Hammond School Suspend Negroes Students

 

Source
The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana) 
Sept 7, 1963

                         The first kind of such demonstration in Southeastern, Louisiana 

Tangipahoa Parish Civil Rights Icon Bobby Cyprian

Bobby Cyprian
Photo Courtesy: Antoinette Harrell

Civil Rights Icon Bobbie Cyprian was a member and secretary of the Sweetwater Voters League. He was born in 1940 in Independence, LA. His parents were Andrew Cyprian, Sr, and Beatrice Alexander. Sweetwater was known for syrup making, and sugar cane raising. 

He joined the 1967 Bogalusa Civil Rights March for the 105 miles march to the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol. "I went down to Greenville Park High School to fight injustice," said Cyprian. I was young, and I was working for a white man who was mistreating me. I knew I had to stand up for my rights, he said. The marchers were met by the KKK when they reached Hammond, Louisiana.

During the night while attending a meeting at Greenville Park School, the KKK came and started shooting. No one was shot or killed. We resolved the meeting, and a day later, we gather to start marching again. I picked it up where the overpassed in on 1-55. When we got to Walker, the KKK was waiting for us; they were hollering, "niggers, you will never make it to the State Capitol. "Under pressure from the U.S. Civil Rights Divison, Governor John McKeithen agreed to dispatch nearly 700 National Guardsmen and 500 state trooper to protect the demonstrators as they walked down the center of Highway U.S. 190.

I asked him to give me the history behind the name Sweetwater. The wagon felt through a crack, and all the syrup fell into the creek, and they call the community "Sweet Water" according to the folk tales, it just one the many stories behind the name of Sweet Water. 

Mount Olive School was the first African American; Mount Olive Baptist Church started the school. Bobbie attended school there and from Burgher Elementary School. 1n 1955, he went to West Side School in Amite, LA.

African Methodist Episcopal Churches Made A Donation to CORE

Nellie Turner Berry Collection

This newspaper article was found in the Nellie Berry collection. Nellie was an influential African American woman in Ponchatoula and New Orleans, Louisiana. Nellie was a member of Union Bethel AME Church on Thalia Street in New Orleans, Louisiana after she left Ponchatoula and made New Orleans, La., her home.

According to her granddaughter Lillian Bates, Nellie attended church in Ponchatoula as well. Unfortunately, Lillian can't recall the name of the church in Ponchatoula. All the newspaper clippings and other records in Nellie collection hold the key to some very important church and political history for African American progress during the Civil Rights Movement. 

These influential Religious leaders donated a check in the amount of $635.00 dollars to James McCain, field director for  The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). The article doesn't give us the date the donation was made.  The article states that's that the check was presented at St. James AME Church.

Nellie Turner Berry
Photo Courtesy: Lillian Bates

Nellie saved another newspaper article about Mahalia Jackson performing at a concert and benefit dinner to raise money for Union Bethel AME Church when fell victim to a fire. Rev. Lutrelle was in high hopes that the concert and benefit dinner would pay off the four thousand dollars mortgage they taken out for renovations after the fire. Mahalia was joined by her longtime friend Elliot Von Joseph Veal an instructor of music at Woodson Junior High School.  He brought with him a chorus of singers from numerous of New Orleans churches.

Reverend Lutrelle Grice Long opened the doors of Union Bethel to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Many  Civil Rights activities too place at Union Bethel under his leadership.  A fire destroyed the building in  1962.  According to Union Bethel A.M.E. Church website, it is said that Dr. King spoke before out to the congregation in 1961 and called for " a new emancipation." He urged the President of the United States to issue an executive order to make segregation unconstitutional by way of the 14th amendment. In 2004 during the 75th birthday commemoration, President George W. Bush spoke before the congregation about Dr. King's legacy.

I'm honored to know that a native of Ponchatoula, Louisiana was a member of a powerful church that played a major role in the Civil Right Movement in the Deep South. I'm anxious to know what else can be found in her collection that can shed some light on her role in the Civil Rights movement.

The 1,500 seating capacity of the Union Bethel auditorium was particularly important during the Civil Rights Movement.  There notable mass meetings were held at Union Bethel. Several Pastors of the Historic St. Peter A.M.E. Church is present in this photograph as well; Rev. T. Gaines, and Reven, F. B. Hitchens. 

After the Civil Rights rally at the Municipal Auditorium was banned by court order, members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) held a prayer meeting in Congo Square outside the auditorium Dec. 15, 1961. They then proceeded to Union Bethel A.M.E. Church, St. Liberty at Thalia. The Rev. Avery Alexander, in in the dark overcoat and gray suit, let the procession. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at the assembly. (Photo by Terry Friedman, The Time-Picayune archives) Terry Friedman.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/ea7eacec-b1a5-4dca-a5f4-3bfd129d15b4

Lillian Bates and Nellie Berry Collection

New Orleans, Time-Picayune Newspaper, June 11, 1966