"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : BURG JONES," The Colored Man Who Once Owned Multiple Properties On Burg Jones Lane As Well As The Land Where Berg Jones Lane Elementary School Was Built in Monroe, Louisiana"

 

                                                                                                                                                                    If you were to ask most Black People in Monroe, Louisiana just who is Berg Jones Lane Elementary School named for, many of them would probably say that the school's name came from the name of the street. However, this answer leads us to the question,"WHERE DID THE STREET GET IT'S NAME FROM?" To the surprise of many Black People in Monroe,"BOTH THE STREET AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL IS NAMED FOR A COLORED MAN BY THE NAME OF BURG JONES!" As a matter of fact, current Monroe City Councilman Verbon Muhammad said that during the years when he served as a Monroe City School Board Member, he repeatedly tried to get the spelling of Berg Jones Lane Elementary changed to coinside with the spelling of the name of the street, and Mr. Burg Jones name. Also, according to reliable sources, the spelling of the school's name should have been spelled,"BURG JONES LANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL," not Berg Jones Lane Elementary School! By the way, as I was researching online, I found an article from 2020, "BY A MONROE NEWSTAR REPORTER NAMED BONNIE BOLDEN," who was also curious as to why the name is misspelled! In her article, Bonnie said that she even went to the extent of getting Brent Vidrine's secretary, "LAURA JACOBS" to go back and look up the year when Berg Jones Lane Elementary School was built, to try and see if she could find any information as to why the name of the school was misspelled. However, she wasn't able to find a reason for the blatant error! I guess that this  incident is similar to how people get their names misspelled on their "BIRTH CERTIFICATES." Oh well, on to this week's Black Pioneer, Burg Jones! Although I couldn't find any information online about Burg's early life or education, it was reported that as early as 1897, Burg Jones  was purchasing land in Monroe. Also, an online article stated that between 1883 and 1946,"THERE WERE MORE THAN 20 SEPARATE PROPERTY ACQUISITION TRANSACTIONS LISTED UNDER THE NAME OF BURG JONES!" Furthermore, "THANKS TO THE 1976 BI-CENTENNIAL REPORT THAT B.D. ROBINSON AND THE BLACK BI-CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE PUBLISHED IN 1976, I was able to learn that Burg Jones was a part of a collection of prominent Colored People living in Monroe, Louisiana, in the early 1900s.You see, as a Businessman, Burg realize that owning land was just as important as getting an Education! Again, according to the report, he was a strong believer in God, and he believed in participating in local civic activities that impacted the lives of Colored Citizens in Monroe. Interestingly enough, sometime before or after his death, Burg Jones Road was rename Burg Jones Lane. One last thing,"IN THE 1976 BI-CENTENNIAL REPORT," two of Burg Jones descendants , were mentioned. One of them was Herbert Sullivan Brice, and Herbert's grandfather, Albert Jones Brice was the other. In closing, I would like to say,"I wish that Black People in Monroe would unite and organize NEW BLACK ORGANIZATIONS, NEW BLACK COMMITTEES, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY NEW PASSIONATE BLACK LEADERS THAT TRULY CARE ABOUT OUR BLACK CAUSE, EVEN IF THEY RECEIVE LITTLE MONEY, PUBLICITY, or APPLA

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : PYTHINA "PYE" BROWN.

