At the Grambling Homecoming Parade, Saturday October 22, 2011
Grambling State University Homecoming 2011
At the Grambling Homecoming Parade, 2011
At the Grambling Homecoming Parade, Saturday October 22, 2011.
Getting An Early Start for Grambling Homecoming 2011
The Grambling Homecoming Parade always starts at 9 AM, and it always seems a lot earlier than that. The weather is usually chilly, and this year was no exception, but people start lining the route as early as 8:30 to get the best spots for watching.
After the Talent Show, Grambling Homecoming, 2011
When I got to the Grambling campus, the talent show at T. H. Harris Auditorium has just ended, and there were still crowds of students around the quadrangle and Founders Avenue. But the crowds seemed thinner this year compared to previous homecomings, and less inclined to hang out. I stopped by my friend Dr. Reginald Owens’ house to catch up with him for a minute, and then I drove back to Monroe.
Last Remnants of DeSiard Street, Monroe, LA
Although I was in Louisiana for Grambling State University homecoming 2011, the nearest hotel I could get a room in was at Monroe, Louisiana, 30 miles away. When I got to Monroe, I came upon this old, seemingly-historic building at 10th and DeSiard. Signs indicated that it once housed the 10th Street Social Club, the Standard Life Insurance Company of Louisiana, the Monroe Free Press (an African-American newspaper), Eddie’s Place and Hilliard’s Cafe. A sign at the entrance to the 10th Street Social Club stated that any women with weapons would be turned over to the police! The 1965 Monroe City Directory indicated that the building was the Roy-Miller Building, and that it was the site of a number of important businesses, clubs and professional offices for the African-American community in Monroe. It is a tragedy that it has been allowed to deteriorate.