Louisiana

Founder of Alexandria’s Peabody High School shaped course of Black education in state

Published

10 months ago

February 28, 2024

Founder of Alexandria’s Peabody High School shaped course of Black education in state

Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series.

In honor of Black History Month, local historian and author Micheal Wynne spoke to the City of Alexandria Rotary Club about four Black local historical figures who were instrumental in building and shaping Alexandria and Pineville. The four he spoke about were August J. Toussaint, Charles Frederick Page, John Baptiste LaFargue and Louis Berry.

Black history, Wynne told the Rotarians, is everyone’s history.

“I got interested in our area’s African-American history when I began actively researching local history a couple decades ago,” Wynne said in an email. “I found almost nothing written in all of our local history books or on display in local historical museums about African-American history in Central Louisiana. It was like their history was purposely left out. This shocked me as at least 1/3 of our population is African American.”

John Baptiste LaFargue

“He is universally considered the father of Black education in Louisiana,” said Wynne, who is working on a biography of John Baptiste LaFargue. “Quite frankly, I think he is the father of education in Louisiana.”

LaFargue was the son of a white Confederate plantation owner and female slave, Wynne said. When he was 3, he was taken away from his mother and raised by his paternal grandmother. They moved in with the Avoyelles Parish Judge Henry Clay Edwards, who taught law to LaFargue, who was still a child.

As a teenager, he rode a horse from Marksville to Alexandria to deliver mail and became the first delivery boy for The Town Talk for out-of-town subscribers.

He was the first trained Black teacher hired in Avoyelles in the early 1880s, Wynne said.

“He moved to Alexandria in the mid-1880s. He organized the Negro Civic League which was basically the equivalent of the Rotary Club here,” Wynne said.

In 1895, with the league’s help, he created what would become Peabody High School, now known as Peabody Magnet High School.

“This would be the first $100,000 school building for Black children in the state of Louisiana,” Wynne said. “The name of Peabody came from philanthropist George Peabody who contribute some funding for Peabody after LaFargue traveled to Washington, D.C., to contact him.”

The school was originally called Peabody Normal and Industrial School. LaFargue’s wife, Sarah, became the first principal of Peabody and the first Black female principal in Louisiana.

LaFargue also founded the Colored State Teacher’s Association that existed until the 1960s when it merged with the white state teachers association, Wynne said.

“He founded the first two Black newspapers in the state of Louisiana,” he said.

LaFargue’s life and legacy will be part of an upcoming film project by filmmakers Ken Burns and Erika Dilday. It will tell the history of Black Americans from the Emancipation to Reconstruction to the Great Migration. The three- or four-part documentary series “Emancipation to Exodus” is set to air on PBS in 2027.

“LaFargue clearly is the greatest educator, of any race, in Louisiana. Nobody that I am aware of has done more,” Wynne stated in an email.

Wynne said he especially enjoys “doing research on African-American subjects as I am breaking new ground every day in this area. And what I have found so far is absolutely fascinating. But there is still so much more to research.”

“There is a great need to preserve African American history, more than ever. So much has been lost due to neglect as well as willful destruction by haters. It is all of our jobs, our responsibility to save all of our history, not just of our own race or gender or creed,” Wynne stated in his email. “If we ourselves want and hope for respect, we must offer respect to others of different origins. Much of our history is not only lost due to neglect, but even worse due to ignorance. History of different levels of importance happens every day. As has been said many times, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ (from George Santayanna)”

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Louisiana

Army Black Knights, Louisiana Tech Offensive Stars To Watch in Independence Bowl

Published

10 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Army Black Knights, Louisiana Tech Offensive Stars To Watch in Independence Bowl

The Independence Bowl will be a game of offensive contrasts as the Army West Point Black Knights face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday at Independence Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 9:15 p.m. eastern on ESPN.

Army (11-2) enters the game using its run-based attack based on option, deception and power football. If the Black Knights don’t have 34 or 35 minutes of time of possession by game’s end, then they haven’t done their job. Army can create big plays, but the Black Knights would rather grind its opponents down to submission.

Louisiana Tech (5-7) runs a pass-based, Air Raid offense that coach Sonny Cumbie learned from one of his coaches and mentors, the legendary Mike Leach. The former Texas Tech quarterback doesn’t have the talent he needs to make it as effective as the Red Raiders’ glory days offensively. But, he’s found a quarterback that could help get him there in the coming years — if the Bulldogs can hang onto him.

This is the transfer portal era after all.

