“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : MORDECAI WYATT JOHNSON

In 1991, Michael Jackson had a hit song called “Black or White.” It went something like this, “Now, I believe in miracles, and a miracle has happened tonight, Hee! - but, if you’re thinking about my baby, It don’t matter if you’re Black or White! Regretfully, in America, it does “STILL” seem to matter if you’re Black or White. It matters so much that a rule was used to determine whether people were considered White or another race. Although the “One Drop Blood Rule” wasn’t codified as law until the 20th century, it was used in 1926 when Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was installed as President of Howard University on June 26, 1926[ Note : Howard University is known as “The Black Harvard” of HBCUs ]. Even in 2022, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson remains one of the most “overlooked” Negro Leaders of The 20th Century. He was born on January 4, 1890 in Paris, Tennessee, to the Reverend Wyatt and Carolyn Freeman Johnson{ both of his parents were former slaves }. After his mother’s death, he decided that he would become a preacher. Later, he earned his BA from Atlanta Baptist College—now Morehouse College. Not long after his arrival at Atlanta Baptist College,there was a Race-riot. Clearly,he didn’t participate in the horrible Atlanta “1906 Race-riot,” but he never was able to forget the violence and turmoil that he witnessed! He later went on to form a strong bond with the President of Atlanta Baptist College, John Hope. When he graduated, the President offered him a teaching job at the University. Furthermore,he is best known for becoming the first Negro President of Howard University, and for having served in the position as President the longest( he served as President of Howard University from 1926 - 1960 ). Although, he was an Educator, he was also a Baptist Preacher. In 1917, he became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Charleston, West Virginia.Also, he was considered to be one of the three leading African-American preachers of the early 20th-century, along with Vernon Johns and Howard Thurman. Going by appearance and skin color alone, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson could easily “PASS”[ many Negroes of light skin complexion actually passed themselves off as being white, lived in White neighborhoods, and lived as Whites lived ] as being a member of the White race. However, due to the “Blood Rule,” he was considered a Negro. It is confusing{ almost disturbing } to me how a man who looked White, but was considered Black could be so overlooked in the teaching of American history in our public schools. Especially since Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was President of Howard University for more than “30 years!” Additionally, he ranked high amongst the Baptist clergy of his day. Remember, we’re not talking about your “Average Leroy” on the streets of Monroe, Louisiana. We’re talking about a Negro who actually met, talked to, and collaborated with most of the major National Black Leaders of the 20th Century such as Martin L King Jr , Thurgood Marshall , Dr Ralph Bunch,Andrew Young, Jessie Jackson, and many, many others! During his tenure as President, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson kept copious notes and documentation known as his”Presidential Papers.” Many of them are still not available to the public. Hopefully, as they are made known. We will gain a better understanding of how he was able to lead Howard University through those turbulent times, and maybe learn why his story was left out of the American history books in our public schools. On September 6, 1973,”The Mordecai Wyatt Johnson Administration Building” was dedicated in his honor. He died on September 10, 1976.

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : BEVERLY LORRAINE GREENE

What were the odds of a Black “Bi-racial” female who was raised on Chicago’s predominately Black Southside[ known as the “Black Ghetto ], becoming the first Negro female licensed Architect In America, in 1936? Well, Beverly Lorraine Greene had A Dream. She was born on October 4, 1915, to James A. and Vera Greene. Their family was part of the “Great Migration “ that helped transform the city of Chicago. When she completed high school, she enrolled at the racially integrated University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(UIUC). While there she pledged with the “Delta Sigma Theta” sorority, one of the most popular national sororities for Black women. In 1936, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering[ she was the first Negro female to earn this degree from this university ]. As a matter of fact, she was the only Black to graduate that year with a degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The next year she earned her Master’s degree in city planning and housing. After graduation, she returned to Chicago and was hired by the Chicago Housing Authority. Also, Beverly Lorraine Greene ended up working for the first architectural office headed by a Negro{ in downtown Chicago }. On December 28, 1942, Beverly L Greene “made history” by becoming the first licensed Negro female Architect in America! In 1945, after learning about a big housing development project forming in New York , she decided to move to New York City . She applied for and got the position to work on the project, but she would only work there for about 2 and 1/2 days( because she landed a scholarship into a master’s degree program in Architecture at Columbia University ). Once she received her master’s degree from Columbia University, she was hired by the Isadore Rosenfield firm. During her career, Beverly Lorraine Greene made strong alliances with leading Black architects[ they would prove to be valuable in helping her land,begin,and finish many of her projects ]. Additionally, Beverly Lorraine Greene was successful in making an impact Internationally in Paris, France. Before her death, she helped Architect Marcel Breuer design The UNESCO{ United Nations headquarters } building in Paris ,which was completed in 1958. Sadly,she did not live to see several of her final development projects come through to fruition. However, through all her development projects( including the ones she helped others put together ), she left behind an “amazing legacy” for the whole world to see! On August 22, 1957, Beverly Lorraine Greene past away in New York City, New York{ her funeral was held at the Unity Funeral Home in Manhattan,New York }, a structure she helped design. She was only “41 years old.” In closing, I would like to share a question that “Speaks Volumes!” It reads,”Can you Imagine if schools actually helped kids identify their strengths, by exploring their talents from a young age, and growing their skills over the 12 years of school, instead of letting them all follow the same routine and leaving them confused in life after( at ) Graduation ?”

