“Our Rich Black Heritage” : JOSEPH LEE

               I recently read about a company called,”The Black Bread Company.” The company was founded in 2021 by three Black men from Chicago. Speaking of bread, how many of you all knew that in 1894 a Black man named “Joseph Lee” invented the first  automatic bread-making machine in America?  The next year, on June 4, 1895, he followed-up his previous invention with the invention of a machine for making breadcrumbs. Joseph made a fortune by selling the rights to his inventions. Furthermore, his two fantastic inventions helped revolutionize  the Bread Industry!

Joseph Lee was born in Charleston , South Carolina on July 4,1848 to two Negro slaves, Henry and Susan Lee. From an early age, Joseph had taken an interest in baking. He ended up working at a bakery in Beaufort, South Carolina. On May 12, 1875, Joseph married Christina Howard ; they had four children. Not long after then, Joseph and his family settled in Needham, Massachusetts. In 1882, he  opened a restaurant and The Woodland Park Motel. Prominent guests at his motel included Presidents of the United States, Benjamin Harrison and Chester A Arthur, and Grover Cleveland. Also, he ran a successful catering business as well as managing other restaurants,in and around the Boston area. After he invented his bread machine in 1894, it was being used by many of America’s leading hotels, restaurants,and catering  establishments.  Additionally, Joseph was active in Civil Rights issues  of his day as well. In 1890, he attended  the Convention of Colored Men. Near the end of his life, Joseph  fell ill with pulmonary tuberculosis. On June 11, 1908, Joseph Lee died at his home. 

In 2019, Joseph Lee was inducted into the American National Inventors Hall of Fame! 

“Our Rich Black Heritage” : EARTHA M. M. WHITE

    A little  over a century ago, a Tornado swept through Jacksonville, Florida. However, this was no ordinary Tornado. This Tornado came in the form of a little Black lady by the name of EARTHA M.M. White. By the time she died in 1974,she had accomplished quite a bit! From establishing a Mercy Hospital for tuberculosis, to helping found a half-way house for alcoholics in recovery, to creating a Boy’s improvement club, to help curve juvenile delinquency. You name it, there wasn’t much that she left untouched! Additionally, Eartha was instrumental in getting the land & lumber donated  to build the first public school for Negroes in the Black community of Bayard, in 1899. Also, before her adopted mother, Clara White died in 1920, they started the Clara White Old Folks Home. Eartha M.M. White was born on November 8, 1876 in Jacksonville, Florida. She ended up getting adopted by a Black lady name Clara White. In 1893, Eartha graduated from Stanton High School in Jacksonville. In 1896, she returned  to being Jacksonville, after being away for 3 years,due to the yellow fever breakout. She continued her studies and graduated from Florida Baptist Academy. Later when the school was built in Bayard, Eartha taught at the school for about 16-18 years. Eartha M.M. White died on January 18,1874 in Jacksonville, Florida at the ripe old age of  97!

