By Garry Blanson
As some of our Black Youth in Monroe, Louisiana are celebrating the recent High School Basketball Championships of local High Schools in Monroe, I stumbled across information about a “NOW “DEFUNCT SEGREGATED” government program that was setup for “Young Black Men and other Non-White Young Men in Louisiana” that was known as the “Bayou Boys State Program.” Surprisingly, this is the very first time that I have ever heard about this old government program!
The main reason that I was so surprised is because it was held on “the campus of Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana.” The program began in 1949, almost 10 years after the government youth program that was setup for “White’s Only,” which was known as the Pelican State Boys Program.
As far as I can tell, the two youth programs were setup to provide young men with an environment where they could learn about the Louisiana political system as well as political processes. The groups even held an election for the position of Governor for each program.
It was known as the “Louisiana Baptist Youth Encampment,” and it was always well attended by thousands of mostly Black Youth from all over Louisiana and other states. Well, after integration made it’s way through Louisiana in 1970, the Bayou Boys State Program merged with the Pelican State Boys Program to form what is now known as the Louisiana Boys State Program. When the two programs merged, there were hopes that the color of people faces would no longer be the determining factor in Louisiana Government Election Races. I hope everyone enjoyed this interesting piece of information, now on to this week’s Black Pioneer!
Abraham Henderson Jr. was born on June 18, 1947, in West Monroe, Louisiana. Abraham was reared in the Trenton area of West Monroe, and he was a long-time member of Trenton Baptist Church. In 1965, he graduated from Richardson High School in West Monroe. Later he enrolled at Grambling State University, but eventually enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Abraham’s tour of duty in the Navy expanded some 27 years. A short list of his accomplishments included : Earning his College B.S. Degree from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe; His service in the Vietnam War; His Distinction as being the First Black Navy Recruiter in Monroe ; and when he was initiated as a Master Mason on December 20, 1972 into the Trenton Lodge #195 Free Masons, Prince Hall Affiliation of West Monroe, Louisiana.
Sadly, on Wednesday January 15, 2020, after decades of rendering honorable service to his country and his community, Abraham Henderson Jr. passed on to glory.
