"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : WALTER H. WILLIAMS

                                                                                                          As we look back on the History of the first Schools for Colored Children in Monroe, Louisiana and Ouachita Parish that were setup following the American Civil War,      the school that stands out is, "The WIsner School," started by Richard Barrington. However, let us not forget that there were several other Schools for Colored Children that came before the WIsner School.            You see, there was about a 4 - 5 year period in between when President Abraham Lincoln first signed the legislation for the establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau, which was to provide relief, education, and legal assistance to formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South, before the WIsner School came into existence. Sadly, the records of the temporary Colored Schools that were once located in Monroe, Louisiana from 1865 - 1869, are no longer readily available in Monroe!!! Although the records and pictures of the Former Freedmen Schools aren't readily available anymore,for the citizens of Monroe to study and learn from, their importance and the vital role they once played in the Educating of Black Citizens and Black Children of Monroe, following the American Civil War, will long be remembered by future generation.Now, on to this week's Black Pioneer, Walter H. Williams! One thing that's different about this week's Black Pioneer is that he was actually born in Toronto. Canada. You see, way before Walter was born, his father, Reason Williams, decided to escape to Canada,"WHERE HE COULD TRULY LIVE AS A FREE MAN! Therefore, In 1825,  Reason Williams moved from the state of Virginia to Canada. Although Reason Williams never returned to America, his two sons, William and Moses, returned to America to take part the "THE GREAT RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOUTH," shortly after the American Civil War. Before the Winter of 1867,  William had settled down in Lafayette, Louisiana. Although there have been disputes as to who was the very first Black School Teacher for The Freedmen's Bureau, most reports state that William H. Williams was the first Black Canadian to officially be Appointed by the Freedmen's Bureau to teach Colored Children in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Feb. 3, 1868.     Even though Walter had to endure opposition and hard trials from White Citizens in Lafayette, he was able to keep on going! Additionally, Walter was even more encouraged when his brother, Moses Williams, who was also a School Teacher decided to come and join him in his efforts to teach the Colored Students in Lafayette. Since both Walter and Moses Williams could speak French as well as English, they were able to breakdown many of the barriers in communication that had existed in the community. Furthermore, it was reported that he had 40 or more Colored Students in his class. Two of the main things that lead to the end of Freedmen Schools in Louisiana were : by 1872, the Freedmen's Bureau had begun to release responsibility of teaching Colored Children to Missionary Organizations ; and in 1872, the Louisiana Congress failed to renew funding for the Freedmen Schools in Louisiana. By the way, in 1872, Walter married Pearl Gennieve Doucet, the daughter of Jouchan and Delia (Michel) Doucet, the couple ended up having 7 children together. When the Freedmen  Schools closed, Walter went on teaching in other public and private schools, in Louisiana, until the mid-1880s. Following  his Career as a School Teacher, Walter went on to serve approximately 12 years, as a public servant at the U.S. Custom House, at the Port of New Orleans, but he later returned to teaching in Lafayette, Louisiana. Regretfully, Walter H. Williams was killed in 1902, during a dispute with a White Man in the pop bottling business, over the amount of money Walter was to receive for returning some pop bottles. Of course, the White merchant was acquitted for murdering Walter!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : MADAM M.E.D. HOCKENHULL "PART - TWO of A TWO PART SERIES"

                                                                                                     Welcome back Everyone! Before I end the suspense and reveal the information about Isac Gray Hockenhull that I promised everyone in my last article,"I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT THE "RECALL EFFORTS" OF MAYOR OLIVER ELLIS HAVE OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!!                         With that said, let me share the special information about Isac Gray Hockenhull as well as more information about his enterprising mother, MaI would like to announce that dam M.E.D. Hockenhull! I was very surprised to learn that Isac ended up meeting & marrying a nice young Negro lady that has been featured throughout the United States. While she is known mainly for her stunning voice and her fantastic singing ability, this young lady also shined when she would assist Isac and his mother in their Hair Care and Beauty Business. Additionally, her fame and her name is known all over the world! Who was this young Negro Lady, the one who was known simply as,"Isac Hockenhull 's wife, from 1936 to 1941, while they were married. "WELL, MAYBE IF I MENTION THAT SHE HAD THE HONOR OF SINGING TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING MILLIONS OF HER FANS & ADMIRERS AT THE 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON, HER NAME WILL ROLL OFF YOUR TONGUES LIKE THAT!" If your answer was "MAHALIA JACKSON, THE QUEEN OF GOSPEL," you are absolutely correct! Ok, now let's get back to Isac's mother, "Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull." Soon after marrying her second husband, Robert Hockenhull, the couple opened, owned, and operated the very first Hotel for Colored People, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. However, it seems that once the Hotel was running smoothly, Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull opened her own Beauty Store called,"Ladies Choice Millinery Store and Beauty Parlor." Ladies, imagine being a Colored Woman around 1910, and walking into a store where there was a plethora of products, ranging from hats and handmade dresses to hair and beauty products of all sorts! By the way, in addition to  all the other products that she offered, she actually manufactured and offered her own hair care line as well. Furthermore, like her contemporaries, Madam C.J.Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone, she founded a Beauty School, where she taught her Hair and Beauty System to Negro girls & women. In 1913, word about Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull 's business and the success that she was having in Pine Bluff got to the Famed Educator, Booker T. Washington.In 1914, a little over a year before his death in 1915, he sent a letter to her requesting her to be one of the guest speakers at The 15th Annual Convention of The National Negro Business League that was going to be held in Muskegon Oklahoma.Needless to say, she glady accepted Booker T. Washington's invitation, "AND IN 1914 MADAM M.E.D. HOCKENHULL JOINED MADAM C.J.WALKER, AS BEING TWO OF THE FIRST NEGRO WOMEN TO EVER SPEAK AT A NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE CONVENTION!" Interestingly, not only did Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull give her speech at the convention, she also put on a fashion clinic, displaying several of the latest styles of her  handmade dresses as well as her other products that she  manufactured for the convention. By the time the convention ended, everyone at the convention was raving about Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull and her fabulous dresses! For unknown  reasons, in the early 1920s, she divorced Robert Hockenhull and arranged for her and Isaac to move to Chicago, Illinois, where with the assistance of Isaac, and later, Mahalia Jackson Hockenhull, she continued making her fine products, and teaching  her Hair & Beauty System! Sadly, on December 18, 1937, after teaching thousands of Negro Women her Hair & Beauty System, Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull departed this world, but while she was here she blazed a trail for other Black Female Beauticians to follo

