Louisville Trojans 4 Life donated $2,500 to the Louisville Wildcats Boosters in support of the purchasing of championship rings for the Louisville High football team. The group is comprised of community members, friends, and former students who attended Louisville Negro School, Louisville Colored High School, and Camile Street High School. These individuals are members of a Facebook Group, "Louisville Trojans 4 Life", which is currently opened to the public. The Facebook Group was created in February of 2019 by Connie Hathorn, a 1969 graduate of Camile Street High. The group was named after the school mascot, Trojans, to preserve the memory of the dearly beloved mascot. The group has over 400 members of which most attended one of the schools before full integration at the beginning of the 1971 school year. It should be noted that some of the members did not attend any of the schools in Louisville or any school in Mississippi.
Hathorn intends to keep the memories of the former schools alive. The Facebook page displays photos of former administrators, teachers, and students who were a part of the "Trojan" tradition. The photos bring back memories of classmates and activities in which students were involved during their years at the schools. The schools were the cornerstone of the Black communities countywide and created a sense of belonging and caring.
After the outbreak of the pandemic and, an increase in membership, several members of the Louisville Trojans 4 Life discussed a desire to do something that would be beneficial for our hometown. The title selected by Dr. Hathorn was Louisville Trojans 4 Life, "Lending a Helping Hand." Two zoom meetings were held to discuss how we could give back to our community. During the meetings, several suggestions were made, the final decision was to make our efforts student-focus. At that time, the Wildcats' Boosters were attempting to raise money to purchase championship rings for the Louisville High football team as a reward for winning the State Championship. A former teacher at L. C. Eiland Middle School suggested that we support the Booster Club because she felt that the team had already earned the ring and should not have to be responsible for the purchase of it.
Our assistance with this endeavor goes back to the sense of belonging and caring that was instilled in us during our days as Trojans. Even though there is not a Trojan mascot anymore, it is safe to say, many of the players are offsprings of former Trojans. They are our nephews, grandchildren, relatives, neighbors, or children of friends, church members, etc. During our days as Trojans, it was a common practice to get help from relatives, neighbors, friends, and even people that we did not know, who had a giving spirit. This was the culture countywide and there was a sense of belonging and caring from community members.
Hathorn gives credit to the success of this undertaking to the members who stepped up and provided donations for our students in Louisville. He also said that in the future, perhaps the group will assist in other ways.
In closing, Hathorn states a quote by Anne Frank: “No one has ever become poor by giving.”