Here are three offensive players to watch for each team going into Saturday’s contest.

QB Bryson Daily

Daily was the American Athletic Conference offensive player of the year and was sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. He is the focal point of this offense. He’s rushed for 1,532 yards and 29 touchdowns (tied for most in FBS) and has thrown for another 942 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. If LA Tech wants to win, it has to slow him down. Look at the Navy tape for a template.

RB Noah Short

With Kanye Udoh’s transfer to Arizona State, the bulk of the complementary backfield work may fall to short, who was the Black Knights’ third-leading rusher this season. He rushed for 542 yards and two touchdowns but gained more yards per carry (7.7) than Udoh (6.2).

This is Daily’s swan song so he’ll get plenty of work. But Short needs to be a solid complement. He’s also one of Army’s top passing targets with 17 catches for 318 yards and three touchdowns.

WR Casey Reynolds

Reynolds leads the Black Knights with 19 receptions for 444 yards and three touchdowns. When Daily looks for a big play down the field, count on Reynolds to be the receiver he’s looking for. It’s been that way all season.

QB Evan Bullock

He finally emerged with the starting job in late September and the freshman ended up with 1,938 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions as he completed 67% of his passes. That’s a solid start in an offense that requires quick passing and high accuracy. Bullock has both, but he’s also been sacked 31 times.

RB Omiri Wiggins

The running game can be afterthought in an Air Raid offense. But Wiggins is coming off a huge game in LA Tech’s finale, as he rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns and three interceptions against Kennesaw State. That was more than a quarter of his output this season (487 yards, four touchdowns).

WR Tru Edwards

The senior is from Shreveport, La., so this is like coming home. And he’s had a huge year for the Bulldogs. Edwards is their leading receiver by a significant margin, with 77 receptions for 897 yards and six touchdowns. He’s caught 25 passes in his last three games but hasn’t found the end zone.

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Louisiana

Letters: State should invest in training mental health providers

Published

19 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Letters: State should invest in training mental health providers

Most of Louisiana is classified as a mental health professional shortage area, leaving countless families — especially children —without access to critical mental health services. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, over half of children in Louisiana who experience mental health challenges do not receive the care they need. This is a staggering number given that this study estimates that 30.3% of children ages 3-17 have at least one emotional, developmental or behavioral health disorder. This unmet need has far-reaching consequences, affecting school performance, family stability and community safety.

Addressing this gap starts with investing in higher education programs that train the mental health professionals our state desperately needs. Universities such as the University of Louisiana Monroe, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of New Orleans, University of Holy Cross, Tulane University, Nicholls State University, LSU and others play a vital role in preparing skilled counselors, psychologists and social workers.

However, the current capacity of mental health training programs is not sufficient to meet the growing demand. We are facing another potential budget shortfall in Louisiana that could impact higher education. Without adequate funding and resources, these programs may struggle to equip students with the expertise and experience required to enter the workforce.

Investing in these programs is not just about addressing today’s challenges — it is about safeguarding the future of Louisiana. By increasing the number of trained mental health professionals, we can improve outcomes for children and families, reduce the strain on emergency services and foster healthier, more resilient communities.

It is time to prioritize the mental health of our state by supporting higher education programs that make a difference. Together, we can build a brighter, healthier future.

MATTHEW THORNTON

chief executive officer, Center for Children and Families, Inc.

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Louisiana

Stabbing death reported at Louisiana prison

Published

1 day ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

Stabbing death reported at Louisiana prison

(KTAL/KMSS) – A dispute that resulted in an inmate’s death is under investigation at a Louisiana state prison, according to the Department of Corrections.

DOC Director of Communications Ken Pastorick said the incident happened at Southern Correctional Center in Tallulah, Louisiana, and caused the death of Teldric Boyd, 31.

A new release said that around 3:25 a.m. on Monday, Boyd was allegedly stabbed in the neck with a shank by fellow inmate Austin Dean, 33. Correctional center staff is said to have immediately responded and rendered first aid, and then Boyd was brought to a local hospital, where he died at 5 a.m.

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Madison Parish Sheriff’s detectives booked Dean, who they say admitted to stabbing Boyd after an argument the two men had Sunday night.

Boyd was serving a 14-year sentence for various convictions, including racketeering, aggravated battery, two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm, and drug offenses in Rapides Parish.

Dean was serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter in Rapides Parish and a five-year sentence for aggravated assault on a peace officer; those sentences are to run consecutively.

The investigation is ongoing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.

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