Who to Watch 2022 The Drum

Alexis Anderson

Kristen Collins

Gaynell Brady

O’Neil

Curtis

Rodneyna Hart

Davante

Lewis

Carlos Pollard Jr.

Matching grant funds available

The Baton Rouge North Eco nomic Development District announced the launch of a new program established to help busi ness owners give their buildings a facelift.

The Facade and Signage Im provement Program, or FSIP, is a matching grant that requires the applicant to pay for 50 per cent of the total cost, while the grant pays for the remaining 50 percent, not to exceed $5,000. Grant funding is limited and will be awarded on a “First Come –First Qualified – First Served” basis until all funds are expend ed. Program participation is lim ited to businesses located within the boundaries of the district.

Visit https://www.brnedd.com/ facade to apply.

“This program is an exciting addition to our continued ef forts in revitalizing North Baton Rouge,” said April Hawthorne, BRNEDD Executive Director. “The district is primed for rede velopment and growth. Offering business owners an incentive to upgrade their exteriors will cre ate a more attractive community, which will, in turn, spur addi tional growth in the area.”

Funding for this program was provided jointly by State Senator Regina Barrow and State Repre sentative Ted James.

A public informational session will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, from noon to 1:30p.m. at The Louisiana Small Business Development Center located at 616 Harding Blvd. Baton Rouge, La.

To register call (225)418-2499 or email facadegrant@brnedd. com.

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BATON ROUGE

Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Supervisor

Corey Harris made a presentation to the South ern University System Board of Supervisors to update on the FBI’s efforts to address multiple bomb threats made to HBCUs including Southern Uni versity and historically Black churches, in January and February. Harris, a graduate of Southern Uni versity, reported the threats were made by minors who could be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Additionally, Harris shared information about the FBI’s BEACON Program designed to increase minority recruiting, assist to strengthen infrastructure, introduce federal resources and training, as well as student outreach. Southern University, Southern University at New Orle ans, and Southern University Law Center are participating in the program, and campus police departments are meeting regularly with the FBI on training and security initiatives.

NEW ORLEANS

Loretta Harrison, the first Black woman to own and operate her own praline company in New Orleans, passed away at 66. Harrison was a legendary chef, candy maker, and the crowned “Queen of Pra lines.” She learned to make pralines in her mother’s kitchen in St. Bernard Par ish using her great-grand mother”s recipe. While earning a degree in political science at Southern Univer sity, Harrison sold her pralines to the students at the LSU Medical Library then Wise Cafeteria. In 1978, she sold pralines during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to much success which launched her business officially. In 1984, Harrison opened her first brick-and-mortar location at Jax Brewery and later opened a shop at the French Market, making her the first Black American to own a praline shop in New Orleans. She opened a second Loretta’s Authentic Pralines store in the Marigny on North Rampart. Harrison died of cancer on February 16, 2022.

“She was an inspiration and an icon, and our City mourns her loss,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell tweet ed.

TANGIPAHOA

As a result of the continued growth of Tangipa hoa Parish, the Louisiana Legislature has created a new senatorial seat with a majority of the voters residing in southern Tangipahoa Parish, according to a press release from Rep. Nicholas Muscarello. The new senate district will be District 37, and it is being re-located from the Shreveport area since that part of the state lost population and south east Louisiana gained population. In addition to Tangipahoa Parish’s 81 percent of the registered voters, District 37 will also include 10 precincts in St. Tammany Parish with 16 percent of registered voters and two precincts in Livingston Parish with 3 percent of registered voters. “District 37 will give us the opportunity to have a state senator with a Tangipahoa Parish address,” Muscarello said.

“This is big when decisions are being made, and we have a seat at the table.” Hammond, Poncha toula, Natalbany, Tickfaw, Independence, Baptist, Pumpkin Center, Manchac, Bedico, Robert south of Highway 190 and Amite west of I-55 will be part of the new district. The middle eastern and northern part of the parish will still be in Senate District 12 which is currently represented by Sen. Beth Mizell. The new district will be in effect for the Oct. 14, 2023, election date.

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Michael K. La’Fitte has stepped down as presi dent of the NAACP Shreveport Chapter after lo cal residents questioned if his employment at the Woodlawn Terrace Apartments impacted his abil ity to effectively serve and advocate for the ten ants. Residents argued on social media that La’Fitte was aware of the apart ments’ perilous conditions and was actively manipu lating the situation for his own interests, according to Shreveport Sun. Initially, La’Fitte argued that his sole responsibility was as a comptroller who ensured that employees and contractors were paid. He said false reports stated that he was evicting tenants for speaking out. Ac cording to him, complex owners are dealing with the challenges that have existed for decades and he is confident that tenets will agree that positive changes are being implemented. Nonetheless he resigned saying he took the role as president “as far as he could go”

Carrie

EddiE Ponds Founding PublishEr

STATE Race car honoring Grambling State University revs up for the NASCAR Cup Series

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GraMBling State UniVersitY suPporters are revved up at the recent announcement that NY Racing owner John Cohen, a GSU alum, will have a car and driver return to the NASCAR Cup Series this week.

On this Saturday, Feb. 19, when semi-retired driver Greg Biffle enters the track to qualify for the Daytona 500, he will be driving the No. 44 Grambling State University and HBCU League Pass Plus Chevrolet Camero owned by Cohen.

Cohen played linebacker at Grambling State from 1993-97 and has also owned trucking and mortgage companies.

“I wanted to get into something I had a passion for,” said Cohen, who started NY Racing in 2009 and is also marketing partner of Urban Edge Network, Inc. “I’m passionate about

HBCUs and Grambling State University. And racing is something I’m passionate about. If it has a motor and goes fast, I’m passionate about it. It all started with motorcycles and I just kind of worked my way up. I’ve always liked and followed racing,” he said.

