Here are the latest Power Ratings from Geaux Preps for high school girls basketball. These are used to determine playoff seeding at the end of the regular season, including where Ruston (Non-Select Division I), Cedar Creek (Select Division IV), Lincoln Preparatory (Select Division IV), Choudrant (Non-Select Division V) and Simsboro (Non-Select Division V) are ranked.
Girls: CLICK HERE
Mr. William Franklin “Billy” Wright, age 59 of Ruston, LA was born January 29, 1963 in Knoxville, TN to Verna May “Jo” and Billy Joe Wright, and he passed away January 15, 2023 in Ruston.
Billy was an avid outdoorsman. For much of his life, he could be found fishing, hunting, or simply enjoying long drives on the backroads. Billy was a talented nature photographer and musician. He played the trombone and other brass instruments in the Ruston High School band and later taught himself to play the banjo. Billy had a great sense of humor and was known as the “fun uncle” in the family. He dedicated the last few years of his life to caring for his elderly father full time. Billy was preceded in death by his mother; sisters Sharon Kidwell and Nedis Backus; fishing buddy Randy Knighten; and beloved dogs George and Gracie.
Billy is survived by his father; siblings: Philip Wright, Jolene Foster, Joyce Chandler, and Tammy Wright; numerous nieces and nephews; and a host of family and friends.
No services are planned at this time. To leave an online memorial message for the family, please visit www.owensmemorialfuneralhome.com.
Marjorie Luce
September 30, 1923 – January 16, 2023
Visitation: Thursday, January 19, 2023, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 2300 W. California Ave
Funeral Service: Thursday, January 19, 2023, 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 2300 West California Ave.
Cemetery Committal: Thursday, January 19, 2023, Forest Lawn Cemetery, 2500 West California Ave.
Billy Tinsley
March 26, 1942 – January 16, 2023
Visitation: Saturday, January 21, 2023, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 2300 West California Ave.
Memorial Service: Saturday, January 21, 2023, 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 2300 W. California Ave.
William “Billy” Wright
January 29, 1963 – January 15, 2023
No services planned at this time
By T. Scott Boatright
More than 50 Louisiana Tech football players came through in the clutch — a time of need — as the city of Ruston celebrated the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Lincoln Parish Schools were out for the holiday, but the Bulldogs pitched in to hand out lunches to members of the Boys and Girls Clubs on North Central Louisiana.
“That’s why we did it, because this would have been the third day out of school for the children and we know that the food insecurity in low-income housing areas is tight … is tough,” said Janet Wilson, director of resource development for the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Central Louisiana.
“(LA Tech football coach) Sonny Cumbie had contacted (B&GC director) Eldonte (Osborne) a few weeks ago saying he wanted his players to again help in passing out this food. We know there are people out there struggling to buy groceries and to buy gas for their cars. There are communities in our area that now truly need us more than ever with the economic situation we’re living in today.”
There were 125 lunches prepared in the B&GC kitchen by cook Monique Johnson.
“She volunteered to work on her holiday and get in there early this morning and make all of those lunches,” Johnson said.
Osborne, a former star linebacker at Louisiana Tech, expressed his appreciation for the team effort.
“Service is what we do every day at the BGC,” Osborne said. “Today it was an honor to serve with the Tech football team.”
The Tech football players passed out lunches at The Blue Building at Greenwood Park and the surrounding neighborhood as well as at Mt. Zion Traveler Baptist Church and its surrounding neighborhoods.
North Central Louisiana Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors member Wilbert Ellis, a College Baseball Hall of Fame Coach from Grambling State University, talked to both the LA Tech students as well as youth receiving lunches.
“This is what it’s all about – a community coming together to look out for its own,” Ellis said “I can’t say enough about the Louisiana Tech football team and the entire Lincoln Parish community for coming though and doing the right thing for the youth of our parish.”
By Brenda Daniel
The “Gram Fam” and its Grambling State University Marching Band is headed to Dallas.
What is referred to by many as “the best band in the land,” Grambling’s marching band has put many hours of preparation to ensure they uphold their reputation, as they have been designated to headline the halftime show at the upcoming game for the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. The Mavericks will be celebrating its annual African American Heritage theme night coming up at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the American Airline Center in Dallas.
