Tag: Garry Blanson

By Garry Blanson Every week, “It’s astonishing how history has a way of repeating itself in Ouachita Parish!” Yes, it seems like every other week there’s another example of how a similar event that happened “over 60 years ago” in…

By Garry Blanson “It’s astonishing how history keeps on repeating itself in Ouachita Parish!” – Garry Blanson. Today, Black citizens in Monroe, Louisiana, who live in the community around Swayze Elementary School are reflecting on the Ouachita Parish School Board’s…

By Garry Blanson Known as “The Ouachita Parish Multi-Purpose Community Action Program” by a White senator named William D. Brown is a story that deserves attention It’s disturbing to me that as we enter the celebration of Black History Month…

By Garry Blanson In the last five years or so, more and more information that had long been hidden from Black citizens in Monroe, Louisiana, has come to the surface. Among those revelations is how city, state, and federal governments…

By Garry Blanson Every day, as time goes by, I learn more and more about how much of the local history and accomplishments of our Black ancestors are fading away—right along with our Black loved ones. Regretfully, among the many…

By Garry Blanson Once upon a time in Monroe, Louisiana, when Negroes weren’t allowed to shop at white-owned grocery stores, Negroes established their own grocery stores to help take care of the needs of the people in their communities. Reportedly,…