CHAPTER 1

Birth of the Beginning

The 19th Century

My story had its beginning fifty years before I was born, during thetwilight of the nineteenth century. On August 25, 1886, my Father, EdgarFrancis Poree, was born in the bedroom behind the family's barber shopin New Orleans. Father was the second child and first son of the marriageof Thomas and Sara Francis. Louise, his oldest sister was two years old atthe time of his birth. My grandparents were extremely elated as the firstson of their marriage union had arrived. Grandfather was a free man ofcolor and a barber since his early teens. Following family tradition, myFather was a third-generation barber—a family trade since the time of theemancipation proclamation. Louis, the youngest son of the family wasborn several years after my Father. The Poree family and Aunt Ethel Lou,settled in a house at Conti and North Roman streets at the turn of thetwentieth century in New Orleans.

Father, a handsome eligible bachelor gentleman, only completed eightgrades; however, his passion and relentless pursuit of knowledge enabledhim to become a highly intellectual self-taught scholar. He read hundredsof books, publications, newspapers, business journals, and listened tothe news on the radio, while practicing his trade throughout his 59-yearcareer. Father would play an important role in promoting and fosteringa thirst of knowledge among his peers, customers, and family members.Father was an incredible resource for hundreds of college students whovisited his barber shop to do their research with the hundreds of booksand publications he acquired during his nearly six decades career. Hisbarbershop library had many books that the two historical Black collegesin the City either had limited available volumes for multiple use or did nothave at all during the late 1940's, 50's, and early 60's.

Poree's Barber Shop would also play a major role in articulating theimportance of reading and being better informed. Students would alsobenefit tremendously from Father's extensive knowledge and awareness ofwhat was happening nationally and internationally during their researchvisits. Father believed the way of "breaking" the enslavement of ignorancecycle was to read, do research, and become better informed about what'sgoing on in the community, the nation, and the world. His love and searchof knowledge would be an inspirational and motivational force in my questand pursuit of knowledge of those prerequisites of competence, ethicalbehavior, and ability to excel and would contribute to the betterment ofour community.

This visionary, philosopher, and self-taught scholar was affectionatelycalled the Judge by all who knew of his exceptional and extraordinarymastery of the King's English (language) as well as his interpretation, hisopinions, and his assessments of events and situations that influenced oradversely affected the lives of our community.

Turn of Century

My Mother, Gertrude Boyd, the older of two children of ThelmaBoyd was born on May 31, 1900, in Mandeville, Louisiana. My Mothercame to New Orleans to further her education in high school becausethere was no high school in Mandeville for Colored people. Grandmotherand Alma, Mother's sister, later moved to New Orleans to live. Prior to theBoyd family moving to New Orleans, working the fields most of the yearwith little schooling opportunities was the norm during the turn of thetwentieth century for colored children in Mandeville.

Mother lived with the Poree family in New Orleans, while attendingMcDonogh #35 High School. The Poree and Boyd families were extremelyclose friends. It was a very difficult decision for Grandmother to allowmy Mother to move to New Orleans while she and her other daughter,Alma, remained in Mandeville. Although painful, Grandmother's decisionto allow Mother to leave home and be separated for years was greatlyinfluenced by her desire to afford Mother an opportunity to further hereducation and improve her economic conditions in the future.

Grandmother Thelma recognized at the beginning of the century justhow critically one's future depended on getting an education. It was thatcompelling reason for which she relinquished seeing her daughter every dayat home so that Mother would be afforded an opportunity to see a betterday in the future. Grandmother and Alma remained in Mandeville wherethey continued working for the same plantation owner Grandmotherhad worked for, practically all of her life. The separation of Grandmotherand Alma from Mother for educational and economic considerationswould eventually have a very profound influence and impact upon theirrelationships during subsequent years and their young adult lives.

Distinct Differences

The relationship between Mother and Alma would be tremendouslyinfluenced and adversely impacted by not only the forty plus milesseparating them from each other between New Orleans and Mandeville, butmore profoundly, their distinct differences in appearances. GrandmotherThelma had keen features with extremely dark complexioned skin andrather coarse hair. Alma was extremely dark complexioned with broadfeatures and hair that was rather coarse and kinky. Mother was extremelylight complexioned with extremely keen features and hair that wasnaturally curly. These distinguishable differences in complexion, features,and hair texture would prove to be very defining factors in relationships,associations, acceptance, and affiliations—socially, economically, andmost of all class, especially by the natives of New Orleans.

Mother and Alma were as different as night and day. Neither ofthem knew their Father. It was rumored that the plantation owner forwhom Grandmother worked for was Mother's Father. Alma, on the...