The planned special events include pre-and post-game activities, which are fundraising events whereby donations are made to provide scholarships for qualified students in the Dallas area. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the United Negro College Fund, which is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization; and for the National Pan-Hellenic Council of Dallas Inc., which is a collaboration of alumni Greek Lettered collegiate fraternities and sororities that jointly coordinate activities and programs for youth; and provide social, personal, and professional development for its Dallas membership.
On their social media platforms, Grambling State University Band has put out a clarion call for its Dallas fans to celebrate with them. Solidarity and support can be shown by attending the game and wearing the traditional school colors, black and gold gear during the halftime show.
Unfortunately, this game nor the show is available LIVE on NBA League Pass because it is being broadcast on a channel in the local market. However, subscribers can listen live or watch three days after the game.
Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of the Lincoln Parish Journal and its staff. The LPJ reserves the right to decline publishing submitted Letters to the Editor on a letter-by-letter basis. Letters to the Editor can be submitted via email to lpjnewsla@gmail.com.
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Written by Cecil Barham (Lincoln Parish Resident)
Open letter to eight members (you know who you are) of the Lincoln Parish Police Jury,
I know all of you are extremely busy, hopefully taking calls from your constituents for your utterly contemptible behavior at your January 10, 2023, meeting. I am a life-long resident of Lincoln Parish, and I have never witnessed such conduct by a public body. When the police jury operates in such an unscrupulous manner, it is extremely difficult to respect that body. One doesn’t have to go to Washington to see incompetence in elected officials.
You were elected to represent your district. Did you poll any of these people? Or was your vote a self-serving one? If Mr. Postel’s job performance was so bad, why was there such a large group of parish employees showing their support for him?
What are you looking for in the next parish administrator? Someone you can manipulate? I have a suggestion. Don’t waste the time of the Personnel Committee. Let one person (you all know who that person is) make the decision. All of you will vote the way this person tells you to vote anyway.
A Grambling State University student was arrested last Thursday after his girlfriend alleged he had beaten her inside his dorm room.
GSU Police interviewed a female student who said her boyfriend Lydell Jones, 21, of Monroe, battered her while inside his dorm room in Tubman Hall. She stated she went through Jones’s cell phone and discovered he had been messaging other women. She said when she tried to leave his room, Jones aggressively grabbed her phone, mistaking it for his. She said they struggled over the phone and Jones struck her on the left side of the face with a closed fist.
The woman said she pushed Jones away in self-defense and he punched her several times in the chest and then grabbed her and threw her on the ground causing a bruise on her knee.
Jones was questioned and denied punching the victim.
Based on the victim’s statement and physical evidence, Jones was arrested for battery of a dating partner and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Teacher Feature on Catrina Crowe
By April Clark Honaker
Catrina Crowe is in her eighth year of teaching in Lincoln Parish. She is currently teaching fifth grade social studies and English language arts (ELA) at Cypress Springs Elementary. Crowe, who majored in history and music at Louisiana Tech University, said teaching kind of fell into her lap.
After graduating, she traveled a little and was trying to decide what to do next.
“I was still undecided,” she said, “and teaching just seemed to fit with everything, so I thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’” While teaching fourth grade in Jackson Parish, Crowe got certified through Grambling State University’s alternative teaching certification program.
Crowe has continued to teach because she loves it. “I love the excitement,” she said. Every group of students is different, which Crowe said allows her to continue being creative.
Crowe also loves connecting with her students and their parents. “It’s that village mindset,” she said, “that it does take a village.” Crowe wants her students’ parents to know that they’re in it together.
Crowe’s favorite thing about teaching is when it finally clicks for the student. “You try so many things,” she said, “and sometimes you’re so outside the box or outside the script. You’re trying everything, so when it finally clicks, you get excited–at least I get excited.”
Although there is much to love in teaching, there are challenges too. Crowe said the biggest challenge for her personally has been leaving things in the classroom and turning her teaching brain off when she goes home. “My brain is always in teacher mode,” she said, but sometimes she has to remind herself to just be a wife and a mom.
She hopes that as the field of teaching continues to change, she is able to embrace that change. “I hope to be in a place where I can still be creative,” she said. “I hope that I’m always able to connect with them and be on top of their interests.
