*Louisiana Department of Corrections inmates donated more than $11,000 to a museum dedicated to African-American history in Baton Rouge.
The Odell S. Williams African-American Museum was founded by beloved activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph in 2001, who was found dead in July in the truck of her car. She was 75.
Sadie’s death rocked the community, and WAFB reported Thursday that the inmates wanted to honor her legacy by donating $11,350 to the museum.
Her daughter, Angela Roberts, called the generous donation a “blessing” and said the funds will be used for expanding the museum and community outreach.
“This is such a blessing. This museum meant so much to our mother, and it means so much to us to have these incarcerated individuals dig deep and give so much to keep this museum open,” she said.
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Activist, museum founder Sadie Roberts-Joseph killed by tenant over late rent, cops say https://t.co/1sSnQZEQuy
— AJC (@ajc) July 17, 2019
“Our inmate organizations are very generous, donating money each year to worthy causes. I’m very proud of them for helping the family continue the legacy of Ms. Sadie,” said the state’s top prison official, Jimmy Le Blanc.
via usnews.com:
The museum features African art, exhibits on growing cotton and black inventors as well as a 1953 bus from the period of civil rights boycotts in Baton Rouge. It also has prominent exhibits on President Barack Obama, whose presidency Roberts-Joseph cited as an inspiration to children.
The museum is currently closed, but they hope to have a grand reopening in June. Inmates from the department were also able to take a tour through the museum.
We previously reported… five days after Roberts-Joseph was found dead, her alleged killer was arrested.
Ronn Jermaine Bell, 38, a convicted sex offender, was charged with first-degree murder, CNN reported. He was a tenant in one of Sadie’s rental homes and behind $1,200 on his rent, according to police.
In a Facebook post, local police mourned the loss of Roberts-Joseph, who they called a “treasure to our community.”
“Ms. Sadie was a tireless advocate of peace in the community. We had opportunities to work with her on so many levels … Ms. Sadie is a treasure to our community, she will be missed by BRPD and her loss will be felt in the community she served.”
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