 "The Education of The Negro has become the Perfect device for Control(by the American Government) from Without" Carter G. Woodson                                                                                                                                      What if I told you that the "VERY  SYSTEM" that Black People in Monroe, Louisiana have come to think of as the "GREAT EQUALIZER" that was supposed  to "LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD" is the very same "SYSTEM" that has been used as a device to Control and Oppress Black People from without for "OVER 150 YEARS?"                Well, Garry Blanson, please don't keep everyone in suspense, tell us what Institution you're referring to! Ok, since you all are curious to know, the "GREAT SYSTEM" is non-other than "THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM!" Before I go any further, let me speak on the Carter G. Woodson's quote about how the Education of The Negro is a perfect device for Control of the Negro from without.                         You see,"CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST BLACK PEOPLE IN MONROE HAVE BEEN CONDITIONED TO THINK AND BELIEVE,"Carter G. Woodson believed that The AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM was not designed to EMPOWER BLACK PEOPLE, BUT TO OPPRESS THEM!" How might this be done you ask, "BY CONTROLLING HOW BLACK PEOPLE THINK, OF COURSE!". Additionally, in his great "NEGRO CLASSIC" book,"THE MISEDUCATION OF THE NEGRO,"  Carter G. Woodson said,"WHEN YOU CONTROL A MAN'S THINKING, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HIS ACTIONS, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DETERMINE WHAT A MAN SHALL THINK, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CONCERN YOURSELF ABOUT WHAT HE WILL DO!"  Thus, by controlling how Black People think, "YOU RETARD THEIR POWER TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES," and this is one of the main reasons why I feel that "SCHOOLING," which is MASQUERADED and PARADED throughout our Black Communities in Monroe as "TRUE EDUCATION," continues to hinder the progress and advancement of our Black Communities in Monroe, Louisiana! Therefore, I certainly have to agree with Carter G. Woodson's assertion about The American Education System being a perfect device for Control from without. Now, on to this week's Black Pioneer,Pythina "Pye" Brown! In 1929,        the same year that Martin Luther King Jr. was born, about 9 miles out of Shreveport, Louisiana, in a rural town known as Blanchard, the Brown family welcomed their little baby girl, Pythina "Pye" Brown, into the world! When it came time for Pye to attend school, her father insisted that she attend a city school in Shreveport, which meant that Pye could attend school in Shreveport during the week, and return to her home in Blanchard on the weekends.During her time in school there was a popular saying,"Don't bend the Child to fit the book,Bend the book to fit the Child!"Oh how I wish that the Board of Education Members, Principals, and School  Teachers of today would embrace the sentiment of that Old Adage!                  So through the week, this little country girl would travel all the way to Shreveport to attend Mt. Zion Elementary School, but on the weekends she would return home to be with her parents. When people would ask Pye what she wanted to be when she grew up,"SHE WOULD ALWAYS TELL THEM THAT SHE WAS GOING TO BE A SCHOOL TEACHER!" As a matter of fact, from the very first time she learned about school, she knew that she wanted to be a School Teacher! Interesting, when Pye graduated from High School, she became the first member, on both sides of her family to actually graduate from High School.             By the way, Pye's father had always heard that Grambling College was the place to attend if a Black Student wanted to attain a teaching degree.Therefore, he was going to have her attend Grambling, and get her Teaching Degree, however, Pye had plans of her own! Without telling her father she went and applied to become a teacher in the Lake Charles School System. For some reason or another, her contract from the Lake Charles School System was delayed in the mail to the point that she almost took a teaching job in Caddo Parish, which she really was against doing. Days before she was to become a Teacher in Caddo Parish, something told her to check the mail one last time, and it was a good thing that she did,"FOR  INCLUDED IN THE MAIL FOR HER FAMILY WAS THE TEACHER'S CONTRACT THAT  SHE HAD BEEN EXPECTING!"             A couple of weeks later, Pye began her teaching career at The First Ward Colored School in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she ended up teaching for 17 years. Furthermore, to this day Pythina "Pye" Brown is remembered as A Black Trailblazer and Heroine in the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : DR. CUTHBERT ORMOND SIMPKINS - A Founding Member The Southern Christian Leadership Conference

                                                                                                         Candidly, I would like to state for the record that I feel that the efforts of the NEVILLE CHARTER ASSOCIATION to make Neville High School a Charter School is NOTHING MORE THAN A BLATANT and COVERT ATTEMPT TO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BLACK STUDENTS AT NEVILLE! You see, since the current student population at NEVILLE is approximately 61% Black,  many White Parents aren't enrolling their White Children at the school, even though they currently live in the Neville School Zone. Well, I feel that this matter goes all the way back to the 1965  Andrews vs The City of Monroe "DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT" that was filed, back in 1965, which paved the way for the "VERY FIRST" Black Students to attend Neville High School! Strangely enough, it was the decision handed down in The Andrew Ms vs The City of Monroe Court Case court that lead to the "WHITE FLIGHT" Era at Neville High School. Almost immediately after the court's ruling in the case, many of the White Parents failed to enroll their White Children at Neville, and begin sending their White Children to "SEGREGATED ACADEMIES," which are now known as Private Schools.By the way, currently the White Student Population at Neville is approximately 36%, which makes me suspect that I am right on point about my accusations about The Neville Charter Association's INTENTIONS TO LOWER THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BLACK STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL, BY MAKING NEVILLE A CHARTER SCHOOL! Now that I have said what I said, on to this week's Black Pioneer, Dr. Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins! Cuthbert  was born on January 13, 1925, in Mansfield, Louisiana. While I didn't find any information about his early childhood Education, I did find out that Cuthbert once studied at Wiley College, and that he had graduated from Tennessee State University, with a degree in Dentistry. Additionally, he received his Doctorate of Dentistry Degree from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, which was located in Nashville, Tennessee. Also, during World War ll, he served in the United States Air Force. Upon returning home to the United States from the war, Cuthbert decided to establish his Dentistry Clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana. While working  and living in Shreveport, he couldn't help but notice the excessive racism that plagued the city. Therefore, not being one to just sit idly by, like a spectator, at a football game, he decided that he had to join in the fight for The Civil Rights of The Negro in Shreveport, Louisiana! At a local Civil Rights meeting, he learned that Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was thinking about starting a group to combat the racism going on in the South.Through a mutual connection, he was able to meet with Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and received more information about the group. On January 10, 1957, Cuthbert, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a few others, founded The Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Several other interesting facts about Cuthbert included : his home was bombed by The KLU KLUX KLAN in the early1960s ; he moved to New York after the bombing incident, and stayed there for 26 years ; he returned  to Shreveport Louisiana in the early 1990s and won a seat in the House of Representatives, representing  Districts 4, from 1992 - 1996 ; and before he died, he and his wife donated land for the construction of a Community Clinic to serve Black Citizens in Shreveport. Yes, people  in the South are still talking about Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins and his outstanding contributions to The Civil Rights efforts in Shreveport, Louisiana! Well, it was certainly a sad day on December 4, 2019, when Black People in Shreveport got the news that their beloved Champion for Civil Rights, "Dr.Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins," had transitioned from earth to glory!               Lastly, in 2020, the City Officials of Mansfield, Louisiana honored Cuthbert, by officially renaming their Post Office after h

