Black history still being made in Richland

As Black History month begins, the Rev. James Smith of Rayville wants young people to know that history isn’t something that’s lost in the past.
“There are people right here in Richland Parish who are still making history today,” Smith said. “There are still great things which can be accomplished and young people need to know they can be the people to accomplish those things. They can do things today that will be remembered as part of Black History in the future.”
Smith feels he is uniquely qualified to bring that message.
“I started out in the ghetto,” the pastor and economic development official said. “I started where a lot of these kids are and I have spoken with governors and presidents since then.”
Smith has attended two State of the Union Addresses in Washington D.C. and has seen his work entered into the Congressional Record twice.
The first time was when he traveled to Washington D.C. to offer the opening prayer to begin a session of congress.
The next was in September 2016 when the Delta Work Ready Academy was honored by Congress.
In offering that honor, Sen. David Vitter said, “As a former truancy officer for Richland Parish schools, Reverend James Smith of Rayville was inspired to create Delta Work Ready Academy to help young Louisianians who need a second chance reach new levels of economic prosperity and professional excellence. Students participating in the program are often ones who are barely passing or have dropped out of high school and who are most in need of help. Through his experience, Rev. Smith has seen first-hand how teaching these young adults the skills they need to succeed can help break the cycle of poverty that has plagued many rural communities for decades.”
Smith said he takes little credit for these accomplishments for himself.
“It’s all about the community,” Smith said. “If I owe anybody, it’s God for saving me and taking me out of the ghetto. But it’s also the community. It’s Bonnie Adams who gave me a chance to be the truancy officer for the schools and it’s Harry Lewis who allowed me to work with the town for economic development. It’s not about me. It’s about the town, the school, the family and the community. It’s about all of us working together to make this a better place.”
That is the lesson he wants Richland Parish’s young people to learn when studying Black history during February.
“There were a lot of great things done in the past and they were done by great people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” he said. “But there are still a lot of great things that still need to be done and the people living and working and going to school in our town right now are the people who are going to do those things. I want them to look at me and realize that I’m from here. I grew up just like them and if I can be invited to the White House, then that’s something they can do, too.”