Brandon Dumas was born and raised in Edgard, attended West St. John High School and continued his studies on a football scholarship at Mississippi Valley State University, where he earned a degree in education in 2001 before being hired to teach and coach with the St. John the Baptist Parish School District.

He was featured in 2015’s L’OBSERVATEUR Black History Month profiles. In it, he shared he wanted to see Edgard continue to strive, grow and be successful in all endeavors.

“When someone is in need, the community is monumental in going out of its way to help lift that person up,” he said.

“We are a small, predominantly black community with big dreams. We have had doctors, lawyers, preachers, teachers, professional athletes, etc. to come out of Edgard and be a driving force in the world today.

“I would also like to see our youth continue to get an education and follow in the footsteps of other leaders from our community who have paved the way for us. They are our future.”

Dumas was obviously on to something when mentioning the youth of Edgard and the entire St. John the Baptist Parish West Bank.

When news was announced in December that St. John Parish Public Schools improved its overall letter grade to a B in the Louisiana Department of Education accountability rankings, much of the success could be tracked to West St. John High School and West St. John Elementary School.

The high school is one of two District schools rated as an A (John L. Ory Communications Magnet School is the other) and WSJE was one of two District schools that showed double-digit growth (Lake Pontchartrain Elementary is the other).

Dumas’ personal story, along with his influences and hopes for the future, were part of our Black History Month profiles, but it is a story for all, regardless of race.

Our community includes many people, races, religions, etc. We can learn so much by sharing.

We festured those stories last year through profiles on Dumas, Sylvia T. Dunn and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Jones.

Thankfully, we have the opportunity to bring the special pages back this month in observation of Black History Month.

Thanks to the help of local community members who supplied story ideas and contributions from numerous advertising sponsors, the profiles return to L’OBSERVATEUR this Saturday and each Saturday in February. We hope you enjoy learning more about our history and future through the eyes of some of those with the greatest impact. If you have any suggestions for future profiles, please don’t hesitate to stop by or give us a call.