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : JOHN MERRICK

John Merrick was born into slavery on September 7, 1859( in Clinton, North Carolina ). His parents were so poor, that he had  to start working at an early age, in order to help support his parents and siblings. It was during the Reconstruction period that John Merrick was able to learn how to read and write at a local Reconstruction school. As he grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina , he learned the brick mason trade[  and during the construction lulls , he practiced and learned the barber trade as well ]. When John Merrick moved from Raleigh to Durham, North Carolina, he got a job as a barber working for a man by the name of John Wright. He and Mr Wright later  became business  partners, and when   Mr Wright  retired, he became sole owner of the barber shop. If John Merrick would have stopped at only being a barbershop owner, he still would have been considered successful. However, he did not stop there! He went on to establish several other businesses in Durham, North Carolina. Some of his numerous businesses included The North Carolina Mutual Company, the Merrick-Moore-Spaulding Real Estate Company, several Barbershops, The Mechanics and Farmers Bank, and The Bull City Drug Company that he founded with his two Negro partners Charles C Spaulding Sr and Dr Aaron Moore. When the famous educator Booker T Washington toured Durham, North Carolina in 1910, he made special mention of John Merrick and his contributions to the city of Durham. Furthermore, on November 2, 2019, John Merrick was recognized alongside Charles C Spaulding Sr and Richard Fitzgerald as main honouree's  by the Sesquicentennial Honors Commission at the Durham 150 Closing Ceremony in Durham, North Carolina. John Merrick died in 1919, and He was buried in Sumter, South Carolina. In closing, I would like to ask the question that Booker T Washington asked about the poorest Black people of Durham, North Carolina{ except, I would like to ask it about the poorest Black citizens of Monroe, Louisiana }. The question is this : What are the poorest Black people in Monroe doing and how are the poorest Black people in Monroe living? Booker T Washington went on to say that it is upon the “CONDUCT” of this “CLASS” of Blacks that the “real estimate”  of our race is generally formed.

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : HENRIETTA W JOHNSON

Growing up in the Bryant Addition part of Monroe, Louisiana, during my teen years. Me, my brothers, and my brothers from other mothers would often venture from our homes to the local community center. Now that I am older, I appreciate that we had a local recreational center within walking distance, even more than I did back then. We would go there and hangout, play basketball,and some would even play table tennis. The kids would go crazy during the summer when they would open the swimming pool. Come to think of it, when became 18 years of age, I cast my first official Vote there{ I believe that recreational center help saved many of us from the streets }. Sometimes leaving the center, I would look up at the letters on the outside of the building. The letters spelled, Henrietta Windham Johnson Recreation Center. Come to find out that the Center was named for an Outstanding Lady of African descent.Not only that, but she was also a pioneer in Schooling and Civil Rights in Monroe, Louisiana and Ouachita Parish. Henrietta W Johnson was born in Rayville on November 15, 1876. Her parents were Mr & Mrs Lewis Windham . In 1901, she married Principal Arthur Herbert Johnson Sr.( their daughter Henri-Anna would later marry Principal Henry Carroll ). After attending the Wisner School in Franklin Parish, at the tender age of 14,she enrolled in Leland University in New Orleans[ a private institution of higher learning for African Americans ]. Incidentally, Henrietta W Johnson worked with Principal M. J. Foster At The North Louisiana Industrial High School{ that was located on Texas Ave in Monroe,Louisiana }that was created by the Negro 10th District Baptist Association in 1885. By the way, she became the principal of the school when Principal Foster left the school in 1920.During the Great Depression Years in Monroe, Louisiana, Henrietta W Johnson was instrumental in forming a National Youth Association School for unemployed women in Monroe, Louisiana. Additionally, she was a tireless worker with the Monroe Chapter of the NAACP. On top of all her other activities, Henrietta W Johnson was active in the Zion Traveler Baptist Church in Monroe as well as The 10th District Baptist Association. Furthermore, she helped promote and erect The Excelsior Women’s Council House on 11th St in Monroe,Louisiana. For “50 years” Henrietta W Johnson labored as a teacher and educator, and it is fitting that on Sunday April 8, 1962 that they held The Dedication of The Henrietta W Johnson Recreational Center on Burg Jones Lane!

