"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THE 1965 LANDMARK DESEGREGATION COURT CASE THAT LED TO THE DESEGREGATION of NEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Instead of entertaining President Trump's insane antics and his recent revoking of President Lyndon Johnson's Executive Order 11246, which was signed into law in 1965, I thought that I would highlight the 1965 Landmark Desegregation Court Case,"ANDREWS Versus THE CITY of MONROE SCHOOL SYSTEM" that took place right here in Monroe, Louisiana. What was so special about this case you ask? Well, it just happens to be the exact court case that brought about the "1969 desegregation decree ruling by Judge Ben C. Dawkins Jr.," which sprung open the door for the "FIRST BLACK STUDENTS TO ENROLL AT NEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL" in Monroe, Louisiana! You can actually pull up the case online by Googling "Andrews versus the city of Monroe. By the way, through their mothers, Jimmy Andrews and Tommy Ray Robertson, two Black students who were enrolled in the District, sued The Monroe School System, alleging racial segregation and discrimination in the operation of the Monroe City Public Schools. Long story short, after several court hearings and several consent decree revisions, Jimmy Andrews and Tommy Ray Robertson were allowed to enroll at Neville High School,"paving the way for thousands of Black students to attend and graduate from Neville High School!" In closing, I would like to mention that I happened to find out that in 2016, two White People, Nici Hanks and Greg Jones, representing N.A.F.A., Neville Alumni and Friends Association, clashed with Monroe City Board Members Brenda Shelling & Rev. Rodney McFarland about of all things, "A DESEGREGATION COURT CASE!" Furthermore, I makes me wonder whether or not Nici Hanks, Greg Jones, and several other White members of N.A.F.A. are behind the efforts to make Neville a Charter School!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : WILLIAM G. BROWN - "LOUISIANA 'S FIRST COLORED LOUISIANA STATE SUPERINTENDENT of EDUCATION"

Why is it that most Black People in Louisiana think that "DESEGREGATION" in Louisiana Public Schools originally began in the 1960s? Also, why is it that most Black People in Louisiana aren't aware that from 1872 - 1876, LOUISIANA had it's "FIRST COLORED SUPERINTENDENT of EDUCATION?" Well, one of the main reasons is because things like these were deliberately left out of the public school curriculum as well as the school history books at public schools in Louisiana! Also, another thing that was conveniently left out of public school history books in Louisiana is the "MANY MASSACRES of COLORED PEOPLE" that took place in "LOUISIANA DURING THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA." Among the many recorded massacres, there was the massacre in New Orleans, Louisiana,in 1866 ; another in Bossier Parish, in 1868 ; another in Caddo Parish, in 1868 ; another in St. Bernard Parish, in 1868 ; another in Opelousas, Louisiana, in 1868 ; another in Colfax, Louisiana, in 1873 ; and another in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in 1887; not to mention all the other reported lynchings of Colored People that occurred during Reconstruction.Yes, to say that Colored People went through "PURE HELL" during the Reconstruction Era is an absolute understatement! Furthermore, the other thing that's so sad is that for many Black People as well as some White People living in Louisiana today is that this article will be the first time that some of them will have ever heard about these massacres and terrifying acts that took place on American soil, before "911." With that said, let's move on to this week's Black Pioneer! William G. Brown was the "FIRST COLORED PERSON" in Louisiana to serve as "THE LOUISIANA STATE SUPERINTENDENT of EDUCATION!" Also, he was one of only four Colored persons elected to the office of State Education Superintendent in the United States. William was born on August 12, 1832, in Trenton, New Jersey to parents of mixed race. His father's occupation as a journalist required the family to move to Jamaica to live. Reportedly, William was educated in the British West Indies. Following the family's return to the United States, but before the American Civil War, his family resided in Washington D.C. for a spell. However, after the war, William decided to move to New Orleans, Louisiana to take a position as a school teacher. Later, he became involved in Louisiana politics, and was elected as a delegate to represent New Orleans 3rd Ward at the Republican State Convention that was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in August of 1872. At the convention,he was nominated for State Superintendent of Instruction on a Republican ticket, along with William P. Kellogg. Undoubtedly, there are some people in Louisiana who are familiar with the Louisiana Governor's Election in 1872. You know the time when Louisiana had two Governors with two separate legislatures, but that is a whole story in itself! Well, back to our story about the first Colored Louisiana State Superintendent of Education. After things had settled down a bit, William G. Brown officially took over his position as the Louisiana State Superintendent. From 1872 - 1876, he initiated the "FIRST INITIAL ATTEMPTS" at DESEGREGATING" the public schools in Louisiana. Interestingly, despite having to deal with underfunded school districts in Louisiana, State Superintendent William G. Brown is credited with presiding over the construction of "OVER 214 SCHOOLS in LOUISIANA!" In closing, I would like to say that in all the 12 years that I attended the public schools in Monroe, Louisiana, I never, never, ever heard about William G. Brown being Louisiana's First Colored Louisiana State Superintendent of Education at all! Additionally, I feel that it should be a crime for the current Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, and our current Louisiana State Legislatures to be able to "MANDATE" that certain things be displayed in schools in Louisiana, but "RESTRICT and DISALLOW" the teaching of things that they have labeled as "Critical Race Theory!"