NY Racing does not have a guaran-

teed spot in the 2022 Daytona 500 on February 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX). Biffle will have to first qualify while driving the No. 44 built by Richard Childress Racing and featuring a Hendrick Motorsports engine. Veteran crew chief Jay Guy will call the shots atop the pit box for Biffle. Guy has been a

crew chief for more than 300 Cup Series races and earned a win with David Ragan in 2013 at Talladega Superspeedway. Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is different than any other race on the circuit. It includes the traditional single car qualifying laps to set the front row. Then, NASCAR runs two dual races to set the rest of the field based on the race results. If Biffle and the Grambling race car aren’t fast enough on qualifying laps, Biffle will have the opportunity to race into qualifying.

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to drive the Next Gen car and help NY Racing make its entry

into the 2022 season,” Biffle stated in a team release. “I’ve always said since the day I stepped away from full-time competition that I would return under the right circumstances.”

For Cohen, “It’s all about representing HBCUs and especially Grambling along with a sport I love. I’ve been trying to bring racing to a wider audience since 2009. I hope that having the car look like it does with all the Grambling branding on it will help make that happen.”

Biffle competed in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time from 2003-2016, collecting all of his 19 victories for team owner Jack Roush. At 52, he is the oldest Daytona 500 entrant.

Hammond civil rights leader Henry Jackson honors other heroes during annual event

prevented from registering to vote by threats and force.

Jackson is believed to be the last surviving civil rights leader in Hammond. During the breakfast, he honored the men and women who have helped and are helping to make the community a better place.

Dr. John Willis Hatcher III gave a keynote speech asking the audience, “Are you living in fear or are you living in love? Our civil rights leaders didn’t live in fear.”

“The movement continues,” he said. “We are going backwards. Voter rights are under attack...this critical race theory everyone is talking about is a legal way to suppress a population of people and undermined Black History.”

He said, “We must celebrate living history. We have men in this parish who have made history and they put their life on the line, and our boys and girls need to know local history.”

For nearly 100 years, Black Americans in Tangipahoa Parish had been

Black men were called upon in all the wars to sacrifice and give their lives that others might be free. Yet, Black citizens were forcefully prevented from having any part in determining who would represent them at any level of government, said Debra G. Holder, daughter of activist Alvin Kenneth Holden.

DEBRA G. HOLDEN

mad Bulter, Robert Jackson, Leonard P. Holden, Clarence Bernard, Blanche Mitchell, and John Alvin Clark were founding members of the Tangipahoa Parish Voters League and the organization fought to obtain the right to vote and equal treatment for Blacks.

dent of the Parent-Teacher Association and served in that capacity for many years.

After attending the school’s adult education program, he earned a high school diploma. He continued his education after retirement by attending the Louisiana Technical College in Hammond where he completed 60hour course in automotive technology. This was an accomplishment he had been denied when he returned from the

war because Blacks were not allowed to train as auto mechanics or attend the school.

He later became the first Black campus police officer at Southeastern Louisiana University.

“My father was ahead of his time,” she said. The Holden family has established a college scholarship fund for high school students in memory of their patriarch.

She accepted a plaque from the Tangipahoa Parish Second Saturday Breakfast group on behalf of her father who died Dec. 7, 2007.

At 19, he entered the U.S. Army in 1942, serving in northern France during World War II until 1946.

Afterwards, he joined the fight for civil rights and integration because of the discrimination he endured in his early life, she said.

Alvin Holden, Bernell Steven, Ar-

Alvin Holden led the fight in federal court and became the first Black American to register to vote in the parish.

He was an avid reader who believed that education was truly the key to success and equality, she said.

Debra Holden recounted how he helped lead the fight for the integration of public schools in the parish and became an integral part of the schools.

In 1955 when West Side High School was established for Blacks in Amite, Alvin Holden became the first presi-

COHEN

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY RACE CAR

LongtiMe CiVil Rights and coMMunity leader Henry Jackson held his Black History program on February 13 at the Tangipahoa African American Heritage Center.

Who to Watch 2022

the largest industry in the parish and the state. What to expect in 2022 from you:

• Voting -Working to increase access for those housed at the EBRPP, increasing registration in low wealth communities, educating the commu nity through the use of candidate forums and vot er education tools. Why: Voting is the keys to the kingdom. That is why so many people try to stop people from participating.

REV. ALEXIS ANDERSON

Age: Grown and Growing (60+)

Job Title: Executive Director, PREACH; Chair, Faith Subcommittee, Louisiana Stop Solitary Coalition; Chair, Children and Youth Subcommittee, Louisiana Behavioral Health Advisory Council; Board Member, Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana; and Member, East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition

Hometown: St. Louis

Current location: Baton Rouge

Bio: Rev. Alexis Anderson is an ordained ser vant teacher, minister, and the founder and ex ecutive director of PREACH. Rev. Anderson serves on the Louisiana Mental Health Advisory Council, the Committee to Support Healthcare Equity, the 19th JDC Domestic Violence Specialty Court Planning Workgroup, the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana Board and is the Life Skills Chair of the Capital Area LA-PRI IST Committee. She is a member of the Jail Subcommittee of the Louisiana Stop Solitary Coalition and the chair of the Faith Based Subcommittee of the Louisiana Stop Solitary Coalition. Rev.. Alexis Anderson is a proud member of the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition, Moves made since 2019:

• Focusing on educating the community on the intersection of voting, mass incarceration and criminalization of poverty.

• Building bigger tables to solve problems whether for domestic violence or resources to help those struggling with behavioral health issues.

• Bringing attention to the impact on the en tire community of having mass incarceration as

• Shutting down the school to prison pipeline that demonizes children, labels them unredeem able, and criminalizes Black and Brown Children as well as special need and low wealth children of any background. Building resources and tools for safe spaces for LGBRTQ, Foster Children aging out of state custody and children impacted by the mass incarceration system. Why: Children are a gift from God and this trend to label children as broken, damaged and unrestorable is an affront to God.

