Troubling Lost Heritage

The Monroe Downtown Revitalization Project has gotten the green light from the Monroe City Council, and in a number of years, the landscape of downtown Monroe has shown a breath of new life. Nevertheless, it is not just downtown, but all one has to do is look at other areas of the city where there has been significant development (Armand St., Oliver Rd. to Lamy Ln.), as one part of the city moves forward. Many in Monroe still remember when another section of the city thrived, and there was a sense of pride within the Desiard Street area, with the Miller-Roy Building as an anchor for that booming business area. That was a time when Blacks were their own bosses, no more working on the plantation, no more being a part of a sharecropping system. There is now talk of bringing back Desiard Street in/around the downtown area because of the presence of the Miller-Roy Building. However, the development to restore the building will not be in the hands of Blacks, but by other businessmen, as that area will become what is called a cultural district because of its historical significance. Something that readily identified Black success has been taken away, and it points to a troubling trend that nothing is being done to bring true equity to Blacks in Monroe or on the Southside of Monroe to bring that part of town into the 21st century.

The Southside has been neglected for decades, as the property values are down as compared to areas north of Louisville Ave. Furthermore, if any development comes to the Southside, it is not being done by Blacks. What are the historical areas on the Southside that are still standing? Yes, there are plenty of bars and churches in the area, but where are the Tower-Armand districts on the Southside? Where are the businesses that will bring in good-paying jobs that will increase the tax base and bring the “two Monroes” together? We want to see more Black involvement in community projects where cultural districts exist on the Southside. We want to see Blacks who know how the system operates to bring in more Black participation to sit on boards that have plans to acquire property to turn into something that sits on the Southside that belongs to the Black community. The Southside is in need of investment, and it starts with buying property because what Blacks had “back in the day” is gone. Few of us in the business world can say “I own that,” as in the days of the thriving Miller-Roy era. Our future is in the hands of a younger generation, and we can only hope that they will take what they have learned to put more capital in the Southside. Let us hope that they ignore the naysayers and pursue their dreams of being their own boss. Plantation bosses cheated countless Black people out of what was rightfully theirs. Those days are gone, as Black people are now the masters of their own fate. The Southside is an excellent place to start.