Crowe especially enjoys teaching the different texts in ELA. She strives to make the experience an immersive one for her students and has been known to read some of her texts with a British accent in class. “I love that you can kind of become the characters,” she said. It’s also great when the students decide to join in and they’re picking up the accent.
In social studies, Crowe said she likes to see students develop and awareness of where the country has come from and where it’s going.
“We open that Pandora’s box of questions,” she said. “I’m just unlocking those avenues in their brains to continue questioning things because asking questions is a good thing.”
With every student, Crowe’s goal is “to actively move them forward on their educational journey.”
By Kevin C. Shannahan
Lincoln Parish had an impressive showing at the 2023 Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers Association Conference.
Over 150 foreign language teachers from throughout Louisiana gathered at the Natchitoches Events Center January 13-14 for their annual conference. The association is for teachers of world languages at every level from pre-k through college in Louisiana.
The teachers attended workshops and browsed vendor’s offerings. The Consulat General de France from the French Consulate in New Orleans also visited with the conference’s teachers.
Spanish is the most common language taught in Louisiana schools with approximately 80,000 students, followed by French and German. Other languages such as Mandarin and ancient languages such as Latin are also offered in some schools. It is possible for a student to earn a “seal of biliteracy” on his or her high school diploma, a most valuable credential, first offered in 2014.
Lincoln Parish schools were well represented at the conference, with eight teaches in attendance, including association president Corinne Nutt of Ruston High School. Other Lincoln Parish teachers were Anne Rivera and Lauren Barnes of Ruston High, Lisa Keys of I.A. Lewis, Mandy Brown, principal of Glenview Elementary School, Sarah Nolan and Karla Rodriguez of Glenview, and Aude DeLa Perell of Ruston Elementary School.
From immersion schools in which much of the children’s day is spent using the language taught, to conventional high school courses, the teachers of the LFLTA are providing an invaluable service to our state’s young people.
Whether you are currently serving in public office, seeking to serve in the future, or a voter selecting someone to represent you, the following are the basics for leadership.
Whether you are serving, seeking, or selecting as it relates to public office, please take note of the aforementioned attributes. When it comes to elected officials at the national, state, and local levels, we don’t need powermongers, pundits, or placeholders. We don’t need self-serving agenda seekers. We need leaders that are totally focused on serving and representing their people. Our people deserve good leadership!
By Malcolm Butler
Lady Cougars 45, Saline 11
Lizzie McAdams scored a game-high 19 points and Allie Furr added 11 points as the Lady Cougars steam-rolled Saline 45-11 Monday night on the road.
McAdams hit a trio of three-pointers in the win, scoring seven points in the first quarter as the Lady Cougars jumped out to an 11-5 advantage. McAdams continued her offensive production in the second quarter, netting eight points to push the Creek lead to 23-9 at halftime.
Furr scored seven of her 11 points in the third quarter while Olivia Underwood and McAdams added four points each as Creek led 38-11 after the third quarter.
Cedar Creek pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter as Zoey Venters and Caroline James both got into the scoring column.
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Saline 55, Cougars 44
Coming off an emotional win over Ouachita Christian on Friday night, the Cougars fell a little flat on Monday, dropping a 55-44 road decision at Saline.
Carter Hill led Creek (8-10) with 13 points while Jack Echols and Davis Waslworth each added 10 points and Connor Norris scored nine points.
Creek fell behind 11-10 after the first quarter and trailed 24-19 at halftime with Hill scoring 11 of his team-high 13 points in the opening two quarters of play.
Saline continued to pull away in the second half, outscoring Creek 16-12 in the third quarter to build a 40-31 lead with Echols leading the way with eight points in the frame. Walsworth (6) and Norris (5) combined for 11 points in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough as the Cougars fell for the second time this year to Saline.
By T. Scott Boatright
The Lincoln Preparatory School boys basketball team rolled its district record to 2-0 Friday night as the Panthers went on the road to top St. Frederick 61-27.
It was the Baylin Mayfield show for the Panthers as the senior double-doubled in a big way with 25 points and 25 rebounds while also chalking up three steals and assists.
Kobe Mack also double-doubled for Lincoln Prep, totaling, 14 points, 11 boards and three assists.