• Working to end solitary confinement, reduce the death count at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and the continued criminalization of un sheltered citizens, immigrant populations and those struggling with serious mental illness. Why: East Baton Rouge Parish has the deadliest jail/ pretension in the country. There is no excuse for this and we have the tools to end this. No one is disposable.

• Encouraging everyone to use their power as citizens to change the world. The importance of being an informed, educated and activist “I” in the “We the People”. Recognizing its our gov ernment, policy makers work for us and taxpayer money is ours and we must be good stewards. Why: Because to whom much is given much is required.

Personal resolution for 2022: To con tinue presenting resources effectively, applying Christlike Humbleness to everyone I serve and to honor my Lord and Savior in all areas of my living.

Life/business motto: Get in the game. Who God called, He has equipped.

Business resolution: Study to show yourself. A teacher must be a lifelong learner. Somebody always has something to teach each of us.

What is your #1 priority right now? Reimaging public safety in East Baton Rouge

Best advice you’ve ever received? To whom much is given much is required.

Age: 44

GAYNELL BRADY

Job title: Executive director, Lower 9th Ward Homeownership Association; owner/educator, Our Mammy’s; executive director, Lower 9th Ward Homeownership Association. The mission of the L9WHA is the preservation and creation of homeownership and the resident-driven re vitalization of our historic community. As the Executive Director of the L9WHA, my job is to lead the organization as we reduce barriers to homeownership by providing direct assistance to current and future homeowners. At Our Mammy’s, I design and implement interactive history and genealogy programs to teach African American history and genealogy. Our Mammy’s was created to honor the legacy of Louisiana’s African Americans.

Hometown: New Orleans, LA Current location: New Orleans, LA

Bio: Gaynell Brady earned a BA in histo ry and MA in museum studies from Southern University at New Orleans. Gaynell is current ly a Ph.D. candidate at Capella University, in Minneapolis, MN, working on her dissertation that includes teaching and interpreting slavery to students. Gaynell is a native New Orleans resi dent with roots in East Feliciana, West Feliciana, West Baton Rouge, and Pointe Coupee parishes.

Moves made: In 2019, I was employed at the National World War II Museum as the Public Engagement and Community Program Coordinator. In this role, I coordinated large public programs and lectures. My position was eliminated in May 2019, during the onset of the pandemic. After leaving the museum, I took off a few months to increase Our Mammy’s online

and physical footprint. I joined the L9WHA in August 2019.

What to expect in 2022 from you: In 2022, the L9WHA is positioned to offer green infrastructure training for homeowners. We are seeking innovative ways to eliminate floodwaters from the yards of our neighbors. We are looking to work with Waterwise, the Urban Conservancy, and other non-profits to educate the community about environmental issues that may cause prob lems for homeowners and the larger community.

Personal resolution for 2022: My per sonal resolution for 2022 and beyond is to in corporate self-care in all that I do. I need to build in time to take care of my mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.

Life/business motto: My life motto is “Your ancestors are always watching you.”

Business resolution: My business resolu tion is to increase the board and staff capacity

What is your #1 priority right now? To make sure the community uses the skills and practices of our ancestors to rebuild the Lower 9th Ward.

Best advice you’ve ever received? Plant a seed, so the next generation can enjoy the fruit of the trees.

What do you want people to remember/ know most about you? I love my family, I ad mire the strength of my ancestors, and I try my hardest not to take anything or anyone for grant ed.

Role Models: My parents Florence and Charles, and my grandmothers Polly, Zoeline, Delilah, Bernice, Bell, Florence, Adelaide, Maslean, Classie, Josephine, Sarah, Rebecca, and Lizzy

What has been a deciding moment or an experience that pushed you forward--es pecially during the coronavirus pandem ic? Losing my job at the National World War II Museum pushed me into my purpose. It remind ed me that I have an important role to play in my community.

What music are you listening/dancing to? 60s and 70s R&B

What are you reading? Self Made by A’lelia Bundles

What’s entertaining you? Dr. Antoinette Harrell’s YouTube channel “Nurturing Our Roots”

Website: L9WHA.org or www.ourmammys.com

Social media: @lower9nola @Our Mammy’s

KRISTEN COLLINS, NP

Age: 39

Job TiTle: Nurse Practitioner homeTown: Baton Rouge, La CurrenT loCATion: Baton Rouge, La ShorT bio: Obtained my associates in nurs ing in 2013 from Our Lady of the Lake College. My bachelor’s degree in nursing from Loyola University in New Orleans, and my master of science degree in nursing from Southern University and A&M College in 2017. I am a mother to three beautiful children.

moveS mADe SinCe 2019: Became medical director at Metro Health.

whAT To expeCT in 2022 from you: To con tinue to inform the community about COVID 19 and encourage vaccinations.

perSonAl reSoluTion for 2022: To not al low my fears hold me back!

life/buSineSS moTTo: My favorite scripture is “The blessings of Lord maketh rich and ad deth no sorrows.”

whAT iS your #1 prioriTy righT now? To do the best I can with this task I have been giv en. That task is to inform others in regard to their health. If anyone knows me, I am one to shy away from public speaking and anything to do with being in the spotlight.

beST ADviCe you’ve ever reCeiveD? To whom much is given, much is required.

whAT Do you wAnT people To remember/ know moST AbouT you? I would like people to know that I try to treat others the way I would want to be treated and that I genuinely care about their well being and health.

role moDelS: My parents, Willie and Malinda Joseph, have always taught me not to let life issues get me down, trust God and keep

it moving.

whAT hAS been A DeCiDing momenT or An experienCe ThAT puSheD you forwArD--eSpeCiAlly During The CoronAviruS pAnDemiC? In the beginning of the pandemc when I saw all those nurses being sent to New York, that’s when it became real to me. It would have been hard for me to go to New York and leave my community here helpless.

whAT muSiC Are you liSTening/DAnCing To? I love Neo Soul music. Musiq Soul Child and Jill Scott are my favorites.

