Tangi Voter Drive Pioneers Honored by Area Citizens (Reprint from the Drum Newspaper)

Alvin Holden

The Pear Ridge Church was filled to capacity on February 21 as the church and the Magnolia Peace Officer Association recognized civil rights activist "Bobby" Jackson for his pivotal role in advancing the ability of African Americans to vote in Tangipahoa Parish.

During the 1950s and earlier, African Americans were prohibited from registering to vote at the courthouse in Amite. Alvin Holden, a guest speaker at the event, noted that the foundation for the civil rights movement in the parish was established when African American Legion posts convened to address voter registration challenges. Following months of meetings, planning, and strategizing, they developed a plan that ultimately failed, resulting in continued denial of voting rights for African Americans.

Nevertheless, efforts persisted with the establishment of the People's Defense League in New Orleans on October 19, 1945. According to Holden, a branch of the league was subsequently formed in Tangipahoa Parish. On September 20, 1951, after a group of African Americans was again denied registration at the registrar's office, the league initiated legal action by filing a suit in the Federal Courts in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ernest Wright, an attorney, served as the director of the People's Defense Fund in New Orleans. Through his efforts, the local league engaged the appropriate officials, leading the case to court on October 15, 1951.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

The league initiated efforts to secure funding for the case's expenses, Holden noted. He reported that the league made an unexpected move by filing its case in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans. The league engaged Louis Berry, an attorney from Alexandria, Louisiana, to manage the case.

The case was assigned to Judge Hebert Christenberry and called Williams vs Williams. However, shortly before the trial commenced, the parish registrar of voters resigned, prompting Christenberry to rule in favor of the league. As Holden noted, "This wasn't the first time blacks attempted to vote in Amite and were denied." An elderly man from Independence, born in Mississippi, sought to advocate for his community and repeatedly attempted to register alongside others, but he was denied the right to vote.

For nearly a century, African Americans in Tangipahoa Parish were systematically excluded from voter registration through threats and coercion. Holden emphasized that black men had served in all wars, sacrificing their lives for the freedom of others, yet they were forcibly denied participation in selecting their governmental representatives. By the 1930s, African Americans grew increasingly discontented, striving to secure their rightful societal position and claim the rights afforded to them under the U.S. Constitution..

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Despite their concerted efforts, their endeavors proved unsuccessful, remarked Holden. Following World War II, which exposed thousands of young African Americans to global affairs, they were imbued with a renewed resolve to address the political conditions in Tangipahoa Parish.

Veterans mobilized with community backing. However, after the formation of a committee and the initial attempt to register African Americans to vote, it was revealed that the American Legion Charter prohibited the endorsement of political organizations, as stated by Holden. On October 20, 1951, Post Commander Alvin K. Holden officially declared that he could not support a political group under the American Legion, as the Legion's Constitution forbade the fostering of political or religious groups. In this somber moment, the faces of the 300 attendees in the Independence Colored School auditorium reflected profound unease, leading to the committee's dissolution. Thereafter, a political organization known as "The People's Defense League of Tangipahoa Parish" was established, with Post Commander Alvin K. Holden selected as parish president. Additional officers of this organization included:

Rev. E. M. Booker, Vice President

Mrs. Myrtle Gordon, Secretary

Mr. James Elliott, Treasurer

Mrs. Rovan Stanley, Financial Secretary

This organization pursued a voting rights campaign. Attorney Louis Berry of Alexandria, Louisiana, initiated legal action against William Mason, Registrar of Voters of Tangipahoa Parish, and the State of Louisiana. The case was referred to the Eastern District Court in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Judges Herbert J. Christenberry and J.S. Wright in the vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana. The complaint was endorsed by the following individuals:

Burnell Stevens

1. Mr. Armanda Butler

2. Mr. Robert E. Jackson

3. Mr. Alvin E. Holden

4. Mr. Leonard P. Holden

5. Mr. Clarence Bernard

6. Mr. Blanche Mitchell

8. Mr. John Alvin Clark.