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : NEGROS FOR DEFENSE AND JUSTICE INC.

 Before I  begin my lead story, I would like to mention a few events surrounding and leading up to it. Most of the events took place between 1961 and 1965. First up, the State of Louisiana tried to get the NAACP to turnover a list of the names of its members. The State even went as far as “suing” the NAACP in court( Louisiana ex rel. Gremillion v. NAACP court case ) in 1961  to keep the NAACP from operating in Louisiana. Nevertheless, to keep from dealing with the Louisiana law about turning in member names, many of the NAACP Chapters in Louisiana discontinued operations and became Voter Leagues instead.  Next, who could forget “FREEDOM SUMMER” in 1964. Freedom Summer was a C.O.R.E.[ Congress of Racial Equality ] operation  to register more Black voters . The Deacons For Defense protected all of the members of C.O.R.E. who stayed in Jonesboro, Louisiana during Freedom Summer. During those times, some  people would say that the greatest event that transpired was the landmark  Civil Rights Law passed by the U.S. Congress, known as The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Conversely, some people would say that the 1965 Jackson High School boycott in Jonesboro, Louisiana was equally important as  any other event at that time. Throw in the fact that the White Citizens’ Council and The Ku Klux Klan had begun their racists & brutal attacks on Negroes in Louisiana, escalating racial tension amongst the Whites and Blacks . Plus, Martin L. King Jr and the NAACP were insisting on using non-violent civil disobedience measures in response of attacks by whites. Additionally, the local  police weren’t trying to stop the Klan from harassing the Black citizens of Jonesboro. Needless to say, the Black citizens of Jonesboro,Louisiana were in strong need of protection! Now to the featured story. Several months before the death of Malcolm X,  in the small town of Jonesboro, Louisiana, a group of Black males{ some who had fought in Vietnam  } united,organized, and founded the “Deacons For Defense”( and Justice Inc ) Organization. Although the group was actually established in 1964, they didn’t file their paperwork with the state until March of 1965[ Note : Mrs Barbara L Sharp of Monroe, Louisiana name appears on the witness page of the group’s Articles of Incorporation ]. It is also rumored that the group sought and received counsel from Barbara Sharp’s husband{ Attorney James Sharp Jr } when they came to Monroe in March of 1965. Also, it was reported that a Deacons for Defense Chapter was established in Bogalusa, Louisiana on February 21, 1965( the same day that Malcolm X was assassinated ). In order to become a member of the Deacons For Defense, you had to be a male, at least 21 years of age, know how to properly handle and operate a gun, be mild mannered( not a hot-head ), be well respected in the community, and pay your monthly dues and other membership  fees.  One of the members named Army Johnson, owned a place of business called “The Joy Room.” The facility featured a cafe’, a barbershop, a roller skating rink, a washateria, and a boarding house. Like most of the Black organizations, the Deacons of Defense were said to have had FBI informants who infiltrated their group. One of the White C.O.R.E. members from New York is said to have personally given secret information to the FBI about the group as early as January of 1965. In a speech given by the group’s Vice-President, Ernest Thomas, the group had over 55 Chapters throughout the South and the United States. It was surprising…no shocking for the police{ and the Klansmen } to see Black men with guns who weren’t afraid of them, and weren’t afraid to use their guns to defend themselves and members of their Black communities. There were several instances where members of The Deacons For Defense had to use their weapons to show the Klan and the police that they were going to defend themselves with guns and rifles, if necessary. In 2003, the story about the Deacons For Defense was made into an American television drama film directed by Bill Duke,  and starred Ossie Davis and Forest Whitaker. In closing, I would like to say that while the Deacons For Defense group only  lasted a few years, the impact they made and the legacy they left behind will last forever! 