whAT Are you reADing? Mostly just Center for Disease Control and Louisiana Department of Health updates at the moment.

whAT’S enTerTAining you? Anything I can find on the Hallmark channel and Netflix; cur rently binge watching 911.

webSiTe: www.brmetrohealth.com

O’NEIL CURTIS

Age: 40

Job TiTle: Licensed barber and owner of O’Neil’s Barber & Beauty Salon, Truck Driver and owner of Always on Time Transportation Co, Founder and Director Line4Line non-profit. Mentor. Father. homeTown: Baton Rouge CurrenT loCATion: Baton Rouge ShorT bio: O’Neil grew up in Mall City where he directly experienced the impact of the 1980s crack epidemic, seeing how poverty, addiction, violence, incarceration, trauma and community disinvestment, impacted friends, family, neighbors. As a child, O’Neil moved frequently, changing schools regularly. He credits his Merrydale Elementary second grade teacher as well as meeting his father at age 12 with changing his life’s trajectory. O’Neil had dreams of being a barber and entrepreneur from an early age. In the 11th grade he began a bar ber school through a dual enrollment program offered at Glen Oaks High. Three years after graduating he opened his own barbershop which has been in operation at 449 North Acadian for seventeen years.

moveS mADe SinCe 2019: In 2019 O’Neil established Always on Time Transportation Company; Received Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation’s Angel Award in 2019; Founded the Angel Coalition to begin work on the Youth City Lab a youth-centered program space made up of Line4Line, Big Buddy, Front Yard Bike and Humanities Amped; Started an in-school high school barber-entrepreneur class at Capitol High and expanded in 2021 to Thrive Academy. In Summer of 2020, Line4Line started free summer programming to children which tran sitioned in the fall to be in-person remote learn

ing program for working parents. Since 2019 O’Neil and his team of barbers have given out more than 2,000 haircuts to boys ages 3-15 for reading; given more than 500 supply filled backpacks to families as part of the annual back to school giveaway; collected and rehomed more than 6,000 books to families, community groups and schools. Worked with the Conscious Kid, an education, research, and policy organi zation that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity, and bias to give more than 2,500 books celebrating BIPOC stories into every East Baton Rouge Parish public elementary school. In 2021, start ed a creative literacy program that currently takes place at Merrydale Elementary; engaged more than 200 youth in mentoring programs and hosted a summer youth employment job training program. Established a youth bowling program and the Line4Line Clippers, a youth basketball league, led by his team of barbers. Kept barbershop open throughout.

whAT To expeCT in 2022 from you: Keeping the work going, expanding my trucking busi ness, and providing support to people and kids who need it most. Continue to cut hair. Launching a Line4Line mobile program which will provide free books, creative learn ing at community outreach events, and bring the Haircut for Reading program to students in our local schools. Creating programs that respond to the need of our immediate commu nity. Bringing opportunities into areas of our city that have been neglected. Completing ren ovation of the Youth City Lab on Government Street which will include a Line4Line barber shop, community lending library, and program space.

perSonAl reSoluTion for 2022: To try to help as many kids as a way to stop street vio

lence

life/buSineSS moTTo: Be honest to myself, help as many people as I can, create provide op portunities for youth to thrive.

buSineSS reSoluTion: Keep expanding work, keep getting things done

whAT iS your #1 prioriTy righT now: My daughter, O’Nya. I want to make sure she grad uates from high school with a scholarship to go to college.

beST ADviCe you’ve ever reCeiveD: Keep at it, even when people tell you that you can’t do it. Don’t give up, stay motivated and keep a good attitude no matter what’s going on around you. Trust yourself.

whAT Do you wAnT people To remember/ know moST AbouT you? That I am an honest and caring person, and if anyone needs help I am here.

role moDelS: Jesus Christ, my father, my big brother David Curtis,

whAT hAS been A DeCiDing momenT or An experienCe ThAT puSheD you forwArD eSpe CiAlly During The CoronAviruS pAnDemiC? Individuals telling me the world would shut down, yet because I had experienced so much hardship early in my life I knew how to survive and pivot and make things work..

whAT muSiC Are you liSTening/DAnCing To? J. Cole

whAT Are you reADing? 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Art of Respect by J. Prince Jr. and Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

whAT’S enTerTAining you? Working out, boxing, watching documentaries, spending time with my daughter.

webSiTe/emAil: www.line4linebr.org

SoCiAl meDiA: @oneilsbarbershop @line4linebr

Age: 38

RODNEYNA HART

Job TiTle: Louisiana State Museum Division Director, responsible for four history museums throughout Louisiana. Louisiana State Museum Division Director Capitol Park Museum - Baton Rouge, E. D. White Historic Site - Thibodaux, Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum - Patterson, and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame & Northwest Louisiana History Museum - Natchitoches.

homeTown: Baker, LA

CurrenT loCATion: Baton Rouge, LA

ShorT bio: Rodneyna Hart worked as an art ist, board member, exhibitions manager, prepar ator, and curator for various galleries and muse ums throughout Louisiana. She was the co-cu rator of the International Triennial Exhibition Prospect.3+Baton Rouge Satellite Invitational. Rodneyna created pop-up art events open to all, advocating for more inclusive and intersection al cultural spaces. These events also included an educational component providing resources for emerging artists. Hart reestablished and served as executive director for the not-for-profit or ganization Culture Candy. She received a gu bernatorial appointment to the Louisiana State Arts Council in 2017 and served as one of the Council’s and Baton Rouge Business Report’s 40 Under Forty.

moveS mADe SinCe 2019:

Since 2019, I have worked on adding struc tural support to the future success of each in stitution in my charge through programming, promotion partnerships, and exhibitions that strategically meet the needs of the communi ties I serve. At Capitol Park Museum, we just closed the Smithsonian exhibition “The Negro Motorist Green Book.” This exhibition and the 27 programs we created in conjunction with partners throughout Louisiana showed our abil ity through words and deeds to gain meaning ful engagement with our community, grow the museum’s visibility, and show that our state de

serves and appreciates blockbuster exhibitions that highlight the lived experiences of BIOPIC individuals.

