Centenary hosts event highlighting historic Shreveport Black-owned businesses
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College will host a two-part event, “A Legacy of Persistence: Historic Shreveport Black-Owned Businesses and Their Founders,” on Tuesday, April 9. A 9:45 a.m. tour of the Calanthean Temple on Texas Avenue will be followed by an evening lecture and panel discussion beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Centenary’s Kilpatrick Auditorium. Both events are free and open to the public.
The Calanthean Temple, located on the 1000 block of Texas Avenue in downtown Shreveport, was built by a Black women’s fraternal organization called the Grand Court Order of Calanthe. The four-story structure, designed by architect Edward Neild, featured a rooftop garden that once hosted concerts by jazz musicians. The Calanthean Temple also housed the offices of a Black-owned oil company along with Black physicians, lawyers, and other professionals. Robert Trudeau, a local tour guide and historian, and Greg Powell, tour guide and descendant of Shreveport entrepreneurs, will lead the short morning walk through this historic site, which is currently being renovated by private owners.
The “Legacy of Persistence” event continues on the evening of April 9 with a 6:30 p.m. lecture by Dr. Mary Barrett, retired professor of geology at Centenary. Barrett will provide an overview of her research into historic Black-owned oil companies in Shreveport, and a panel including Greg Powell, Robert Trudeau, and Ronald Swafford, local historian and community member, will offer personal histories and commentary.
"As is the case in so many areas, the oil and gas industry risks appearing as if it has always been overwhelmingly White, but Dr. Mary Barrett's research shows us that Shreveport's Black community and Black entrepreneurs have always been woven into our history,” explained Dr. Jama Grove, assistant professor of history at Centenary and one of the organizers of the event. “Historians and community members, including Greg Powell, Ronald Swafford, and Robert Trudeau have preserved this legacy locally, giving us the opportunity to share this heritage with our students and the community as a whole."
For more information about the “A Legacy of Persistence,” contact Dr. Jama Grove at jgrove@centenary.edu.