Residents of Jonesboro, Louisiana, have expressed dissatisfaction over the placement of a historic marker recognizing the “Deacons for Defense”, a group that played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. While the marker is set to be added to the “Louisiana Civil Rights Trail”, some descendants of the Deacons are unhappy with its location.
On July 6, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser visited Jonesboro to unveil the newest marker on the state’s Civil Rights Trail, which acknowledges the contributions of the Deacons for Defense. However, the marker’s placement in the “Deacons for Defense Park” on the outskirts of the city has sparked controversy.
Mrs. Funyanna Saulsberry, a granddaughter of one of the founders of the Deacons of Defense, views the marker’s placement outside the city’s downtown area as an insult. Her grandfather, Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, and Earnest “Chilly Willy” Thomas established the group in 1964, consisting of armed…