whAT To expeCT in 2022 from you:

This is a growth year where we show that our efforts were not a one-off, but part of a movement democratizing our cultural spac es. Museums are no longer the keepers of all knowledge but we still have a responsibility to share uplifting narratives and voices of our forebears with honesty, dignity, and equity.

perSonAl reSoluTion for 2022:

Among other pursuits, to complete the Masters of Business Administration program at LSUS

life/buSineSS moTTo:

“Arts, history, and cultural spaces are for everyone, and they should be inspirational, as pirational, but most of all relevant to the com munities they serve.” and “Grow where you are planted.”

buSineSS reSoluTion:

To create a relationship with my community where the museums are less a venue and more a cultural hub. A place where everyone feels comfortable, reflected, and enlightened by the museum’s offerings.

whAT iS your #1 prioriTy righT now?

Being of service. I am creating a safe and educational enrichment environment in a world that has seen isolation, pandemics, and division.

beST ADviCe you’ve ever reCeiveD?

In one of my darkest times, I was given fan tastic advice that was just what I needed to hear. The brilliant Gerri Hobdy sent this to me in a message: “Know that you are going to find or CREATE work where your genius is supported. Take a moment to breathe.”

whAT Do you wAnT people To remember/ know moST AbouT you?

My kindness and passion to nurture the welllived lives of all I touch.

role moDelS: My parents, Rodney and Theresa O’Conner of Baker, La., are my rock. I have had mentors, found brothers and sisters in friendships, mothers, and Ts who have guid ed and loved me through my growth as well as culture bearers who have paved the way so that I would not stumble.

whAT hAS been A DeCiDing momenT or An experienCe ThAT puSheD you forwArD eSpe CiAlly During The CoronAviruS pAnDemiC?

At one point in time, we created a Salubrity Program focused on the physical and mental well-being of our patrons. At the height of the pandemic we had become socially starved and needed recharging. This program focused on outdoor socially distanced yoga, meditation, and movement-based experiences. We also cre ated an outdoor socially distanced movie night in conjunction with the Downtown Business Association. We have tried to be responsive to

our community’s needs while weighing the real and present threat of the pandemic. We have a responsibility to engage while keeping safety at the forefront and have canceled, modified, and rescheduled things as needed in response. The word of the pandemic has been ‘pivot’. Building in flexibility and managing expecta tions for the museum has been essential. whAT muSiC Are you liSTening/DAnCing To?

My musical style is eclectic. I love metal, alternative, and Afropunk bands. I also love op era, symphony, and R&B. Then bring me to a musical and we will be best friends. According to Spotify, my favorite bands include Tool, Adia Victoria, Thundercat, Dir En Grey, Tyler the Creator, Janelle Monae, Portishead, SiR, aYia, Tobe Nwigwe, ANOHNI, Poly Styrene, Lil Nas X, Lianne La Havas, Tank and the Bangas, Bad Brains, Willow Smith, Yo-Yo Ma, Acid Bath, FKA twigs, Childish Gambino, Frank Ocean, Anthony, and the Johnsons, Rammstein, Michael Foster Project, The Mars Volta, Otep, The Smiths, Tune-Yards, Quiana Lynell, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nick Cave

and the Bad Seeds, and Thou

whAT Are you reADing? We had a book club for the Green Book exhibition. I could not get to those during the program, so I am making up for lost time reading Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel In America by Candacy Taylor. I am also reading the Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. Also on my nightstand is The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures by Christine Kenneally.

whAT’S enTerTAining you?

I am a ravenous consumer of media. I love a good film, everything from art films to block busters. By the way, have you seen Encanto? Everyone needs to see Encanto. I will marathon TV shows and consume podcasts. The podcasts that are most compelling to me right one are 99% Invisible, Stuff You Should Know, Lore, and StarTalk Radio

webSiTe: LouisianaStateMuseum.org

SoCiAl meDiA: I am EASILY found and fol lowed at @Rodneyna, #Rodneyna, Rodneyna

ALEXIS ALEXANDER

CONTI. FROM PG 5

What do you want people to remem ber/know most about you? I served my God the best way I knew how.

Role Models: General Russell Honore, my mother the late Rev. Martha Crump, my youngest daughter Anastasia Anderson, my son Quentin Anderson, Southern University Law Center professor Angela Allen-Bell, Loyola Law School professor Andrea Armstrong, and Alma Stewart, executive di rector of the Louisiana Center for Healthy Equity.

What has been a deciding moment or an experience that pushed you for ward--especially during the coronavi rus pandemic? The on-going deaths in the jail. There have been 55 deaths since 2012 and

2021 was the deadliest year of all.

What music are you listening/dancing to? “I Miss Me More” by Kelsea Ballerini and always the “Hamilton” soundtrack.

What are you reading? Punishment without crime by Alexandra Natapoff

What’s entertaining you? “Hamilton,” “Call the Midwife,” and “Remember the Titans”

Facebook:preachisliteracy

Any other information? I am a proud great grandma/grandma of both children and puppies.

Age: 29

DAVANTE LEWIS

Job TiTle: Director of Public Affairs and Outreach, Louisiana Budget Project. In this role, Davante focuses on monitoring legisla tive developments, and works with advoca cy groups and coalition partners to advance a policy agenda that makes a difference for Louisianans with low and moderate incomes.

Hometown: Lake Charles CurrenT loCATion: Baton Rouge

Davante Lewis has dedicated his life to building power for people and fighting for a more just society . Prior to joining LBP, he was an elementary school teacher in the Coweta County School System in suburban Atlanta. Davante has worked on multiple campaigns and even was a candidate for School Board at 18 years old and recently for City Council in 2020.

