Louisiana Creole Indians: A Resolute & Relevant Ethnic Group Of YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW

Antecedents - Condoleezza Rice The Rice family comes from slaves of the old South. Because of this the family history of Condoleezza Rice can only be traced three or four generations back. Below, we have put together a genealogical chart: Her paternal great-grandfather was Wesley Rice. He had been born a slave and later had become a poor tenant farmer. He was a Methodist, raising his children as such. One of his children, John Wesley, decided that the way to advance in the world was to follow the example and advice of other up and coming black men such as George Washington Carver, and get an education. In 1918 he went to the Stillman Institute in Alabama. He soon ran out of money. The Presbyterian Church offered him a scholarship if he would train to become a Presbyterian preacher. It is said that he proclaimed that he just happened to be thinking of doing that! In 1922 The Reverend Rice married Theresa Hardnett who was half Creole and from Louisiana, which means that she was probably of mixed race. John Wesley Rice then began to travel throughout the South, helping to establish schools and churches. They had only one son, John Wesley Rice Jr. (Condoleezza's father), who was born in 1923 in Baton Rouge. He grew up in the city and went to high school there. Following in his father's footsteps John Wesley Jr. went to Stillman in 1942 to receive and education. He continued his education at Johnson C. Smith College in Charlotte, NC. Like his father, he became a Presbyterian minister. (He got his divinity degree in 1949.) In 1951 he moved to Titusville, near Birmingham, Alabama. This was a church his father had started. He became the director of education there. While also coaching football at Fairfield Industrial High School he met and married Anglena Ray. She was a teacher of music, math, and science. Angelena Ray was the daughter of Albert Robinson Ray III. He had worked in several jobs including builder, miner, and blacksmith. He had been born somewhere between 1893 and 1895. He ran away from home at 13. He was found by a white businessman who provided for him until he reached his majority. Angelena's mother was Mattie Lula Porram (Ray), a house-wife who taught piano. The father, Albert Ray, worked hard, basically doing three jobs simultaneously. He worked as a coal miner in the day, he worked in his own blacksmith shop in the evenings and built houses on the weekend. He instilled in his children a love of hard work and the value of education. Creoles are generally known as a people of mixed French, African, Spanish, and Native American ancestry, most of who reside in or have familial ties to Louisiana. Research has shown many other ethnicities have contributed to this culture including, but not limited to, Chinese, Russian, German, and Italian. This culture began as an offspring of the Old World and the New when this country was still being colonized. Creoles are not one thing or the other, and have lived their lives being misunderstood, misrepresented, and misinterpreted. In the past, under White government, Creoles were not allowed to be an equal part of society. Blacks, free and slaves, did not feel Creoles were part of their world either. Because of this rejection, Creoles had a strong bond with one another and had to create their own world and culture. They were self-sufficient and relied on each other. Creoles were landowners, artists, teachers, and business people. Even today this bond among Creoles nationwide is strong. There is tremendous pride in knowing where they come from. The Creole Heritage Center is committed to the challenge of correcting the wrongs and misconceptions associated with this culture and will represent the Creoles in a true light. Their culture and heritage, rarely acknowledged in spite of its uniqueness, is worthy and deserving of attention and preservation; without it an important part of the American experience could be lost. http://nsula.edu/creole/definition.asp Louisiana Creoles: Cultural Recovery and Mixed-Race Native American Identity By Andrew J. Jolivétte "Jolivétte argues forcefully that Louisiana Creoles can only be properly viewed - and view themselves - through the lens of multiraciality. The writing style is free of jargon, the book includes many informative quote, and Jolivétte is insightful. Other useful features include a table summarizing key historical moments in Creole history and a list of Creole organizations and Web sites. Recommended."— Choice See all reviews Louisiana Creoles examines the recent efforts of the Louisiana Creole Heritage Center to document and preserve the distinct ethnic heritages of this unique American population. Dr. Andrew Jolivétte uses sociological inquiry to analyze the factors that influence ethnic and racial identity formation and community construction among Creoles of Color living in and out of the state of Louisiana. By including the voices of contemporary Creole and Creole Indian organizations, preservationists, and grassroots organizers, Jolivétte offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the ways in which history has impacted the ability of Creoles to self-define their own community in political, social, and legal contexts. This book raises important questions concerning the process of cultural formation and the politics of ethnic categories for multiracial communities in the United States. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the themes found throughout Louisiana Creoles and Creole Indians are especially relevant for students of sociology and those interested in identity issues. About the Author: Andrew Jolivétte is assistant professor in the American Indian studies department at San Francisco State University.

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Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) So Close, Yet, So Far From Unitary Status

JIM CROW LIVES IN ARKANSAS UNDER "SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS"

A partial reprint from the Arkansas Leader:

By JOHN HOFHEIMER

Leader senior staff writer

Jacksonville-area residents could be one step closer to realizing the goal of a separate school district.With a day to spare, the Pulaski County Special School District on Monday filed a motion seeking unitary school status in time to qualify for as much as $250,000 in legal-fee reimbursement.

District Judge Bill Wilson ruled previously that Jacksonville could not have its own district until PCSSD was unitary—that is, in compliance with its existing desegregation agreements.The goal of the desegregation agreements was to create school districts with racially balanced enrollment at each school and with equal opportunity as evidenced by diverse representation among teachers, employees, sports teams, discipline and academic achievement.

