By Garry Blanson
“The first Black to be elected to the Louisiana State House of Representatives after Black citizens were disenfranchised from politics in Louisiana in 1878”
“When you check the record, you will see that it was white U.S. congressmembers and white state legislators who made discrimination laws, systemic racism laws, Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and legalized slavery in America!”
Well, in the past couple of weeks in Louisiana, white members of the Louisiana State Legislature are once again showing just how far they can go. Of course, I am referring to two recent bills that were considered for a vote. One of the bills was SB 65, which addresses the conversion of existing public schools into charter schools. The other bill is SB 256, which will consolidate the Orleans Parish criminal and civil court clerks’ offices and eliminate the office of a recently elected Black man, Calvin Duncan, who was just sworn into office last week.
So far, SB 65, a bill sponsored by Senator Stewart Cathey, was returned to the calendar “subject to call,” meaning it is not currently moving forward but could be brought back up for a vote later. However, SB 256, a bill authored by Senator John “Jay” Morris, was passed by the Senate and could soon be signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry. Once again, time and space prevent me from going into details about how these two Louisiana Senate bills “reek with the distinct smell of bigotry and racism,” but I will say that I am not surprised that things have once again gone south.
Now that I have gotten that off my chest, on to this week’s Black pioneer, Richard Turnley Jr.
Richard grew up in Plaquemine, Louisiana. While I could not find detailed information about his early education, one source noted that he graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge and was a strong supporter of the university. In 1976, Richard made history when he became the first Black person in Louisiana to be elected to the Louisiana State House of Representatives since 1878, after Black citizens were disenfranchised from politics in the state.
Several other notable facts about Richard include the following: in 1976, he was one of the founders of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus; in the 1970s, he established a food cooperative business in Louisiana; he was instrumental in the founding of the Southern Teachers and Parents Federal Credit Union, the largest HBCU credit union in the nation; he served three consecutive terms in the Louisiana State House of Representatives; and in 1984, he was elected to serve in the Louisiana State Senate.
These are just a few of the many accomplishments Richard achieved during his lifetime. Sadly, on January 19, 2013, Richard Turnley Jr. passed away.
Note: Richard’s daughter, Tamara Turnley Robinson, is a former president of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.