Davante graduated from McNeese State University with a B.A. in political science where he served as a two-term student body president. He currently serves on the board of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, The Friends of the Capitol Park State Museum, New Leaders Council of Louisiana, and the Foundation for Louisiana’s Truth and Racial Healing Advisory Committee.

Moves Made:

Became a first time home owner, ran for East Baton Rouge Metro Council, appointed to

the Friends of the Capitol Park Museum, and appointed to the Steering Committee of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities State Priorities Partnership.

What to expect in 2022 from you:

In 2022, a main focus will center around race and how racism plays a role in our society. We will also face many economic challenges facing Americans in the face of COVID-19. The child tax credit, paid leave, wages, and workplace conditions will be the major focus and I plan to work on these issues. I will be fo cusing on helping protect and fix student loan debt for people.

Personal resolution for 2022: To give my self grace with my time, my goals, and my work.

life/buSineSS moTTo: Passion without ac tion is a wasted emotion

buSineSS reSoluTion: To center people and their lives in public policy

whAT iS your #1 prioriTy righT now?

Right now I am focused on ensuring the voices of Black and Brown people are uplifted in redistricting and in voting rights from the local to congressional level. The “democracy” is in danger and worsening until we allow ev eryone to fully participate in our systems.

Best advice you’ve ever received?

To live life to the fullest so when you die you have given all you can and will die empty.

whAT Do you wAnT people To remember/ know moST AbouT you?

That I lived by Micah 6:8 to act justly, love mercifully and that I walked humbly with God role moDelS: Fannie Lou Hamer, Sidney Poitier, Congressman John Lewis, James Baldwin

whAT hAS been A DeCiDing momenT or An experienCe ThAT puSheD you forwArD eSpe CiAlly During The CoronAviruS pAnDemiC? The deciding moment for me was the stark racial disparities in death at the beginning of the pandemic. This pushed me to recommit to the work to working towards a more just and equitable society for us all.

whAT muSiC Are you liSTening/DAnCing To? Maverick City Limits’ Jubilee, Jasmine Sullivan, H.E.R, Lucky Daye

whAT Are you reADing? Dorothy Brown’s the Whiteness of Wealth and Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid whAT’S enTerTAining you?

I am a big fan of Succession, Euphoria, Survivor, Abbot Elementary, and In the Dark podcast webSiTe: davantelewis.com

SoCiAl meDiA: @davantelewis

CARLOS A. POLLARD JR.

Age: 23

Job title: Regional Census and Redistricting Fellows at the Power Coalition, monitoring and intervening in the 2021-2022 redistricting pro cess at every level.

homeTown: New Orleans, La CurrenT loCATion: Laplace, La moveS mADe SinCe 2019: 2019: New Orleans Mayor Nonprofit Fellow - Action New Orleans, 2020: Urban League of Louisiana - Civic Engagement Intern, Center for Racial Justice Student Advisor, Congressional Campaign Louisiana District 2, 2021: Vaccine Equity Project and Redistricting Fellow.

whAT To expeCT in 2022 from you: Louisiana Special Session - Advocating for Fair Maps, Volunteer Coordinator for Power Coalition for Equity and Justice - Engaging the Youth Civically, Applying for Law School perSonAl reSoluTion for 2022: Continue to build community while applying for law school.

life/buSineSS moTTo: Remain in fearless pursuit of whatever I put my mind to. buSineSS reSoluTion: Opening my own statewide nonprofit.

whAT iS your #1 prioriTy righT now?

Right now, my number one priority is engag ing people statewide to actively participate in the redistricting process.

whAT Do you wAnT people To remember/ know moST AbouT you?

I want people to know that everything I do is for the community. I genuinely love my commu nity and see the potential in getting the justice we all seek.

role moDelS:

My role models consist of my mother, Rev., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. whAT hAS been A DeCiDing momenT or An ex perienCe ThAT puSheD you forwArD eSpeCiAlly During The CoronAviruS pAnDemiC?

A deciding moment I have had that pushed me during the pandemic would have to be finding in novative ways to engage my community in civic and social justice work.

whAT muSiC Are you liSTening/DAnCing To? Drake, Lil Baby, Jay Z, and Giveon whAT Are you reADing?

By Any Means Necessary by Malcolm X whAT’S enTerTAining you? Grownish SoCiAl meDiA: IG: carlospollardjr LinkedIn: carlos-pollard-jr fACebook: carlos.pollard.3154

Paulette H. Walker is the grand daughter of the late Rev. Melvin Hebert Sr. and Nina M. Hebert of Ponchatoula, Louisiana. She and her husband of 39 years Clarence have three adult children.

Known throughout Ponchatoula for her work in education and business, Walker is a retired school adminis trator and educator of 37 years. Her education philosophy is, “There are no substitutes for effective teaching, practiced professionalism and expected outcomes.”

As an administrator, Walker, was the recipient of the 2001 Governor’s Char acter Initiative for Girls Reachable and Challenged Everyday, a suspen sion prevention program. Known as GRACE, the program was developed to provide an alternative to suspension and allow girls to remain in school. It offered activities on conflict and deci sion making. Walter later created the BRACE character program for boys and the Girls for Christ Program, a Christian character education program based on Biblical principles.

As a classroom teacher, Walker was

was named Teacher of the Year in 1978 and 1979 at SJ Middle School and in 1985 at Fannie C. Williams Middle. She is rec ognized as the only educator having won this prestigious award three times in Louisi ana.

Walker has served on the Profession al Administrators of New Orleans Inc. board as middle school chair, the Tangi Charter School Board writing its discipline policy. She was also a public member of the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners and the Louisiana State School Turn around Advisory Committee. She is the developer of the One Step Ahead Education Program which promotes early learning for each grade level. Shee is also a 50-year member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., and Tangipahoa Professional Women’s Organization.