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THE FREEDOM QUILTING BEE BLACK CO-OPERATIVE

In some of our Black Communities today, it seems that many Black People either don't know or have forgotten when Black People counted on one another and worked together, in order to make sure that they survived to see a better day! Not only did Black People Cooperate and Work together, they actually shared in owning what was known as "BLACK CO-OPERATIVE BUSINESSES." Through Black Co-operative Businesses, Black People were able to provide jobs for their families as well as create their own economy within their Black Communities. As I continued to research, I discovered that Black Cooperatives went back as far as 1891 when Colored farmers formed "THE COLORED FARMERS NATIONAL ALLIANCE and CO-OPERATIVE," which had "OVER ONE-MILLION COLORED MEMBERS," before it was targeted and forced to disband by disgruntled White People. Later on, Negroes in America established Insurance Co-ops, Housing Co-ops, and Grocery Store Co-ops to take care of the needs of their race. In addition to Co-operative Businesses, Colored People formed what was known as "MUTUAL AID SOCIETIES." Through Mutual Aid Societies, Colored People were able to pool their money to help each other pay for medicine, funerals, and even purchase land! Yes, I feel that it would do Black People in Louisiana good to go back and read up on Black Co-operative Businesses as well as the Mutual Aid Societies, then maybe they will stop saying,"Black People can't work together." Well, on to this week's Black Pioneer! The Freedom Quilting Bee was a Black-Owned Co-operative founded by several Black Women. It was based in the county of Wilcox, in Alabama, and operated from 1966, until 2012. The women started the business to raise money to help take care of their families. When they began in 1966, there were approximately 60 quilters included in the Co-op. Three years after starting their business, construction began on their new building named,"The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Sewing Center," on March 8, 1969. The building was constructed by the husbands of the quilters and other nonprofessional volunteers. Funding for the building came in part from Philanthropic Foundations and through an interest-free loan provided by the American Friends Service Committee of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, after being in operation for nearly half a century, and only a year after the last original board member had died, The Freedom Quilting Bee closed it's doors for good. Of interesting note, the quilts were so popular that some of the Bee's quilts were displayed in the Smithsonian Institute.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : DR. JOSEPH CLABERT ROY SR. CO-FOUNDER of THE HISTORIC MILLER-ROY BUILDING