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : ZELMA C. WYCHE, Affectionately Known As "Mr. Civil Rights of Louisiana," by the Negro Citizens of Tallulah, Louisiana

                                                                                                        Some People in Monroe, Louisiana would  love to try and correct me when they hear me talk of The City of Monroe as being "TWO DISTINCT CITIES!" First, you have the White City of Monroe, then you have The Black City of Monroe. It's no surprise that "WHITE MONROE" always seems to end up with "A MUCH LARGER SHARE" of the City, State, and Federal grants, contracts, funds, and other benefits that come down the turnpike, while "BLACK MONROE" always has to "SETTLE" and "ACCEPT" the "LEFTOVER CRUMBS!" You see, one of the "WEIRDEST THINGS" about the current circumstances in Monroe is that when Mayor Oliver Ellis first announced that he was going to be running for Mayor of Monroe,"HE REPORTEDLY STATED IN AN INTERVIEW WITH A KNOE NEWS REPORTER THAT ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS HE WAS RUNNING FOR MAYOR WAS BECAUSE MANY MONROE RESIDENTS FELT LIKE THE CITY OF MONROE IS A DIVIDED COMMUNITY," AND THAT HE QUOTE,''WANTED TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER OVER THINGS THEY HAVE IN COMMON, SO THEY COULD BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND ADDRESS RACE RELATIONS & DIVISION." What Mayor Oliver Ellis said back then is hunky-dory, mighty-fine,"BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT HE DID NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO FULFILLING HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE TO UNITE THE BLACK AND WHITE CITIZENS OF MONROE! Additionally, all of the recent ridiculous stunts, just within the last 10 months, such as when The Mayor decided to waste "OVER $200,000 THOUSAND DOLLARS" of valuable taxpayers money, on the Reginal Brown Case ;  when he deliberately went out of his way to undermine The Monroe City Council's authority to select The Monroe City Fire Marshal, by involving State Senator Cathey and Governor Jeff Landry ; and just recently, when he persuaded Monroe City Councilman, Doug Harvey to "LEAD A PUSHBACK CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE I-20 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT'S  APPROVAL of A $4.5 MILLION DEAL THAT WOULD ALLOW A BLACK INVESTOR TO BENEFIT FROM I-20 CORRIDOR INFRASTRUCTURE EXPANSIONS," ALL RUN CONTRARY TO MAYOR ELLIS'S CAMPAIGN PROMISE!!! All I can say is that I can certainly understand why some of the "LEADING CITIZENS" of Monroe, Louisiana  have decided to initiate "A RECALL ON MAYOR OLIVER ELLIS!" Enough about all that, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer, Zelma C. Wyche! Zelma was born on January 24, 1918, in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana. Living  in rural town in the early 1909s didn't allow for most young Negro Children to attend school, as a matter of fact, you were considered very fortunate if you could attend school for one month out of the year, let alone nine months! Therefore, most of Zelma 's education came by way of the farm. By the way, in his early Twenties, Zelma became a Barber by trade, but later played a very important role in fighting for  the rights of Negroes in Tallulah as well as fighting for  this country, when he enlisted in the Army, during WWll. After returning home from the war, he went back to his trade, as a Barber, and continuing to fight for the Civil Rights of Negroes in Tallulah. During The many protests that Zelma participated in. he was only arrested 6 times.The most serious arrest happen when he hit a White Doctor at a Truck stop on Highway 80, in Tallulah. Although Zelma was sentenced to serve 4 months in jail, he only served 34 of the days. One day, while cutting hair in his Barber Shop, Zelma got the inclination to run for Police Chief of Tallulah. However, once he qualified to run for election, WHITE POLITICIANS in Tallulah held the election as a "SPECIAL ELECTION," rather than as a regular election,"A POLITICAL TACTIC THAT'S STILL BEING USED AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE TO THIS VERY DAY," which confused most of the Negro Voters in Tallulah. Once Zelma found out about what had been done, he sued for another election to be held. Thankfully, he won his lawsuit, and he also won the next election for Police Chief, and on June 26, 1969, Zelma was sworn in and took his position as "The Newly Elected Police Chief of Tallulah, Louisiana!" Interestingly, his tenure  as Police lasted all the way up until June 30, 1978. Finally, in 1985, for a "SWAN SONG," Zelma  decided to throw this hat in the Race to become the next Mayor of the town of Tallulah. Surprisingly, he ended up receiving almost 56 percent of the votes, in winning the election, and he officially took office in 1986. On September 24, 1999, Zelma C. Wyche, "Mr. Civil Rights of Louisiana," Long-term Police Chief and former Mayor of the town of Tallulah, went home to ever be with the Lord! How Did I come across all this information you ask? Well, it's simple, I read it online, of course!