"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : CHARLIE BALLARD SR.

"By George, I think she's got it!" Just in case anyone was curious to know where the above expression came from, the expression is said to have originated from a line in the popular musical,"My Fair Lady." Well, on that note, let me inform everyone about a recent action of the Louisiana State Congress involving the "NEW JACK CITY" that was established a couple of years ago, in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is known as ST. GEORGE. "A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THE LOUISIANA STATE CONGRESS APPROVED A BILL ESTABLISHING THE ST. GEORGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH THE SAME AUTHORITY THAT A PARISH NOW HAS!" Come to find out, the Bill passed,"WITHOUT SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ACTUALLY VOTING FOR OR AGAINST THE BILL!" Truth be told,They simply didn't bother to vote, which is the complete opposite of what they keep telling the Citizens of Louisiana to do when it's time to Vote them into office! On the other hand, it shouldn't come as such a surprise, "BEING THAT 10 YEARS AGO, MEMBERS OF THE LOUISIANA STATE CONGRESS WERE ALLOWED TO GO IN AND CHANGE THEIR VOTE ON A BILL, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER THEY HAD VOTED THE OPPOSITE WAY!" Just think, these are the same people who get to decide the education and overall welfare of the Citizens, in all of Louisiana! Now, Ain't that A Biscuit! With that said, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer, Charlie Ballard Sr., who was a land owner in Ouachita Parish. It was reported that Charlie and his family moved to Monroe from North Carolina, sometime between 1888 and 1898. It should interest many citizens in Monroe to know that the land that Charlie purchased in the late 1800s, "JUST HAPPENS TO BE WHERE THE BLACK SUBDIVISION, KNOWN AS PINE BAYOU IS CURRENTLY LOCATED." When Charlie bought the land, it was known as Sixteen Section, and often referred to as Bristle Ridge. Additionally, in 1913, Charlie's son, Ben Ballard married Mattie Brown, possibly from the family of Browns in Richwood, Louisiana. When I say that they bought land, I'm not talking about a measly 4 or 5 acres, the father bought 75 acres and the son bought 185 acres. To help pay the land off, they used a system known as the "HALF HAND," whereby the tenants living on their land would split the crops raised 50/50. Something else that stood out when I read about Charlie Ballard was how he, along with his son and a few other Negroes founded "UNION HILL BAPTIST CHURCH, on Highway 15. Furthermore, the church stands today as a remembrance as well as a Testimony to what our Black Ancestors have been able to accomplish throughout the years!