Stephen Burks, III added 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Panthers, who also received seven points, three rebounds, a steal and a block from Amarjae Jones laong with two points, two assists and a pair of steals from Daylon Edwarsd.
The Panthers, now 12-4 overall and 2-0 in District 2-5A, will next play host to River Oaks tonight.
Choudrant 52, CASTOR 39 (BOYS)
CASTOR — A rowdy crowd cheering on a tough team of Tigers didn’t deter the Choudrant High boys basketball team Friday night as the Aggies held on for a road win at Castor High School.
The Aggies started strong and never let up, leading the Tigers 24-11 at intermission.
Michael Jones led Choudrant with 18 points while Lachlan Thompson added 13 and Parker Batteron added six for the Aggies.
Choudrant (19-6) will next play at Weston on Thursday.
Quitman 36, Simsboro 29 (BOYS)
Sismboro’s offense never found a rhythm Friday night as the Tigers fell by six points at home against Quitman.
Defensively, the Tigers stayed strong. But offense was tough to find for both teams.
Simsboro trailed 8-4 at the end of the first quarter before Quitman built a 21-8 advantage by halftime.
The Wolverines outscored the Tigers in the next two quarters (9-7, 12-8) to secure the win.
Kalep Wright led Simsboro with 14 points while Jalen Beard added five and Trumarion Smith chipped in with four for the Tigers.
Simsboro, now 6-14, will next play host to Gibsland-Coleman tonight.
Argent Financial Group announced today that Argent Trust Company, a division of Argent Financial Group (AFG), will assume responsibilities for numerous Royalty Trusts from Arkansas-based Simmons Bank. The newly formed Royalty Trust division will include six royalty trusts — Sabine Royalty Trust, Permian Basin Royalty Trust, Cross Timbers Royalty Trust, PermRock Royalty Trust, Marine Petroleum Royalty Trust, and the Westbrook-Thompson Agency—and seven employees.
“We are excited to assume the responsibilities of these trusts,” said Reid Harrell, CEO of Argent Trust Company. “Argent has a long history of both Trust and Mineral Management, so the addition of these relationships is a natural fit for us as we continue to grow and expand our book of Royalty Trust business. And we’re pleased to welcome these additional employees to Argent who will help us better serve our clients as fiduciaries and mineral trust advisors.”
Under the agreement, Argent Trust became Successor Trustee of the above-named Trusts and assumed day to day responsibilities on January 1, 2023. Additionally, Argent Trust will act as agent for Simmons Bank with respect to the Hugoton Royalty Trust pending necessary approvals to assume the successor trustee role for that trust. The newly formed group within Argent will be led by long time royalty trust veteran Ron Hooper. Hooper and his team have more than 40 years of experience managing royalty trusts.
“Argent has an outstanding reputation in this industry,” said Hooper. “Our group is eager to join the outstanding Argent team and add to the extraordinary brand of service that Argent Trust clients have already become accustomed to receiving. We look forward to contributing to the organization’s commitment to help families grow and protect their wealth.”
Argent’s Dallas office will also be expanding this year while welcoming its new employees. The office is expected to be ready for operations by the summer of 2023.
Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech senior guard Keiunna Walker has been named Conference USA Player of the Week; the league office announced Monday afternoon.
Walker put up two 20-point performances last week in wins over North Texas (23), and in her 100th career start, tied a season-high with 26 at UAB.
The 2022-23 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year selection shot a combined 15-33 (.454) from the floor and hit 18-24 (.750) from the line while adding 1-3 from three over the two-game stretch. Walker also pulled down five rebounds and added two assists, a steal, and a block.
Playing without all-league teammate Anna Larr Roberson for the last six games, Walker has produced four straight 20-plus outings, including five of her last six, to help the Techsters move above .500 in conference play. Tech sits in fourth place at 4-3 heading into a two-game road stretch this week at Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee.
On the season, Walker is averaging 17.2 PPG (third in the conference) on 42.5 percent shooting, including a career-best 40 percent from three (10-25).
The Lonoke, Ark. native continues to move up the program’s all-time scoring list sitting at No. 15 after recently passing Elinor Griffin with 1,695 career points, and sits at No. 3 all-time in free throw attempts (658) and makes (487).