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : ROBERT F WILLIAMS

   Today, in Monroe, Louisiana with all that has been going on. It is fitting to begin this article with a quote from a little known Black Leader who played a big part in the Civil Rights Movement. Even today, his quote,”It’s Time For Black Men to Standup and Be Men” speaks volumes! The person that I am speaking of was Robert F Williams. He was one of the first Black  Civil Rights Leader to bring international attention to the Black man’s struggle for civil rights in America. In addition to being a Negro Civil Rights Leader, Robert F Williams was the author of the “Negro Classic” non-fictional book,”Negroes With Guns.” A book that is said to have inspired Huey P Newton, Bobby Seale, and Elbert Howard to form the legendary “Black Panther Party.” Additionally, the book is reportedly to have influenced a group of courageous Negro men in Jonesboro, Louisiana , who were led by Earnest “Chilly Willy” Thomas and Frederick Douglas Kirkpatrick in forming the “The Deacons for Defense and Justice.” Robert  F Williams was born in Monroe on February 26, 1925. Back then,The City of Monroe had a racist police officer( who later became  the Chief of police in Monroe) by the name of Jesse Helms Sr{ who was the father of the racist Senator, Jesse Helms Jr }. When he was only 11 years  old, Robert witnessed the dragging and beating of a Black lady by Officer Jesse Helms. However , before I continue with my story, I must alert you that the city he was born in was “Monroe, North Carolina,”( and not  Monroe, Louisiana ). Now,back to the story. When Robert’s grandfather died, his grandmother gave him his grandfather’s gun. An act that would prove to have a great influence on and in his life as an adult. Robert was drafted in 1944 to serve in WWll. He ended up as a private in the segregated Marines[ where he remained for almost 2 years ].Soon after his return to Monroe, North Carolina, Robert joined the local chapter of the NAACP. Surprisingly, he was elected President of the Monroe chapter. Due to the high presence of the Ku Klux Klan and their frequent harassment of Black females, Robert applied to the National Rifle Association for a charter for a local rifle club. He named the Monroe chapter of the NRA,”The Black Armed Guard.” In the summer of 1957, The Black Armed Guard were dispatched to the home of the Vice-President of the NAACP( Dr. Albert E. Perry) to protect him from an attack by the local Klan{KKK}. The members of the KKK drove up to the house and fired first, and the members of The Black Armed Guard returned their gunfire, and ran them off! The area of town in Monroe where Robert lived was called,”Newtown”{ Newtown was also where the Freedom Riders were housed while in Monroe, North Carolina }. The main thing that stands out about Robert F Williams is his courage and commitment to protecting Blacks from those who were trying to do them harm. He died on October 15,1996 in Michigan. The Mother of the Civil Rights struggle, Rosa Parks gave the eulogy at his funeral in 1996, praising him  for his commitment and courage in the fight for civil rights in America. 

“0UR RICH BLACK HERITAGE. : ETHEL L PAYNE

One of the pioneers of the Black Press was “ETHEL L PAYNE.” Many people referred to Ethel as The “FIRST LADY” of the Black Press. Well, interesting enough, her career didn’t begin as a journalist at all. It was documented that she left her job as a senior library assistant with the Chicago Public Library in 1948 to move overseas to accept a job as a service club hostess at the Army Special Services Club( an organisation similar to the Red Cross ) in Tokyo, Japan. Ethel L Payne later became the Director of the Services Club in Tokyo. Although she was good at her job, in her heart she felt a longing to become a writer. Therefore, she decided to keep a journal of her experiences in Tokyo. After several months of journaling, a reporter from Chicago ended up visiting the Services Club where Ethel worked. Ethel saw this as an opportunity to get an expert’s opinion of her writings in her journal. So, she arranged a meeting where the reporter could review her writings. The visiting reporter from the Chicago Defender newspaper was so intrigued with Ethel’s journal that the reporter agreed to take Ethel’s journal back to the United States. Within a couple of weeks, Ethel’s writings were being used in the Chicago Defender newspaper, as the basis for front page stories! Thanks to the reporter helping to use her writings,Ethel decided to move back to the United States{ in 1951 } to accept a position working for Sengstacke Newspapers,the publisher of the Chicago Defender. Ethel L Payne went on to cover many historic events of the Civil Rights Era. Also, she once asked President Dwight D Eisenhower a question that angered him very much. It was the question of exactly when he planned on ending segregation in interstate travel? As a representative of the Black Press, Ethel L Payne even went and covered the Vietnam War, along with covering the events of the African-American troops in Vietnam. In 2002, Ethel L Payne was one of four journalists honoured with a U.S. postage stamp in a “Women of Journalism” set. Not only was Ethel a pioneer in The Black Press, she was an “Instrument of Change!” On May 28, 1991, Ethel L Payne died of a heart attack(at her home in Washington D.C. ). In closing, thanks to The Black Press, the stories and achievements of the Negro are being told and retold again and again! Black parents and Black children can hold their heads high and know that their ancestors accomplished great things, despite having to endure the degradation of slavery and racism in America.