Each year, Monroe proves it has a heart. During the Thanksgiving season, scores of community groups, churches, and individuals stepped forward to ensure no one was left hungry or forgotten. Their generosity and compassion reflect the best of who we…
Category: Editorial
Our Rich Black Heritage: Burg Jones
By Garry Blanson “The Colored Man Who Once Owned Multiple Properties on Burg Jones Lane as Well as the Land Where Berg Jones Lane Elementary School Was Built in Monroe, Louisiana” If you were to ask most Black people in…
Our City, Our Community
By Marie Brown I trust that everybody had a happy Thanksgiving during this past holiday weekend. Through some of the most difficult times we are experiencing, there is so much to be thankful for. Our faith in God sustains us…
Our Rich Black Heritage: Pythina “Pye” Brown
By Garry Blanson “The education of the Negro has become the perfect device for control (by the American government) from without.” — Carter G. Woodson What if I told you that the very system Black people in Monroe, Louisiana, have…
2026 will be a game changer for school standards
With the rollout of the 2026 “Grow. Achieve. Thrive.” accountability system, Louisiana schools can no longer afford to approach academic progress as “business as usual.” This new era requires careful re-evaluation of how student achievement is recognized, how grades are…
Our Rich Black Heritage: Dr. Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins
By Garry Blanson A founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Candidly, I would like to state for the record that I believe the efforts of the Neville Charter Association to make Neville High School a charter school are…
Legislative Black Caucus has tough job ahead
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus (LLBC) has its work cut out for it in the Louisiana legislature. The caucus’s 2024 record was marked by undeniable breakthroughs—even as it worked within a legislature that often stood in stark opposition to its…