While I was researching online, I came across 2 egregious acts that happened here in Monroe, Louisiana at the meeting hall of a local Colored Organization that was known as, "The Naomi Colored Knights of Pythias." Come to find out, the organization was a Branch of the Colored Knights of Pythias that was founded in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1880, due to Negroes were not being allowed to join the White Chapters of The Knights of Pythias Organization. By the way, the first incident happened in 1909, a few days after a Colored man by the name of W. Stephen Wade came to town and shot the White Monroe Mayor, Andrew A. Forsythe, along with several other White People, in retaliation for a White police officer killing a Colored man by the name of Henry Staples. Later that week, a leading Negro citizen by the name of Madison J. Foster ended up making a statement to the media denouncing Wade's act of violence. As for the story about the fire, someone had set the organization's meeting hall on fire, and two White police officers came along and put the fire out. Next, there was the lynching of a Colored man by the name of Warren Eaton that occured on the morning of October 23, 1913, in front of the meeting hall of "The Naomi Colored Knights of Pythias at 1101Desiard Street, near the Historic Miller-Roy Building." According to the Monroe Bulletin, a local newspaper that shut down in 1913, not too long after breaking the story about the lynching, Eaton was lynched for insulting a local White Girl. Well, there you have it, evidence of two separate despicable incidents that happened in Monroe, and was printed in local newspapers. Of course, I knew that things like this happened in Monroe back then, but it's kind of different when you learn about the actual locations, names of the victims, and other people involved. With that said, I would like to inform everyone about this week's Black Pioneer! Dr. Joseph C. Roy was a graduate of Straight College and Howard University College of Dentistry. Sometime around 1914, he began practicing medicine in Monroe. In 1940, Dr. J.C. Roy was reportedly the oldest practicing Negro dentist in the City of Monroe. Also, he was married to Erma L. Olive Roy, and they had 4 children together. Also, their son, J.C. Roy Jr., died of a heart attack in September of 1957 in Monroe, at his home on Milhaven Road, at the young age of 37. Additionally, I found out that their oldest daughter, Sophie Lee Roy, went on to marry one of Motown's Top Recording Artists and founder of Pacific Records, Ivory Joe Hunter ; there was another daughter by the name of Olive Zerita ; and they had a third daughter by the name of Alex, who died near the age of five. Lastly, some of Dr. J.C.Roy's friends included Dr. John Tildon Miller ; Maryland "The Colored Cattle King" Brooks ; a Negro Building Contractor by the name of William Medlock Sr., who along with his Negro workers, built many of the homes in the area of Flynn, North 21st, and Adams Streets, off of Desiard Street in Monroe ; Rev. T. C. Warden ; and Dr. Raymond O. Pierce, the Grandfather of Dr. Ollibeth Reddix of Monroe.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : DR. JOHN TILDON MILLER - CO-FOUNDER OF THE HISTORIC MILLER-ROY BUILDING

Today, while many Black People in Monroe, Louisiana have heard about the Miller-Roy Building that was built across from the Old Monroe City Cemetery in 1929, near the meeting hall of The Local Chapter of "The Colored Knights of Pythias," as a safe meeting place to house Black Businesses, few Black People in Monroe know that one of the founders of the building, John T. Miller, had a wife named Martha Gair Miller, who died on September 19, 1932, following an operation at the clinic in which they owned together that was located in the Miller-Roy Building. For the record, Martha and John had 3 children ; a son name John Gair Miller, and 2 daughters, Harriet F. Miller, and Beatrice M. Miller. Sadly, Beatrice died on December 30, 1934, at the tender age of 7. Without a doubt, the sudden deaths of his wife and adorable young daughter happening so close together took an extreme toll on John, being that he died of heart failure on July 5, 1935. Looking back, who would of imagined that within that short 3 year period of time that death would come calling so frequently on this family? Interestingly, all three of their funerals were held at Martin Temple Christian Methodist Church that was located near North 19th & Adams Street in Monroe, Louisiana, and they were all buried at the Monroe City Cemetery, located on Desiard Street. Well, I couldn't find much information about Dr. John Tildon Miller, however, I did find out that he was born in Lexington, Mississippi, in 1879 to John H. Miller and Mrs Frances Golden Miller. Also, John and Martha Miller were Charter Members of the local NAACP Chapter in Monroe. Additionally, John Tildon Miller was listed in The 1930 Book Publication of "WHO'S WHO in COLORED LOUISIANA," which was published by The Douglas Loan Company of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to admonish all Black residents living in Monroe and Ouachita Parish to do their best to past down to our Black Children as much of the local Black History as they can, so that our Black Children will know more about"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE," than they know about sports and video games!

