A bird’s-eye view of the city’s Black Pearl
22nd October 2018 · 0 Comments
By Charmaine Jackson
Contributing Writer
New Orleans is home to many distinct and unique neighborhoods that some may even use the word rare. Tucked away in the Carrollton area is a hidden gem called Black Pearl. Its span is relatively small compared to its neighbors Leonidas and Audubon. According to the New Orleans City Planning Commission, Black Pearl, which is also referred to as Uptown Square, is flanked by South Carrollton and St. Charles Avenues, to the north; Lowerline, Perrier and Broadway Streets, to the east; and the Mississippi River to the west.
The name Black Pearl was coined in the 1970s. In Richard Campanella’s essay, “A Glorious Mess: A Perceptual History of New Orleans Neighborhoods,” he explains the origins of its name:
“But many older and less-famous areas had a plurality of book monikers, in which case
the team either revived historical names or christened their own. “Black Pearl,” for
example, was coined by Chief OPP Planner Marion Greenup in recognition of a
hitherto-unnamed uptown riverfront area’s predominately Black population through
which ran a street named Pearl.”
Prior to the new name, Antoinette Edinburgh Williams, whose family lived on Cherokee Street, said the neighborhood was called N-word town. “It felt weird and derogatory,” she said, as she remembered how it made her feel, as a young girl, when people said it. Contrarily, she remembers a close-knit community, in which her neighbors were like family. She worked in the church nursery and started the Mount Moriah Church parade, in which children dressed up, participated in the procession which strolled down the streets.
Pastors, social workers, entrepreneurs, educators, and musical prodigies enriched families and relationships in the Black Pearl, in addition to impacting scores of people beyond the boundaries of the third district. Shirley Collins, a Black Pearl native and spoken word artist, reminisced about fond memories in a piece she named “Black Pearl, Our Town.” She mentioned notable names – known and unknown – who have made remarkable contributions, both locally and globally.
Mahalia Jackson, to the Queen of England, she sings
She carried our praises and prayers on angel’s wings
Joseph “Pro-fess” Bartholomew had a mathematical mind
Showed God’s gifts are not limited to one of a kind
Notable Mt. Moriah Church, not just Mahalia, but let us not forget
The Annual Parade started by Ms. Antoinette
Internationally acclaimed and accomplished gospel singer Mahalia Jackson started singing in the churches of the Black Pearl, namely Plymouth Rock and Mount Moriah Baptist Churches. “It was beautiful. I didn’t know the value of the experience at the time,” Edinburgh-Williams stated as she reflected on when she heard Mahalia sing during service at Mount Moriah Baptist Church.
Jackson’s gifted voice, appealed to the masses and granted her performances all over the world, including the prestigious Carnegie Hall, the presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy, the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, and in the 1959 film, Imitation of Life. She was awarded three Grammy awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Jackson, a civil rights activist in her own right, was also a close friend and supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr. She sang a solo before his speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in 1963. As King addressed the crowd, Jackson said, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” In the style of a preacher, he ended the speech with the well-known “I Have A Dream” theme.
Joseph Bartholomew blazed a trail in the world of golf, not a as player, but as the mastermind behind the design of golf courses on which amateurs and professionals alike competed. Born in 1885, Bartholomew’s introduction to golf was when he worked as a caddie at Audubon golf course, at the age of seven. Immersed in that environment, Bartholomew became a student, and eventually, a teacher. Club members sent Bartholomew to the northeast to study golf architecture, with hopes he could one day build a course for them because some of the members were worried Audubon would open to the public.
One of Bartholomew’s first construction and design projects was for Metairie Golf Club. The club’s web site credits Seth Raynor for building the golf course; however, reports state Bartholomew did most of work. Bartholomew designed two courses in City Park, a course in Ponchartrain Park, which graces his name, among other golf courses located in other cities throughout Louisiana. Although Bartholomew designed these golf courses, he was not allowed to play on any of them, due to segregation. Before desegregation, reports note that he built and designed a seven-hole golf course on property he owned in Harahan for African Americans. Joseph Bartholomew is the first African American inducted to the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. Bartholomew also owned a construction company and life insurance company.
Civil Rights attorney, Lolis Elie Sr. was one of many influential voices during Louisiana’s civil rights movement. A fearless leader, Elie’s fierce dedication to eradicate segregation and fight for justice and fairness was his life’s calling. After serving in the Army, he attended Howard University, then transferred to Dillard University, where he began an NAACP chapter. It was suspended shortly after its inception due the law requiring all civil rights groups disclose all of its members, which endangered the members’ lives. Subsequently, he journeyed to Loyola University College of Law to become a lawyer. He opened a law office on Dryades Street, along with lawyers Nils Douglas and Robert Collins, called Collins, Douglas, & Elie.
He was the pro bono attorney for the Consumer’s League of New Orleans, which included Reverends Avery Alexander and A.L. Davis, who lead a successful “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work Campaign,” because many of the stores – employed predominately by whites – along the Oretha Castle Haley corridor, were patronized by African Americans, but only employed at the “mop and broom’ level, according to Elie. After boycotts and sit-ins, white merchants were forced to employ African Americans for positions above the “mop and broom” level.
Elie and his partners fought for four student members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) of New Orleans: Rudy Lombard of Xavier University; Oretha Castle Haley, of Southern University at New Orleans; Cecil Carter, Jr. of Dillard University; and Lanny Goldfinch of Tulane University. They were arrested for sitting at an all-white counter at McCory’s on Canal Street, and faced up to 10 years of imprisonment. Ellie and his partners appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court. Elie boldly reached out to Jack Nelson, a white attorney with no previous involvement in the civil rights movement, to argue the case. They were victorious in the Lombard v. Louisiana case.
Much like a black pearl, the history of the neighborhood Black Pearl is rare and rich. Nurtured at its foundation and core, these notables were born to shine. Those behind the scenes, known and unknown, also made strides to change lives and make a difference. Just ask any Black Pearl native, and they’ll tell you.
This article originally published in the October 22, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