In 2012, Walker developed Tangipa

hoa African American Women’s Network or TAAWN. The network provided workshops and held the first Busi ness Expo at the Tangipa hoa African American Heritage Museum & Veterans Archives. Walker received commendations from former first lady Michelle Obama, for her community service.

In 2020, she developed the first women’s business Celebration Krewe in Ponchatoula. The Krewe of Nizho ni, whose theme is “Great Women Do Great Things,” consists of edu cators, medical professionals, com munity leaders, and members of civic groups. The purpose of the krewe is to create cultural diversity while pro

moting Black businesses. The Krewe of Nizhoni has ride dates planned through 2032.

In 2021, a Black business sector was initiated in downtown Ponchatou la with the establishment of the first Black Business Appreciation Expo held on Feb. 19.

Walker said she saw the need for unity in the Black business communi ty and on Oct. 9, the first Tangipahoa Black Business Chamber of Commerce was established with the motto: “De veloping Pathways for Business Suc cess.”

Viewing herself sometimes as a hid den figure, Walker said things are hap pening in the community that she is responsible for and people don’t know. But just like the women in the movie, “Hidden Figures,” the success of her work is far more important than the recognition.

With each vision she completes, she says, “To God be the glory.”

Walker said her priority for 2022 is to galvanize small Black businesses to form networks and relationships with in the community because those rela

tionships will allow business to grow and have sustainability.

“If God gave you the business, He’ll give you the customers,” she said. “He blesses the gift not the business.

She said her mother, the late Rebec ca Hebert, taught her that everyone can be honest, have integrity, and work hard. She encouraged her to be a leader always working to help others and put ting things in action.

Walker said her next goal is to reno vate a house for a family or a business and she hopes that others will do the same in their communities. She also wants to secure land either by dona tion or purchase for a Girls’ Summer Camp.

She said she is especially looking forward to developing a Business Pair ing System that introduces and match es businesses to form larger companies.

With all that she has accomplished, Walker she said she wants people to re member that she worked hard, prayed harder, created with a pure heart, and made things happen for the first time

Black and blue: Legendary bluesmen blazed paths promoting musical expression

X by FrancEs y. sPEncEr ThE drum Contributing Writer

Blues – an art form Birthed from heartbreak as well harmony –was so obscure in its infancy that its origins are often debatable.

Louisiana’s juke joints that once heavily marked the Swamp Blues Trail help the Bayou State claim a healthy part of the blues as its own.

The blues wasn’t created or developed. It was born in the oftenlaborious years following the U.S. Civil War. It was a product of the South and took hints of work songs, field chants, minstrel show music, ragtime, church music, and the folk and popular music of white society.

“Down-home Blues, Down home blues. All I wanted to hear was some down home blues, all night long every other record or two. She said, I’m going to get my head banged and party on the down home blues.”

Lil Jimmy Reed started playing the blues in a little village fitting called Hardwood more than six decades ago, but he makes no attempt to put a long definition on the blues. That would be a disservice to the simplicity of what he knows as the blues. “The blues is everyday life, and you live it every day,” he said. “You hear that baby crying; she’s got the blues. You put that pacifier in her mouth; she stops.”

Hardwood was a fitting backdrop for the 1950s blues — hard work and segregation colored with a strong sense of making the best out of less-thanbest situations. Reed, born Leon Atkins, recalls being around 16 years old when his father gifted him a guitar.

No lessons, no mentoring, just instinctive messages wanting to be heard. “He bought me a guitar on a Monday and Saturday night

I was in the club playing,” Reed recalled.

The original Jimmy Reed was a Mississippi-born blues singer and songwriter who played the guitar and harmonica. He produced a series of hits in the 50s that made him the most successful blues singer of the era.

Elvis Presley recorded the gritty “Baby What You Want Me to Do,” but Jimmy Reed did it first and that was style young Leon studied and mastered.

You’ve got me runnin’ You’ve got me hidin’. You’ve got me run, hide, hide, run. Anyway you wanna let it roll. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’ve got me doin’ what you want me. A-baby why you wanna let go?

“Well, there was a Jimmy Reed and I imitated him,” he said. “He was playing, and he got drunk, and he couldn’t play so they took him out the back door and brought me into the front door. I got that name ‘Lil Jimmy Reed,’ and people didn’t know the difference.”

Reed took his new name and the old music and took off. He spent his youth playing in small clubs and venues and then joined the military. When he left the military, his career took off. He shared the

stage with renowned blues legends like B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland and toured festivals in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and other countries thirsty for the American music genre.

Before the blues graced venues in big cities and music halls across the world, it moved from the fields and rural paths directly to the juke joints. Black communities in the South had minimal spaces dedicated to listening to music and nightlife long before night clubs and concert halls welcomed the blues.

One of the last remaining juke joints can be found just north of Baton Rouge and near the campus of Southern University. The blues, like Lloyd “Teddy”

Johnson, was born in the modest front rooms of rural shacks and shotguns where Black folks gave life to and nurtured a sound that was part music, part heart and part experience.

Teddy’s Juke Joint has been home to musicians for decades and Dixie Taylor now calls it home. “We’re kind of a different breed and not everybody’s going to get that, but Teddy does,” Taylor said. “This is a musicianfriendly venue. They care for the individual, so it becomes a place of healing.”

Johnson and late wife Nancy held together one of the last remaining juke joints in the South that formed the legendary Swamp Blues Trail. In the 1950s, when Johnson was a young boy, Baton Rouge became the melting pot for Louisianacentric tunes. Swamp blues took blues tempo and mixed in Cajun, zydeco and home brews.

In 1979, Johnson converted the home where he was born into a bar and grill with a stage for live music. While just a spot on the road leading to town, Teddy’s Juke Joint gained international fame as the birthplace of careers and one of the few places left in the country where one could be immersed in the authentic swamp blues experience.