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : ANDERSON BONNER

When many people think of Dallas, Texas, they think of things like the Dallas Cowboys, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, the movie North Dallas Forty, or even the Medical City Dallas Hospital, which is located in North Dallas. Surprisingly enough, this week’s Black Pioneer, Anderson Bonner once owned the land that The Medical City Dallas Hospital now sits on! In addition to the land that the hospital is on, Anderson ended up owning thousands of acres of land in what is now North Dallas( including the Dallas suburb of Richardson ). Anderson Bonner was born a slave in Alabama around 1839. Also, it is rumored that he was possibly a member of the 100,000 Negro refugees that were forcibly transported to Texas by their White slave owners,during the American Civil War to keep the Union Army from freeing them. Furthermore, it was reported that on “June 19, 1865,” Union General Gordon Granger and Union Troops under his command arrived in Galveston, Texas and pronounced the end of slavery[ on June 7, 1979, more than a century after the abolition of slavery in Texas, Texas House Bill 1016 passed in the 66th Legislature  Regular Session, declaring June 19, "Emancipation Day in Texas]! The following year,on “June 19, 1980,” Texas became the first  state in America to officially and legally make Juneteenth a national holiday! Not too long after being freed, Anderson got married to a  young Black lady named Eliza{ to this union were born 10 children }. Mainly, because slaves weren’t allowed to learn how to read and write, Anderson,his wife, nor his brother or his sister could read or write well. In 1870, when Anderson and the rest of the Bonner family first arrived in Dallas, Texas, they found work on a farm in an area known as White Rock Creek. With the money Anderson earned from working on the farm, he was able to buy 60 acres of land in North  Dallas( he purchased the land on August 10, 1874, since he never learned how to read , they let him sign the deed with an “X” ). Although he was thought of as an illiterate man, he was intelligent enough to see that he could split up the 60 acres of land[ keeping part for him and his family members, and renting out the rest to Negro sharecroppers ]. Anderson’s plan proved to be quite profitable, and he was able to use some of the money from his rental properties to buy more land. Over a period  of years, he had accumulated over two thousand acres of land in what is now North Dallas and the Dallas suburb of Richardson. On a bitter note,his dear wife Eliza, the mother of his 10 children, died in a oil lamp explosion in the family home in 1903. Around 1920, Anderson decided to get married  again{ her name was Lucinda, and she was from Waxahachie, Texas }. Within a year or two after the marriage, Anderson Bonner died. He was buried in White Rock Colored Union Cemetery ( which is now White Rock Garden of Memories Cemetery) in Addison, Dallas County, Texas. Hey, I  strongly feel that it is worth mentioning  again that “even though Anderson Bonner could  not read or write, “ he was able to “come up with a plan” that helped make him one of the largest Negro landowners in Dallas Texas! Needless to say, his vast estate and holdings went to his wife and children living at the time of his death. In his honor, his family established the Anderson Bonner Endowment scholarship, which assists RISD graduates who attend Prairie View A&M University. Also of worthy mention is that the first public school for Black children in the North Dallas[ the Vickery and Hillcrest school ] was renamed The Anderson Bonner School. At the time, it was the only school  for Blacks in the area.  The school was eventually closed in 1955, when the Hamilton-Park School was built. Furthermore, the city of Dallas named the park west of Medical City Hospital, Anderson Bonner Park in 1976{ the park consists of 44.1 acres of Anderson’s original land }. In closing, I would like for you to think about “ALL” of the land in the city of Monroe, West Monroe, Sterlington, Bastrop, and Ruston, Louisiana that was “ONCE OWNED BY BLACK PEOPLE!“

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : MARITA O.B. OCCOMY

Certainly, we all know how devastating the loss of a loved one can be. Thankfully, we can choose to do as Marita did, and turn to things such as writing to help us get through it. In 1924, Marita had moved from where her parents lived to Washington D.C. to take a teaching position. However, within a year of her moving away, both of her parents died unexpectedly. It was at this time that Marita used writing as a way to deal with her grief. Although many Black People don’t know it, Marita was a writer, and playwright who is often associated with the “Harlem Renaissance Era.”  Marita O.B. Occomy was born on June 16, 1899 in Boston, Massachusetts to Joseph Andrew and Anne Noel Bonner. Marita attended Brookline High School, a place where she first began to take an interest in writing( she helped put together the school magazine called the Sagamor ). After graduating from Brookline in 1918, Marita attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she majored in Comparative Literature and English. By the way, she had to commute back and forth[ from the city of Brookline and Radcliffe College ], because Black students were not allowed to live in campus dormitories. In addition to doing well in academics, Marita could make the piano sing{ she won two music competitions when she attended Radcliffe College }. Not only was Marita a member of the “Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,”she was founder of the Boston-Area Chapter! Once she graduated from college in 1922, Marita began teaching at Bluefield Colored Institute (now Bluefield State University) in Bluefield, West Virginia. Two years later, she decided to leave Bluefield and take a teaching position at Armstrong High School[ an all-Black high school in Washington, D.C. ]. Sadly, this was when both of her parents died and she turned to writing to give her consolation from her grief. To her delight, her first essay, “Being Young-A Woman- And Colored” got published in The Crisis magazine{ in December of 1925 }. Her essay immediately catapulted her into the limelight. Following the publishing of her essay, Marita was invited into a group of distinguished Washington, D.C. writers, poets, playwrights, and composers( they met regularly at the “S” Street Salon, owned by composer, poet, and playwright Georgia Douglass Johnson ). The thing that made Marita’s essays and writings standout is that they emphasized “self-improvement through education!” While attending events in Washington and enjoying her success as a writer, she ended up meeting a man named, William Almy Occomy[ who would later become her husband ]. They were married in 1930, and a year later they moved to Chicago, where Marita was well accepted as a writer. As time moved on, her family had grown from two to five[ the couple now had 3 children ]. In 1941, Marita decided to return to teaching and focus more on taking care of her family. Up until she retired in 1963, she taught in Chicago’s public school system. Regretfully, in 1971, Marita was caught in a fire at her Chicago apartment. On December 7,1971, Marita O.B. Occomy died of smoke inhalation from the fire in her apartment. In closing, I would like to say how disappointing it is that “the selectors” of the books that go to the schools in our “Black Communities” have failed to include more of the writings of Black Writers like Marita and those who wrote during the “Black Renaissance Era” and “The Harlem Renaissance Era“ in the school textbooks.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE": MARY L BOOKER