Louisiana State Police is an organization with an incredibly rich history. Our motto, “Courtesy, Loyalty, Service,” has given us direction and inspiration over the last 87 years.
Since 1936, our patrol units have changed in type and color over the years. Motorcycles were exclusively used as patrol units until 1939. Currently, our white units with red letters have gained fame across the nation as a Louisiana State Police unit. However, for a brief moment in time, our units were navy blue with gold lettering. In 1989, during Governor Buddy Roemer and Colonel Marlon Flores’ administration, our patrol units took on a new look. They were navy blue, matching the LSP uniform. Two gold stripes were placed on the side of the unit, symbolizing highway centerlines.
Some of the first units to receive the new look were 18 Ford Mustangs. The Mustangs were purchased with seized proceeds from drug investigations at the cost of $11,300 per car. They were equipped with five-liter, 302 cubic inch, fuel injected engines and were chosen for their quick acceleration. They went from 0 to 60 MPH in 8.6 seconds, as compared to the majority of Chevrolet Caprices in our fleet which took 12.4 seconds to reach 60 MPH.
In 1992, under Governor Edwin Edwards’ administration, the LSP fleet reverted back to the traditional white units and red lettering. Slight modifications to the design were made over the course of several years to what you see today as the Louisiana State Trooper unit.
As the men and women of this organization prepare for the future, we must reflect on the legacy and heritage left by those who preceded us. Louisiana State Police is proud to showcase our new heritage unit with a color scheme reminiscent of the patrol units from the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s. This Dodge Charger, which has been refurbished from our existing fleet, will be used at recruiting and other community events across the state to help share the story of our past. Be on the lookout for it in your community.
The unveiling video is available to view here: https://youtu.be/smkNegUdm-s
If you are interested in becoming a Louisiana State Trooper, please visit our recruiting page at http://lsp.org/recruit.html or email LSPrecruiting@la.gov.
Marjorie Luce
January 16, 2023
Services pending
Billy Tinsley
March 26, 1942 – January 16, 2023
Services pending
William “Billy” Wright
January 29, 1963 – January 15, 2023
Services pending
Saundra Belaire
January 31, 1937 – January 14, 2023
Services pending
By T. Scott Boatright
As Choudrant High School principal and former baseball coach Tony Antley prepares to ride off into the sunset, there was one shining award still awaiting him.
That award came Friday night as Antley was inducted into the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Lake Charles.
Antley, who stepped down as Choudrant’s baseball coach last summer and will retire after his last day as principal at Choudrant High School on Feb. 3, admitted the honor felt a little surreal at points.
“I was honored to be there no doubt with some of the people being put into the Hall of Fame,” Antley said. “I’m not sure that I really belonged there. But it was an incredible honor to be part of it.”
“Feb. 3 is my last day. That’s the last day I’ll be at work. I’ve put in 32 1/2 years, and I’ll come out of Drop (retirement program) that day. So that will be the last day.”
Fellow LBCA Hall of Famer Wilbert Ellis was on hand to honor Antley during the induction ceremony.
“You can’t argue with what he did as a baseball coach at Choudrant,” Ellis said. “Not many coaches can say they won one championship, but to do what he did, year in and year out, says a lot about his character and what he means to his players.”
Antley leaves as a Choudrant legend with the high school’s baseball field named in his honor as six-time state champion after guiding Choudrant to Class B state titles in 1996, 2002, 2005, 2017, 2021 and 2022. He won 679 games over his career and was also the three-time Class B state runner-up (2006, 2010, 2011).
His resume also includes 23 district titles. He was was named the district Coach of the Year 23 times and the state coach of the year five times.
Joining Antley on his ride into the sunset as a state champion is wife Alyssa, who he says was with him every step of the way.
His wife retired from teaching after 21 years, and Antley said she has always been the rock standing by her husband’s side.
“We’ve been married for 29 years,” Antley said. “We had met at Tech and were together several years before we got married. She’s been the foundation of all of this. She’s the calming force — the one that gives me sound advice when I am stirred up and don’t know which way to go. She always leads me in the right direction.”
And that direction will always include Choudrant baseball.
“I’ll be there. I’ll watch some ball games,” Antley said. “I really love watching those guys compete and I’ve got connections with so many of them. Strong connections. So I’ll still go watch them and enjoy every game.
