As we conclude Black History Month, we are excited to share the stories of individuals who have been recognized by their communities as Black Pro-Life Pioneers. These individuals have had a life-time of standing strong in support of life, especially in the black community.
Leslie Ellison
Leslie Ellison served on the Orleans Parish School Board from 2012 to 2020 and is a leader in the Algiers community of New Orleans. She was active in the Black Alliance for Educational Options and their efforts to expand educational options for black children in Louisiana. She was elected to serve on the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee in 2016 and reelected in 2020.
Leslie is a longtime member of Gideon Christian Fellowship International. She has been a dedicated pro-life advocate for many years and is passionate about expanding pro-life outreach in the black community.
Elbert Guillory
Retired Louisiana Senator Elbert Guillory has long advocated for human life through his fervent Pro-Life support and unwavering stance and support of life in the womb at conception. Senator Guillory has shown his dedication to this important issue with proof by his perfect record, while in the legislature, as a 100% Pro-Life supporter. He has been honored by the Louisiana Family Forum for his bold and passionate Pro-Life position, votes, and voice. Senator Guillory is a lifetime advocate for ALL people, before birth and after birth.
Bishop Dwight Pate
Not only is Bishop Pate a prayer warrior, he is a sacrificial seed sower who loves helping GOD’S people and has planted churches and supported mission work in the Caribbean and Africa, in addition to raising funds for Christian television including PTL, Cornerstone, Daystar, CTN and Super Channel 55 in Florida. Furthermore, as an evangelist he is known for holding long revivals in Baton Rouge, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta to renew minds in the inner city; and he has served as a civil rights fighter in the local community to secure jobs, and to put an unprecedented number of Black judges on the bench in the state of Louisiana, in addition to being a powerful ecclesiastical voice crying out for our unborn babies.
Sancha Smith
Mrs. Smith is passionate about the life of every child. She is dedicated to working for and serving in pregnancy centers, and advocating in the state and federal capitals for pro-life laws and family advocacy. She wants every child to have the opportunity to live an abundant life, and advocates for that life from the womb to the grave. She is a strong woman who knows who she is and she translates that into rallying for mothers to know the strength they carry to be able to carry and care for their children.
Barbara Thomas
Mrs. Thomas is the founder of the Family Values Resource Institute. She and her husband Charles have operated the Family Values Resource Institute, formerly known as the North Baton Rouge Women’s Help Center for over three decades. No one else in the community served black women and children in such a sustained and focused manner. Mrs. Thomas was and is a tireless advocate for black unborn children, black mothers-to-be, and black families.