"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : FORMER MONRO BARBERSHOP OWNER BENNERSON STAMPER

"If Knowledge Can Make A Man Unfit To Be A Slave as Frederick Douglas said, then Research Can Certainly Make A Man Unfit To Be Fooled and Manipulated by Main Stream Media!" -Garry O'Dell Blanson While I was researching online, I came across one of Mayor Oliver Ellis's campaign promises that he made during his first run for Mayor of Monroe, Louisiana, but hasn't been able to keep! In an interview with a local television station in Monroe, he talked about how he learned that many citizens in Monroe felt like White Citizens and Black Citizens were divided as well as the City itself, and that he was going to work hard at fixing the division. No offense to the Mayor, but after "OVER FOUR and A HALF YEARS" of him being in office, Black Citizens and White Citizens in Monroe are "EVEN MORE DIVIDED THAN THEY WERE BEFORE HE TOOK OFFICE!" Not only that, but recently Mayor Ellis took it upon himself to persuade Senator Cathey to amend a bill that essentially transfers the authority to elect a new Fire Marshal from the Monroe City Council to the Governor of Louisiana. It's no wonder that many Black and White Citizens of Monroe view this blatant type of behavior by Mayor Ellis as extremely reprehensible! Additionally, it reminds me of the time during his first term in office, when he tried to move the date and time of a regular Monroe City Council Meeting, so that many Black Citizens could not attend the Council Meeting concerning the Council's Vote "about a stipend to be awarded to his friend, Michael Echols." Furthermore, it seems that now that Black Council Members are beginning to gain more power and authority, the Mayor feels that he needs to undermine their efforts, by any means necessary, including using Louisiana State Senators to introduce and pass bills that totally disrupt the policies and procedures of the Monroe City Council. Well, that's enough about Monroe's egotistical Mayor, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer! Bennerson Stamper was born on August 5, 1935, in Grayson, Louisiana to Frank and Lillie Stamper. After graduating from Union Central High School in Columbia, Louisiana, Bennerson enrolled at Southern University. However, before he was able to graduate, financial circumstances and family concerns led him to take a job working at the Brown Paper Mill in West Monroe, which is now Graphic Packaging. When he wasn't at work, his dad, who was a Barber, would always encourage Bennerson to cut hair on the side. "One day, Bennerson decided that his time was worth more than he was being paid at the paper mill!" Therefore, he decided to quit his job and go to Barber School instead. The Barber College that he chose was Tyler Barber College, which was located in Tyler, Texas. Once he graduated, he began working at Benjamin's Barbershop, which was located on North 6th Street in Monroe. After apprenticing, what many young Black Men in Monroe did before going to college became so popular, Bennerson was able to open his own Barbershop on North 7th Street in Monroe. Later, he went on to open two more Barbershops in Monroe, one at 3310 Renwick Street and another at 3009 Burg Jone Lane, in Monroe. Throughout the 70's, 80, and 90s, Bennerson trained and mentored thousands of aspiring Barbers, including Dawana Collins Foster & Wardell Coward. Finally, Bennerson was a member of the American Legion, a member of the Prince Hall Masons, and a faithful, dedicated member of St.Joseph Missionary Baptist Church, in West Monroe, Louisiana. Sadly, on September 5, 2007, after rendering "50 PLUS YEARS " of service in the Black Community as a Barber, and "OVER 20 YEARS" as a School Bus Driver, Bennerson Stamper took his eternal rest in Heaven!