February to educate, showcase black history
January 26, 2007

The walls of Pearrie's House of Style in Shreveport are covered with mementos collected over the years. G.L. Pearrie and his wife Burnestine have operated the barber shop in the front of their home for about 51 years (Val Horvath/The Times)
If your group or organization is planning a Black History Month event, call Ashley Northington at (318) 459-3244 or email her at adnorthington@gannett.com

By Ashley Northington
adnorthington@gannett.com

Shreveport barbers Green L. and Burnestine Pearrie are turning their home into a museum of local black history.

They hope to help in February’s Black History Month events highlighting accomplishments of black leaders and the local struggle for equality.

The Pearries have long been apart of showcasing black history in Shreveport.

When the ground work started for the Multicultural Center of the South the Pearries opened their home so people could drop off their collectables to be displayed.

“It was very important to get that started because we’d never had anything like that before in Shreveport,” Burnestine Pearrie said. “We wanted people to get a chance to show their history.”

The items the Pearries collected were displayed in Southern University’s downtown Shreveport campus and at Louisiana State University at Shreveport before the Multicultural Center of the South opened.

The two say February is an important month because its the only one dedicated to celebrating Black History.

A number of events already have been scheduled for the month.

The Wallette Branch Library will present “Celebrating Black History through Literature,” featuring Northeast Louisianan Ernest Hill, author of five books including “Cry Me A River” and “A Person of Interest.”

The 2007 Miss Black Shreveport Pageant, to be held at Huntington High School, and a play, “The Face of Emmett Till,” scheduled at the Strand Theater, are among several events planned to showcase black history and educate youth.