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : MADAM M.E.D. HOCKENHULLL "PART - ONE of A TWO SERIES"

                                                                                      Perhaps, if you are over the age of 50,     you may have heard of the ambiguous old saying,"If you want to hide something from a Negro, put it in a book!" Well, when I was in school, I think the people in Louisiana who were in charge of selecting the content that went into the history books at the schools that I attended, on the Southside  of Monroe must have felt that it was "JUST AS EASY TO LEAVE INFORMATION OUT OF SCHOOL HISTORY BOOKS ALL TOGETHER!" Therefore, to help everyone understand just what I'm referring to, I decided to list the name of several prominent Black People who once lived right here in Monroe, Louisiana,"BUT NONE OF THEIR NAMES MADE IT INTO ANY OF THE HISTORY BOOKS AT THE SCHOOLS IN MONROE." Furthermore, I would like to make it clear that these Black Pioneers helped paved the way for Black People living in Monroe today!!! For instance, Richard Barrington,    the former slave of Louisiana Senator Solomon W. Downs, who ended up buying the headstone for his former Slave-master's grave, and helped establish the WIsner School that later became Carroll High School ; Anthony Overton Sr., who helped organize one of the first schools in Ouachita Parish for Colored Children, in 1867 ; Anthony Overton ll, who had one of the largest Black-Owned Businesses in Chicago, around 1925 ; Doctors John T. Miller and Joseph C. Roy Jr., who had the Historic Miller-Roy Building built in 1929 ; Gertrude Ammons, who was the first Black supervisor of instruction in the Ouachita Parish School System, in 1931 ; Samuel B. Fuller, who was a well-established Black Businessman,"AND PART OF HIS LIFE STORY WAS INCLUDED IN ONE OF THE ALL-TIME BEST SELLING BOOKS ON SUCCESS TITLED, SUCCESS THROUGH A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE," which was written by Napoleon Hill & W. Clement Stone ; Mary Ann Cook, who ran her own private school for Colored Children, in Monroe ; Solomon Lee Robinson, who was the father of Monroe Educators B.D. Robinson, Zettie Robinson Beckwith, Mary Frances Robinson Goins, and former Sickle Cell Director Vivian Robinson Hester ; Ibra "January The Tailor" January, one of the leading Negro tailors in Monroe ; William Medlock, who owned a funeral home, and ran a construction company ; Maceio Dunn, who owned and ran his own funeral casket  company ;  Abraham Bowie Sr., who owned and operated his own restaurant on Desiard Street ; James "SON" Starks, whose Motel was located in the Miller-Roy Building on Desiard Street ; and Dr. Raymond O. Pierce, who owned and operated Pierce Pharmacy on Desiard  Street, along with his daughter Arnetta Pierce, who was the first Black Female Pharmacist in Monroe.These are just a few of the many Black Pioneers whose names and accomplishments that I feel should have been included in the books at the schools in Monroe, Louisiana!             By the way, I could go on for days about the influential Black People who weren't included in the history books, at the schools in Monroe, but I must move on to this week's Black Pioneer, "Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull!" You know, it's bewildering to think that a Colored Woman such as Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull, who was a Pioneer in the  development of hair and beauty products for Colored Women throughout America, and was a  Contemporary of such hair and beauty Pioneers as,"MADAM C.J. WALKER AND ANNIE TURNBO MALONE," could be excluded from the history books that were issued to the schools in Monroe, Louisiana! Also, to add insult to injury, not only wasn't her name put in any of the school history books,"BUT RARELY IS HER NAME MENTIONED, DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAMS, AT ANY OF THE SCHOOLS IN LOUISIANA!" With all that said, Madam M.E.D. Hockenhull was welcomed into the world in Como, Mississippi - Panola County, on May 13,1873, to United States Colored Troops Civil War Veteran, Edward Danner Sr. and Louisa B.Danner. Her parents decided to name her, Martha "Mattie" Ella Danner. As for her education, Martha received her early  schooling at various schools for Colored Children in Panola County.  Although she dropped out of school, Martha had skills and was very creative. She could sew very well, and she even thought about becoming a fashion designer! However, many of her close family and friends influenced her to pursue a teaching career. In case some of you all didn't know, back in the early 1900s, many School Systems in the United States would allow a person to take an examination to become a teacher,"MEANING THAT A COLLEGE DEGREE WAS NOT REQUIRED FOR HER TO GET A JOB AS A TEACHER!" Nevertheless, after teaching in Panola County for a couple of years, Martha met, fell in love with, and married a preacher by the name of Reverend John Gray. From this union, a male child was born, who they named Isaac Gray. As fate would have it, Martha divorced her husband and moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with her son Isac."PLEASE BE SURE AND LOOK OUT FOR NEXT WEEK'S PART-TWO CLIMAX OF OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE ARTICLE, TO DISCOVER SOMETHING ABOUT ISAC THAT MANY BLACK PEOPLE IN MONROE LOUISIANA DO NOT EVEN KNOW!"           Now, back to our story. Within two years of divorcing her former husband, Martha was in love again and had found a new love, and his name was Robert Hockenhull. Robert was an astute Businessman, and he was smart to include Martha as his Business Partner. Additionally, Robert decided to adopt Isaac and Isaac adopted the Hockenhull name! "TO BE CONTINUED, PLEASE STAY TUNED!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : FORMER PASTORS OF THE FORGOTTEN NEGRO, "BRIGHT OAK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH" OF MONROE, LOUISIANA

