MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - We continue Black History Month with The Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Museum. The museum has on display artifacts from local families who risked it all to change history.
This exhibit is a look at our past to better understand our future. Carl Robinson of Richwood understands the message. He grew up in the Sterlington area. Carl's family did not own the land nor the house they lived in. So, he collected what they did own. "Good memories. It was a good life. We were free and didn't know it," says Robinson.
Robinson remembers how his family lived off the land, the river and the woods. "Trapping, raising pigs, gigging or some form. We got it off the land," says Robinson.
"You have to remember your past and not be bitter about it. What you want to do is use it as motivational step so that you can move further," says museum executive director Lorraine Slacks.
From pictures to old news articles, the information is all laid out for you. These are the lives and decisions of entrepreneurs, educators and others who took chances for the sake of change.
"This is just not make believe these are people we can touch and people that we know about. And we're walking down a street that reads Barrington drive. They say who is this person. We want them to know that local heroes are important," says Slacks. The museum has 13 exhibits, 100 artifacts and 80 plus pieces of art from local artists, explains Slacks.
The "Historical Heritage Families Exhibition" is on display through February 29. The museum is located at 1051 Chennault Park, in Monroe.
