Odalie Richardson McDonald: OPPL’s first African American Librarian

I have always LOVED this picture: https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-arc%3A18 . It shows the moment Ms. Odalie Richardson (later McDonald) receives the keys to the Carver Branch Library from B.D. Robinson. The African American community had fought hard for this moment. I always thought Mrs. McDonald looks so REGAL here! What brought this picture to mind was an article I found in the 29 Aug 1975 Monroe Dispatch which shared the picture. MANY of the people in the photo were identified. I shared the names with my boss, who added the names to the Digital Library description. Up until this point, we only had the names of the kids, Ms. Odalie and Mr. Robinson! Just a few years ago, the Carver Branch Library’s name was changed to the Carver-McDonald Branch Library to honor Ms. Odalie!