William Jasper Blackburn is probably the most important figure in Claiborne Parish history that you have never heard of. He published an early newspaper in Minden when that town was part of Claiborne Parish. Later moving to Homer, he published the Homer Iliad, the town's first newspaper. But he was much more than a newspaperman. He was an abolitionist before and during the Civil War, using his newspapers to push for the end of slavery, preservation of the Union, and later, advocating for the civil rights of freed slaves. He was elected to the U.S. Congress, maintained strong political connections nationally. He testified before Congress about the atrocities committed across Louisiana during Reconstruction. He helped rewrite the Louisiana state constitution to give new rights to freedmen, including public education for the first time.
His political positions were often in stark opposition of much of the Claiborne Parish populace. While he suffered a stabbing, a shooting, vandalism to his office, death threats, and more, he was well liked as a person by many citizens. The personal tragedies of his life are more than most men could endure. He lost a wife and outlived 10 of his 12 children.
After this program, you will wonder why this man's story has been hidden from Claiborne history accounts for 160 years.