                                                                            .                      "The people who had Martin Luther King Jr. killed thought that by killing the DREAMER, they could kill the DREAM,but they couldn't!"                                                                                                                                                       Sometime from 1955 - 1962,"THE PEOPLE IN MONROE, LOUISIANA THAT WERE BEHIND THE DISPLACEMENT OF NEGROES FROM THE OLD NEGRO NEIGHBORHOOD OF BRIGHT OAK, IN MONROE, LOUISIANA THOUGHT THAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF BLACK PEOPLE IN MONROE WOULD NOT FIND OUT ABOUT THE EVIL THAT THEY DID!" What they did caused a good number of Negro families in Monroe, Louisiana to be displaced from their homes. You see,it seems that Negroes in Monroe were told that they had to sell their land to the Louisiana State Highway Department, because of a pending highway project. However, after all was said and done,"MOSTLY ALL THAT WAS BUILT ON THE LAND THAT THEY SOLD WERE WHITE BUSINESSES ; TOWNHOUSES FOR WEALTHY WHITE PEOPLE ; A NEW SCHOOL FOR WHITE STUDENTS, ROBERT E. LEE JR. HIGH SCHOOL ; AND A NEW OUACHITA PARISH LIBRARY THAT WAS FOR WHITES ONLY!" For all of those who don't believe what you just read, all you have to do is ask some of the older adults, Black and White, or you can perform a thorough research. Thankfully, I was able to learn about what happened from one of my old church members, Bernard Menyweather, who had lived in "THE OLD NEGRO NEIGHBORHOOD OF BRIGHT OAK." Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me provide everyone with a brief rundown of the names of a few of The former Pastors of Bright Oak Missionary Baptist Church. Although I wasn't able to find out the year that the church  was founded, I was able to come up with the names of several of the former Pastors of the church. In the late 1940s, Reverend Lewis J. Jacobs was elected Pastor of  Bright Oak Missionary Baptist Church.     Next, there was Reverend Felix Thompson, followed by Reverend William H. Ellis, and lastly, Reverend A. T. Thomas, who was Pastor of The Bright Oak Missionary Baptist Church when it was "OFFICIALLY INCORPORATED," back in 1959! Interestingly, along with Pastor  A.T. Thomas's name,  three Deacons names also appear on the Document to Incorporate the church. The Deacons names were :  James Monroe Menyweather, Tom Beavers, and Charles Tippit. Hopefully, in the coming months, more and more people will come forth with more information on the former Pastors of The Bright Oak Missionary Baptist Church! In closing, I would like for it to be known and recorded that there are probably less than 100 Black People presently living who actually lived in The Old Negro Neighborhood of BRIGHT OAK, one of them is Bernard Menyweather, who currently resides in Monroe, and a Black Lady by the name of Virginia Adams, who currently is living with family members in Texas is an

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : ST. JOSEPH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH OF WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE"  :                                                                    ST. JOSEPH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH OF WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA                                                                                          INTERESTING  FACT : "One of the previous Our Rich Black Heritage Black Pioneers, Deacon Bennerson Stamper was a dedicated member of St. Joseph"