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : FORMER GRAMBLING STATE & SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY - Track & Field Olympians

"The mind is the strongest muscle in your body. If you can overcome the doubt in your mind, you can achieve success." -Jesse Owens When people talk about former track and field runners who possessed Olympic Class Speed, it's not unusual for names such as Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Bob Hayes, Renaldo "Skeets" Nehemiah, Wilma Rudolph, Evelyn Ashford, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Florence Griffith Joyner to come up in the conversation. Well, I recently posted a Black History Trivia Question online about a former Southern University Track & Field Runner who had won a Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympic Games. Former Wossman High School Championship Basketball Coach George "Vamp" Belton mentioned Rodney "Lightning Rod" Milburn Jr., who attended Southern University in 1972. At the 1972 Olympic Games, Rodney ran an unprecedented time of 13.24 seconds in the 110 hurdles,"Establishing A New World Record" as well as winning himself an Olympic Gold Medal! Another name that came up was Willie Davenport, who attended Southern University in 1968, and won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1968 Olympic Games that was held in Mexico City. During the 1968 Olympic Games, Willie ran an impressive time of 13.3 seconds. in the 110 hurdles, "Setting An Olympic Record, " and he won the Gold Medal in the process! Also, in a different conversation about Grambling State University Track & Field Runners who had performed at the Olympic Games, the names Debra Edwards Armstrong and Stone "Cold" Johnson came up. Debra attended Grambling in the early 1970s ; not only did she possess Olympic Class Speed, in 1975 she was U.S. Champion in the 200 meter race! Stone "Cold" Johnson attended Grambling in 1960, and participated in the 1960 Olympic Games held in Rome. During the trials for the 1960 Olympics, Stone ran a time of 20.5 seconds in the 200 meter race, "Setting A New World Record!" Cassandra Shelling stated that her father, Roy Neal Shelling, who also attended Grambling at that time, said that Stone was the fastest man alive! In closing, I would like to say that these are just a few of the many, many forgotten Student-Athletes that have come through Southern University and Grambling State University. Furthermore, it is my hope that some of the people who read this article will tell someone, who will tell someone, who will tell someone, and help spread the word about "OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE!"

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : THE FORMER BLACK--OWNED INSURANCE COMPANIES IN MONROE

"If the misery of our poor be caused not by the Laws of Nature, but by our Government Institutions, then great is our sin!" -unknown When discussing the former Black-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe, Louisiana, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the "HISTORIC MILLER-ROY BUILDING" that was built here in Monroe at 1001 Desiard Street in 1929, "as a business hub for Black-Owned Businesses." You see, several of the Black-Owned Insurance Companies had their offices within the Miller-Roy Building. As a matter of fact, many of the Black-Owned Businesses in Monroe at that time, began in that Building. Additionally, before the Stock Market Crash in 1929, several Black-Owned Insurance Companies were becoming as large as some of the White-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe. Furthermore, it was reported and recorded that some of the Black-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe contributed part of the first $1,000 dollars to start the "Louisiana Chapter of The National Urban League when it was first organized, back in 1938." I wished that I could have found physical records of some of the former Black-Owned Insurance Companies in Monroe, but so far I haven't been able to find any of them. Never-the-less, I was able to come up with a list of a few of them Below is the list of the ones that I was able to verify : 1. Acme Insurance Company that was owned by William & Orel Medlock, one of the companies that was merged with Miller Funeral Home w ; 2.People's Industrial Life Insurance Company that was owned by Abraham Bowie ; 3. Unity Industrial Life Insurance Company ; 4.Standard Industrial Life Insurance Company ; 5.Good Citizens Life Insurance Company ; 6.Keystone Life Insurance Company ; 7.Supreme Life Insurance Company ; 8.Universal Life Insurance Company ; 9.Britton's Insurance Company that was located near Desiard & Renwick Streets, which was owned by Don Britton ; and 10. Miller Funeral Home 's, Reliable Insurance Company, which is still operating in Monroe today! Before I end this week's edition of Our Rich Black Heritage, I would like to mention that when Joseph Miller Jr., of Miller Funeral Home was living, he stated that several of the former Black-Owned Funeral Home Establishments in Monroe were bought out by his father Joseph H. Miller Sr., and were merged with Miller Funeral Home.