Folks - 616

Segment 1: from the February 8, 1987, episode of the series “Folks” features Sonya Masingale’s interview with Ben Jeffers of Baton Rouge, the first African American to run for statewide office in Louisiana since Reconstruction and a businessman with Coastal Environmental Control, Inc. He discusses: his love for Louisiana; his 1979 campaign for Secretary of State; losing the election; the reasons why no African American has won statewide office; the challenges facing minority businesses; and his company’s involvement in politics.

Segment 2: from the February 8, 1987, episode of the series “Folks” features Sonya Masingale’s report on the work of the Community Association for the Welfare of School Children (CAWSC), an organization in East Baton Rouge Parish that provides resources to underprivileged African American school children to help them stay in school. She interviews Gwendolyn Miller, the Supervisor of Nurses for East Baton Rouge Parish, and Harry Johnson, the Supervisor of Child Welfare for East Baton Rouge Parish. They discuss the services offered by CAWSC, including emergency medical services and clothing. Masingale also visits the Basic Skills Development Program, including a presentation by East Baton Rouge Parish School Board President Press Robinson to a class of kindergarteners. Masingale also conducts an in-studio interview with Blanche Locke, the executive director of CAWSC, and Ruall Cook, a CAWSC board member. They discuss: the founding of the agency; their need for money, volunteers, and food and clothing donations; their ongoing membership drive; and the goals of the Basic Skills Development Program.

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