While most people have been conditioned to look at Education from an “Academic” viewpoint only, in this week’s article, I am going to inform everyone about a Black lady named,” Mary L Booker” who was able to use the preforming arts to reach Black kids and bring the Black Community together at the same time. In 1931, Mary L Booker was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. At the age of 24, Mary moved to San Francisco, California. Next, in 1960, she started “Infinity Productions” at the Bayview Opera House( a community theatre ). Also, Mary was able to offer free acting workshops{ she also wrote and directed several plays }. In time, Mary saw that she could utilize theatrical arts to help promote Black Culture and unite different generations of Black People simultaneously. Additionally, she used the opera house and her plays to entice Black youth to stay away from the street life. By the way, Mary was known for telling the cast members in her plays,”make sure that if you put your name on something that it is done in decent and order, and always on time!”Furthermore,she sought to use theater as a way of giving the children a sense of pride, discipline, and accomplishment! In addition to everything else, Mary would often incorporate her passion for civil rights into her plays. Throughout the Black Community of San Francisco, Mary was known as”Mother Booker.” Yes, Mary played a very important part in the performing arts movement in San Francisco[ she made the most of what she had, and she helped saved hundreds of young lives in the process]! On May 11,2017, Mary L Booker died of Leukemia, in San Francisco, California. In 2007, the San Francisco Public Library issued her the Unsung Hero award in her honor ; and in 2019, The Mary L. Booker Leadership Academy( charter school ) was established in San Francisco, California in her name. In closing, I would like to say that it sure would be great if the Black citizens in Monroe, Louisiana could come together and build an “Opera House” in Monroe.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : GEORGE WASHINGTON WILLIAMS

When I mention the names George Washington and George Washington Carver, many people have undoubtedly heard much about them. However, when I mention the name George Washington Williams, not many people can honestly say that they have ever heard anything about him at all! One reason that people haven’t heard about him is because he died when he was only 41 years of age. Another reason is simply because he wasn’t included in any of the American History books in our public schools. George Washington Williams is credited as the first Negro to compile the overall history of Negroes[ listing their various contributions within the early colonies, from 1619 - 1880 ] living in America. His groundbreaking book entitled,”The History of the Negro Race in America 1619–1880” was published in 1882. George Washington Williams was born on October 16, 1849 in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania. Since his parents were born “FREE NEGROES”( the state of Pennsylvania had abolished slavery sometime before his parents were born ), George was considered free as well! He was the son of Thomas and Ellen Rouse Williams. Although he had a very limited amount of formal education, George was trained as a barber at a place known as,”A House of Refuge.” Once the American Civil War started, he voluntarily enlisted into the Union Army. After the war ended, George traveled to Mexico and joined the Republican army in their fight against “Maximilian.” When he returned to the United States in the spring of1867, George rejoined the American army, but he was released of his duties{ due to being wounded in one of his lungs in 1868 }. In 1869, he applied to enroll at Howard University. Even though he went and attended Howard, his stay there was short! In 1870, George began studying at the Newton Theological Institution, near Boston, Massachusetts. In 1874, he became the first Negro to graduate from Newton! Following his graduation from Newton, George was ordained as a Baptist Minister, and married Sarah A. Sterrett. Next, he and his wife moved to Washington D.C. where he started a newspaper called the Commoner. Around 1876, he and his wife moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he studied law under the tutelage of Alphonso Taft(?the father of President William H Taft ). After passing the bar exam, George decided to run for a seat in the Ohio state congress! In 1879, he He became the first Negro to be elected to the Ohio state legislature[ he served one term, 1880 to 1881 ].Amongst his many accomplishments included being an historian on Negro History, securing an informal interview with King Leopold ll of Belgium[ after having been impressed by meeting the king, he traveled to the Congo Free State to see its development. George was shocked by the widespread brutaul abuses and slavery imposed on the Congolese people! ], and his letter he wrote to King Leopold ll( describing the horrible conditions that he had witnessed that led to the Belgian government taking over the supervision of the Congo Free State, which helped improved the treatment of the Congolese people ). Around 1890, he took ill on a trip from Africa. Although George was able to make it all the way to Blackpool, England, he would not live to see the shores of America again. Sadly, George Washington Williams died in Blackpool, England{ on August 2, 1891 }. In 1975 a tombstone was placed at George’s grave in Blackpool, England, noting him as an "Afro-American historian".Also, “The George Washington Williams Memorial Room” was named in his honor on the first floor of the Ohio State House.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : LINCOLN L BURWELL

