 |
| Slave Quarters |
As long as I can remember, African American people in Tangipahoa Parish called their communities the quarters. Communities such as Ried, Clemmons, and Hyde, are often called quarters by African Americans who live in the community. I often think about the slave quarters when I hear people refer to their community as the quarters. I came across an article that was written and published by Irene Ried Morris. Here is what she wrote;
The Quarters is a phrase which was sometimes used to refer to the area toward the Dillon High School where there are a large number of color residences. The phrase comes from early days.
Slave Quarter were villages of slaves located on plantations. A place where enslaved Africans lived. Many tenant farmers and sharecroppers also lived in the quarters. The buildings were designed and constructed for the expressed purpose of housing slaves on a plantation.
I hope that one day African American people who live in these predominantly African American communities will come together to consider changing the terminology from quarters to communities and perhaps on day rename the community to that of a prominent African American pioneer for each community.
