Black People Need Not Apply

"The 26" Honored

May 2013

Author's Note: If you should have a photo of any of the 26 that I am missing, please share. List at the bottom of this article. 

A single event marked a great shift in history. At about 4 pm on March 22, 1879, a group of armed white men entered the room in the Lake Providence, LA courthouse where the police jury (city council) was in session. With pistols drawn, the armed men forced the three African American members to sign a statement saying that they resigned their positions because of their incompetency to serve.

Thus began the period of time when black people in East Carroll parish were no longer allowed to cast their ballots although they were still allowed to register up until 1922. For 40 years, blacks could register but not vote and for another 40 years, until 1962, blacks could neither register nor vote.

Rev. John H. Scott, my father & civil rights leader who led the fight for voting rights in northeast Louisiana; he was instrumental in both of the voting rights suits filed on the behalf of East Carroll parish. He was shot in 1962 after one court appearance. Read story from Jet here:

My father, Rev. John H. Scott, was instrumental in convincing Attorney General Robert Kennedy to file suit against Louisiana and the local registrar of voters. The case was tried in the United States District court on November 27, 1961. At the time, the white population was 2990, registered to vote 2845 (or 95% of them) and 4183 blacks and 0 registered to vote. East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas were three of only four parishes in the state of Louisiana that had zero registered black voters in 1962.  The courts ruled that the registrar had to start registering black people in East Carroll, but the Registrar simply closed his office and tendered his resignation.

There was a clause in the 1960s Civil Rights Act (which was subsequently removed after the East Carroll case) that allowed people to apply to be qualified to vote through the Federal courts if a pattern of discrimination had been found and people still were unable to get registered. On July 12, 1962 in Monroe, LA, 28 African Americans were ruled qualified to become registered voters after they had passed an American government test, read the Preamble and wrote it from from dictation, and completed their applications with no errors. The state of LA protested their qualifications and a second hearing two weeks later in Shreveport, LA resulted in the disqualification of three main leaders in the cause, Lehman Griffin Sr., James Levi, and Watson Sanders and the addition of one more applicant.   

The 26 new registered voters, the first to be registered since 1922, were remembered and honored in Tallaluh, LA on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Their relatives came in from different parts of the country to participate.  We honor them and their courage and perseverance in this blog. "The 26" came from all walks of life. Some didn't have a lot of years of education, others had bachelor’s and master's degrees. Some were old—Mr. Baggett was 86 and there were a few younger ones but most were over 50. Most were people who owned their own farms, the ministers, and the people who owned their own businesses.  Different as they were, they all shared a common cause, the desire for full citizenship as expressed through the right to vote.  Only three of "The 26" are still alive, Mr. Adam Millikin, who will turn 104 in a few weeks, Mr. Threats of Milwaukee, WS and Mr. Shoemaker of Chicago, IL.

Today, there is an aggressive move to disqualify many voters.  Are you aware of the changes that are being made to reduce voting privileges? Will you take a stand and be counted like "The 26"?   

Alease J. Scott was 43 and the first African American registered to vote in East Carroll after no one was allowed to from 1922 - 1962

Rev. Francis Joseph Atlas, a 57 large farmer, suffered a full economic boycott after providing testimony on voting disenfranchisement. No one would buy his cotton & soybeans or sell him feed for his livestock. The full story from Jet can be found here:

Rose Blockwood, Home Extension Agent, was released from her job after going to court because she shouldn't have taken the day off to go register to vote. She moved to Baton Rouge.

Mary E. Cole, a beautician who owned her own shop, the only female on the first voting rights suit against the East Carroll registrar of voters which was filed by the NAACP in 1951

Eric Armstrong, who was 62, was the owner of the Southside Cleaners and the Esso Gas Station where he and Rev. Scott sometimes met

Rev. Freddie Green, who was the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church which was burned because of voting activities

James Hadden, a 70 year old farmer (only photo we could locate was one taken by the Associated Press on the first day he voted)

Percy Knighten, a farmer

Nathan Weaver, a large farmer

Fred Threats, the youngest of the 26, currently resides in Wisconsin

Adam Millikin, a farmer, the oldest living member of "The 26" resides in Lake Providence, LA. He will be 104 this month.

Frank Nervis was a 46 year old farmer at the time he registered

Mary E. Johnson, shown as she proudly votes for the first time on July 28, 1962, the first African Americans to vote in East Carroll since the 1800's

Professor Henry Simmons, educator and principal

Gardena Johnson, a private nurse and dressmaker; President of the Baptist Missionaries

Lehmon Griffin Jr., farmer

Not pictured:

C. W. Baggett was the oldest applicant approved. He was 86 years old.

Benjamin Blockwood, a 44 year old local contractor who had to relocate his business to Baton Rouge after local building supply companies refused to sell building materials to him.

James Brown

John H. Bunn, a farmer

Charles Carson

Bragg Clay, a farmer

Walter Henry Nash, businessman & large farmer; owned a beach area which was the only access for black residents

Alfred Shoemaker

Laura Thompson

Story told in "Witness to the Truth" by Cleo Scott Brown