, before he was sentenced to serve life at the Angola State Penitentiary on March 16, 1991. In closing, I too would like to ask the question that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked before he died, which was, "Where Do We Go From Here?"