‘Cause you know I’m here. Everybody knows I’m here. Yeah,

you know I’m a hoochie coochie man. Everybody knows I’m here. Swamp blues’ most successful pioneers included Slim Harpo and Lightnin’ Slim, who enjoyed national rhythm and blues hits. The style has a laid-back, slow tempo with bits of the boogie patterns used on (the original) Jimmy Reed records and the work of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Muddy Waters.

The remaining juke joints and supporters of the craft like Johnson serve as springboards for new acts as they have for decades. Writer and musician Alex Cook plays in a band called the Rakers and he sings the praises of the local blues juke joint and all it did to help his band develop. We’ve been together for nine years now and we did our album release for our first record, ‘Regina,’ there,” he recalled. “Teddy and his wife Nancy treated us like rock stars.”

Cook first walked into Teddy’s Juke Joint in the mid-2000s to write a magazine story. “It was Teddy’s birthday party, and I was holding a plate with some turkey necks and greens and was ordering a Crown and Coke setup — they bring you a pint bottle, can of Coke, bowl of ice and a couple glasses,” he recalled. “Teddy waltzed up in a red suit, red cowboy hat and a red cape. You can’t dream up scenes like this.”

The B.B. King Recording Studio on the campus of Mississippi State University honored Johnson in 2017 for his efforts to continue the blues legacy, but the blues road is a long and rocky one with the COVID-19 pandemic dealt challenges to both Johnson and Reed as they both approach 80 while still doing what they love.

Johnson explained in a 2016 interview that blues genre is defined by the will of who play it. “The blues man is dedicated— he’ll play till he dies,” he said.

lil Jimmy rEEd

TEddy Johnson

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Alaina Bloodworth, of Baton Rouge, has been named deputy director of the Black Public De fender Association. The association i aims to im prove the quality of defense provided to low-in come communities by creating and maintaining a national network of skilled Black defenders who identify with and are committed to the popu lations they serve. She also serves as the social justice chair of the Baton Rouge Branch of the NAACP. In October 2020, she was named the first director of equity, diversity, and inclusion for the Baton Rouge Office of Public Defender.

Eric Brown, of Grand Rapids, has been named the new president and CRO of the Urban League of West Michigan where he once interned 29 years ago as a Southern University student. Brown served as the director of finance for LINC UP, a community development organization in

Grand Rapids and was also senior director of business strategized at Heart of West Michigan United Way. He graduated from Southern with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. He also completed his master’s degree in administration at Western Michigan University.

Amarie Coleman, a junior at Zachary High School, is a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders. The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, in spire, motivate and direct the top students in the country interested in these careers, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal. Coleman’s nomination was signed by Dr. Mario

Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the Science Director of the National Acade my of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. She will represent Zachary High School based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

Sydney Gant has been crowed Miss Louisiana Tech. She is the second Black woman to receive the title since 1998 when Judge Faith Jenkins won. Gant is a senior in biology concentrating in premed. The Monroe native will represent LaTech in the Miss Louisiana Organization. Her social platform, #LetsTalkAboutIt, focuses on address ing mental health concerns in college students through counseling services on and off-campus. Gant will compete for the Miss Louisiana title June 17-19.

Warrant Officer Tatiana Julien of New Orle ans pilots a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in B Company, 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion, which is based in Hammond. Rescued from the Superdome by helicopter during Hurricane Ka trina, Julien has gone on to become the Louisiana Army National Guard’s first Black female pilot.

LSU sophomore and Collegiate 4-H Vice Pres ident Tay Moore has been selected as a new trustee to the Board of the National 4-H Council. Moore, a former Louisiana 4-H state president, has been involved with the organization for a decade. He is currently studying political science and music and is a member of the LSU Ogden Honors College’s Louisiana Service and Leader ship program. He says being named to the board of trustees is still a bit of a shock.

Dennis Shields named next president-chancellor of Southern University

The Southern University System Board of Supervisors today named Dennis Shields as the next president of the Southern University System and chancellor of Southern University and A&M College. Shields, the current chancellor of the University of Wis consin Platteville, will succeed President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton, who announced his retirement in 2021. Belton’s contract ends on June 30. Shields, who has been the chancel lor for the University of Wisconsin Platteville since 2010, has spent most of his career advocating for better ac cess to higher education — especially those who have been historically un derrepresented. Under Shields’ leader ship, the campus has had tremendous

growth. Enrollment grew nearly 11 per cent from 2010 to fall 2016.

Most recently, he led successful efforts to gain legislative and guber natorial approval to build a new $55 million state-of-the-art engineering facility on campus as well as a $23.7 million renovation project for one of the liberal arts buildings on campus. Those two projects, plus a $15.3 mil lion Williams Fieldhouse expansion, will give the university more than $93 million in upcoming growth and im provements. Additionally, he led the construction of two residence halls, one with a dining facility.

“I am humbled and honored by your confidence in me to take on this role at this wonderful institution of higher

education,” Shields said to Southern University Board via live stream video during the meeting. “I had a remark able and inspiring visit (to campus) and was able to spend some time with the students. I take it as a great re sponsibility to help continue the rise of the Southern University System.”

BROWN BLOODWORTH JULIEN GANT MOORE COLEMAN

To find a vaccine location near you, visit vaccines.gov. If you have more questions - that’s okay! Call the Department of Health’s COVID Vaccine Hotline at 855-453-0774 to speak with a trusted medical professional.

To find a vaccine location near you, visit vaccines.gov. If you have more questions - that’s okay! Call the Department of Health’s COVID Vaccine Hotline at 855-453-0774 to speak with a trusted medical professional.

KREWE

KREWE

The majority of our residents have joined the krewe of over 2.7 million Louisianans with at least one COVID vaccine dose.

The majority of our residents have joined the krewe of over 2.7 million Louisianans with at least one COVID vaccine dose.

Vaccines and boosters protect us from the long-term effects of COVID-19, and keep children in school and parades rolling!

Vaccines and boosters protect us from the long-term effects of COVID-19, and keep children in school and parades rolling!

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN THE

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN THE