When Black Civil Rights Marchers were attacked during the first “March On Selma,” at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, on “Bloody Sunday”( March 7,1965 ), one of the hospitals that the injured were taken to was the “BURWELL INFIRMARY.” One of the things that was special about the Burwell Infirmary was that it was originally owned and operated by a Black doctor named, Lincoln L Burwell[ the original infirmary he had built was the first Black-Owned and Operated hospital in Selma ]. Another thing that stood out about this medical facility is that it was located in a thriving Black middle-class neighborhood{ it was a 14-bed facility staffed by Black doctors and Black nurses }. Reportedly, the Burwell Infirmary started out as The Burwell Drugstore( Dr. Lincoln L Burwell had it built around 1886 and it was the first Black-Owned Drugstore in Selma ). Surprisingly, the story about the Burwell Drugstore has several similarities to the “MILLER-ROY BUILDING” that was built here in Monroe, in 1929. In both cases, Black doctors had the buildings built, both buildings had a doctor’s office, and both buildings had a drugstore. Along with the other similarities, both the Burwell Drugstore/Infirmary and The Miller-Roy Building helped fulfilled the needs within Black Communities! Now, let’s get to this week’s Black Pioneer! Lincoln L Burwell was born on October 25, 1867, in Marengo County{ part of Alabama’s Black Belt region, located in the west-central region of the state of Alabama }. His parents were Charles and Amanda Burwell. When Lincoln was eight years old, his parents sent him to live with his older brother( Charles Burwell Jr ) in Perry County. His parents and older brother had the make many sacrifices in order for Lincoln to attend school. school. In 1884, he enrolled at the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School [ present day Selma University ]. During the summer school-breaks Lincoln worked odd jobs to help pay for his school tuition. Lincoln excelled in school and he ended-up becoming the Valedictorian of the Selma University class of 1886. Around that time, there was a great need for a Colored doctor in Selman. Some of the people from The Alabama Colored Baptist State Convention{ the organization that supported Selma University }, suggested that Lincoln enroll in Leonard Medical School( it was established in Raleigh, North Carolina by Shaw University in 1880 and was the first four-year medical school in the United States, and the school trained more than 400 Black physicians ). Lincoln packed his bags and enrolled there in 1886. Not only did Lincoln become the first person to complete the 4 -year degree program in 3 years, but he also became the first person to earn a double-degree in medicine and literature! When Lincoln returned home to Selma, he opened his medical practice. Around 1890, he had a home built near Selma University[ his home also served as his medical office ]. Around 1893, Lincoln opened the first Black-owned pharmacy in Selma { which was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1897 }. In 1907, Lincoln had another building built( it too was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1913 ). Finally, around 1915, he had another building built! However, in 1922, the Edmundite Missionaries opened the Good Samaritan Hospital, and the Burwell Infirmary no longer was the primary Black hospital in Selma. Lincoln L Burwell died On March 6, 1928 and was buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Selma. The Burwell Infirmary remained in operation until 1966, when the facility became a retirement home[ Burwell’s home on Anderson Street in Selma is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, since 2015, and the National Register of Historic Places, since 2022 ].