Adam Gordon on the Farm in Amite, Louisiana

Adam Gordon

Adam Gordon was the son of Willie K. Gordon, Sr. and Alma "Mandy Richardson Gordon. Before joining the military during the Vietnam War, he worked on his parents' farm. He was planting and harvesting the crops. His job duties were to tend to the livestock. One day during one of our interviews, he told me that he didn't like working on the farm but didn't have a choice doing that time. 

His paternal grandmother Mandy Wheat Jones was a farmer and herbalist in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Adam wouldn't even consider farming as a career. As soon as a window presented itself to get away from the farm work, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity, and he did just that. Adam was a community activist and organizer. He protested to integrate business and seek employment for many African Americans in Tangipahoa Parish. He organized a protest in front of Red and White Supermarket to get the store to hire African American Cashiers. 

When he was employed at Norco Refinery in Norco, Louisiana as a supervisor, he hired a lot of people for Tangipahoa Parish. He owned his own job and put many people to work in Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parishes.  Adam was married to Glynis Vernon Gordon and they had two sons and four grandchildren. 

Bernard Temple the First Child in Louisiana Takes the African Ancestry DNA Test

Bernard Temple 
Mailing his African Ancestry DNA Test 

Bernard was the first child to take the African Ancestry DNA to learn more about his paternal African Ancestry. It was an extraordinary occasion for him. We traveled to Virginia to have him take the test near the Atlantic Ocean. We stood on the beach looking out across the ocean, talking about the day we would travel to Africa.

That summer, we packed the car and drove to North Carolina to museums, antique shops, parks, and having fun as a family. My ex-husband and I shared the driving. While in Greensboro, North Carolina, we met with some Tuareg People Moussa Albaka introduced us to. Dennis and I were planning to travel to Niger, Africa, in a few months.  We wanted to make some connections with people in Niger before we made our trip.

During his forth grade year at Audubon Montessori school in New Orleans, his class was given an assignment to do a special project on his family origins and history. He was extremely excited because I had taken my maternal African Ancestry DNA and my test results revealed that our maternal ancestry could be traced to the Tuareg People of Niger, Africa. 

Moussa Albaka arranged to have a special outfit from Niger sent to New Orleans for Bernard to wear that day. He wore Tuareg handmade Tuareg jewelry made by the Moussa himself, the Tuareg Silversmith. Bernard also had to bring a dish from the native culture. We decided to bring goats cheese because the Tuareg people eat a lot of home made camel and goats cheese.

Audubon Montessori was a school of diversity and many of the students were from different ethnic groups and cultures in his class. That day the students took us around the world. We travel to India, Mexico, Italy,  Asia, Europe, and Africa. We were so proud of him for getting an "A" on his assignment.