The motion, filed for PCSSD by Sam Jones in U.S. District Court at Little Rock, states that the district “has complied with or is in substantial compliance with” the 2000 desegregation plan and should be declared unitary and released from federal court supervision.

To read the rest of the story, please click here...

COMMENTARY:

I genuinely feel frustrated for the Jacksonville, Arkansas community. Nothing could feel worse than having ones educational future dictated by the blatantly obvious crooks within PCSSD.

But unfortunately, there can be NO unitary findings while the Creole Indians of Arkansas still have a standing complaint against these academic Jim Crow crooks and as long as they are STILL under Arkansas Dept. Of Education PROBATION, btw, because of said ethnic/racial complaints of the Arkansas State recognized American Creole Indian Band of Arkansas-WELL PROVEN.

Please Click this link: Officials on audio tape caught RED-HANDED in their Jim Crow activities. Even going as far as to be aided by corrupt members of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office.

Justice For ALL-

E pluribus Unum: Out of many-ONE

Ean Bordeaux, pro per

Creole Interests Reporter

Citizen Complainant

report government fraud & corruption to: fraud101@gmail.com

Please click here for more details.

American Creole Indians a Proud And Resolute People

E PLURIBUS UNUM: Out of Many- ONE

Sample:

The EAC offers technical assistance to help Arkansas public school districts achieve voluntary compliance by understanding their legal obligations, and to serve those protected by the laws. As part of our technical assistance activities, the EAC conducts on-site visits, workshops, program reviews, distributes information, guidelines, procedures and materials setting requirements in the area of civil rights and describing the process for compliance determination.

This letter is a follow-up to the complaint filed against the School in the Pulaski County Special School District alleging that the school district violated regulations concerning racial Discrimination, Anti- Bullying and Gang Violence policies.

During the course of our review, we collected data, interviewed personnel, and received information relevant to the matter. Based on the information sent to us by your district and considering the allegations of discrimination on the basis of race, gang violence, and anti-bullying, we are concerned that the allegations against the School and Pulaski County Special School District may be valid regarding discrimination and failing to enforce the Anti-Bullying and Gang Violence policies.

Based on this information, the school district may be in violation of the Student Handbook concerning grievance procedures in the following areas:

• School did not properly conduct a thorough investigation and did not present a final investigative report providing proper documentation

• School did not interview a sufficient number of persons regarding gang activity

• Central Administration and School Administration presented contradicting statements and inconsistencies regarding alleged interviews, concerns of gang activity, and policies being implemented to all students

• Central Administration failed to obtain statements from pertinent faculty and staff to determine what was occurring at the school, more specifically the bus driver

• Central Administration failed to instruct faculty to investigate whether a group of students called CASH (Check All Silly Hoes) was actively harassing students in the school

• School Administrators did not review the disciplinary records of students to determine a pattern of violations to disqualify them from privileged activities such as Office Aid

• A safe environment for learning was not emphasized by the practice of the administrators

• School failed to record serious disciplinary violations on students when students threatened and harassed parents and visitors in the Administration Office

• Incidents were not reported properly when students entered class and threatened students openly in public; and

• Students with conflicts were allowed to continue working as Administrative Office Aids, while administration was aware of confrontations


Based on this information, we recommend that the school district take prompt and effective action, as necessary, to:

1. Remedy the effects of the gang violence and bullying to prevent its occurrence by providing information, training, and awareness to the entire student body that gang association will not be tolerated and the consequences of such actions

2. Provide information and training to the entire staff including bus drivers on specific action to take concerning gang violence and altercations on buses and at bus stops

3. Provide information and training to individual students or the entire student body on Anti-Bullying and Gang violence

4. Conduct in-service training for all School personnel regarding the regulatory requirements of Anti-bullying and gang violence when reported by students, parents, and employees.

5. Follow the written policy/procedure for investigating violations of the district policy regarding Anti-Bullying and gang Violence when reported by students, parents, and employees

6. Conduct training regarding proper implementation of the Student Handbook policies

7. Develop a plan to address all the concerns in our findings to alleviate gang activity

8. Develop a procedure for responding promptly and punctually to requests for reviews from central administration office to properly respond to meet the district’s responsibility to prevent and resolve allegations of racial discrimination, allegations of gang activity, and to carryout policies and procedures that protect all students Civil Rights and address equity as part of the school environment

9. Develop a policy for the central office to meet districts’ responsibility to prevent and resolve allegations of racial discrimination, allegations of gang activity, and failure of the administration to carryout policies and procedures that protect all student civil rights and address equity as part of the school environment

10. School is to develop a five year plan to address all concerns in our finding to alleviate gang activity, bullying and race discrimination: and

11. The plan must be submitted to the Equity Assistance Center within thirty (30) days. An annual update should be submitted regarding implementation of the plan providing data to support evidence that the plan is successful or changes of the plan will address success.

These actions for each of the eleven (11) should include, but not be limited to: disciplinary sanctions, monitoring of the future activities of the harasser, counseling for the affected parties, remedial educational services and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the victim related to the effects of the bullying and gang violence.

Should you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or Mr. Keyth Howard at (501) 682-4213

Respectfully yours,

Oliver Dillingham, Program Manager
Equity Assistance Center