“I’m also going to catch (Louisiana) Tech games this year. We’ve got some tickets for those so we’re really looking forward to that.”
Louisiana Tech University will celebrate Martin Luther King Day with a program from noon to 2 p.m. Monday in the Davison Athletic Complex.
The theme for the event will be “It Starts with Me: Cultivating a Loving Community Mindset,” and it will feature a panel discussion, monologue tribute to Dr. King, a performance by the Sanctified Voices Choir, soul-food luncheon, and a clothing and food drive.
“Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives,” King said. This statement provides the theme for this year’s event.
“As we observe the 19th annual observance of the King holiday, we are excited to explore this thought of a beloved community with our panel of faculty, staff, and student representatives,” said Devonia Love-Vaughn, Louisiana Tech’s Dean of Inclusion Initiatives and Student Success. “The Bulldog Cultural Center and the Office of Inclusion Initiatives invites our Louisiana Tech and Lincoln Parish community to join us for a wonderful time reflecting on the life and legacy of Dr. King.”
The canned-food and clothing drive will benefit both Christian Community Action and Louisiana Tech’s Good Nutrition Mission Food Pantry. The organizations have said the following items are most needed:
The canned-food and clothing drive will run Jan. 16-20. The drop off schedule is as follows:
On-campus pickup for donations can be arranged with Ally Christian by calling 318.257.2302.
Today is Martin Luther King Day. Below is a transcript of his celebrated “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.
There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, when will you be satisfied? We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.
We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: for whites only.
We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.
A 24-year-old Ruston man is being sought in connection with an armed robbery at a convenience store in Marion on January 2.
The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office holds arrest warrants for Ali Abdulla Mohamed Maria Saleh of Ruston for armed robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm.
On January 2, UPSO deputies responded to the convenience store robbery in Marion. Deputies were told a man produced a handgun and demanded money from the register. Subsequent investigation identified Saleh as the suspect.
Saleh is described as 5’6” tall, 130 pounds, with black hair.
Saleh is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call UPSO at (318) 368-3124 and reference case 23010005.
Louisiana Tech University Police have identified a suspect and have obtained warrants for felony possession of a firearm on a university campus and criminal damage to property in conjunction with the Dec. 31 vandalism of the Integrated Engineering and Science Building.
Jacob D. Roberts, a 30-year-old Louisiana Tech student, is currently in jail in Rogers, Arkansas, on unrelated charges. Local police are currently working on extradition proceedings.
Roberts is charged with damaging the building’s windows with a firearm.
“We appreciated the support we received throughout this investigation – particularly from the Louisiana State Police; Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; Union Parish Sheriff’s Office; Benton County Sheriff’s Office; and Arkansas State Police,” said University Police Chief Randal Hermes. “We also thank local business owner Scott Powell of Powell Auto Sales in Ruston and the faculty in the College of Engineering and Science, as well as numerous campus community members who provided vital information during the process. This investigation shows how valuable community involvement and working together is to ensuring safety on our campus.”Louisiana Tech University Police has identified student Jacob D. Roberts, 30, as a suspect in the New Year’s Eve damage by gunfire of a campus building.
Tech Police has obtained warrants charging Roberts with felony possession of a firearm on a school campus and criminal damage to property.
Roberts is in jail in Rogers, Arkansas on unrelated charges. He will be extradited back to Lincoln Parish to face the charges.
On New Year’s Eve, a Tech Police began an investigation into the early morning vandalism to the Integrated Engineering and Science Building (IESB). Several windows of the building were destroyed by gunfire.
The IESB is among the newest construction on the Tech campus.
Early in the investigation police asked for assistance from anyone who may have knowledge of the crime. Information on how Roberts was identified as a suspect was not immediately available.
“We appreciated the support we received throughout this investigation, particularly from the Louisiana State Police; Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; Union Parish Sheriff’s Office; Benton County Sheriff’s Office; and Arkansas State Police,” said University Police Chief Randal Hermes.
“We also thank local business owner Scott Powell of Powell Auto Sales in Ruston and the faculty in the College of Engineering and Science, as well as numerous campus community members who provided vital information during the process. This investigation shows how valuable community involvement and working together is to ensuring safety on our campus.”