Shreveport re-examines death of Civil Rights champion Ann Brewster, celebrates her life

Shreveport City Councilwoman Tabitha Taylor first heard about Shreveport’s Civil Rights champion, Annie ‘Ann’ Brewster, in college while taking Professor Willie Burton’s history class at SUSLA.

“Probably, one of the most outspoken of the black women involved in the local Civil Rights struggles was Ann Brewster,” Burton wrote in his book, "The Blacker the Berry, A Black History of Shreveport."

He discussed the voter registration efforts made from Brewster's hair salon, Modern Beauty Shop, which she co-owned with Mamie Love.

“But she went further than talk,” Burton’s said in his book. “Meetings were often held at Brewster’s house, and almost every Civil Rights leader that came to town stayed there or visited her.”

He later discusses her death in 1964, which remains a mystery for many in Shreveport.

“I am tired, so, so tired, I can’t go on any longer,” reads the first line of a note found next to her body. She had a gunshot wound to her head and a gun near her hand.

Her death was ruled a suicide, but Burton wrote, “Some people believed that foul play might have been involved, that she was too strong of person to commit suicide.”

That was the question posed in a recent KSLA News 12 30-minute documentary by anchor Domonique Benn and photographer Bubba Kneipp, “Nobody Knows Her Sorrow: What Happened to Ann Brewster?”

When councilwoman Taylor watched the series, which examined the death by speaking to several local community members, she decided action was needed.

“I felt compelled to ask (Police) Chief (Wayne Smith) to re-examine this case,” she said.

When it was re-opened, Taylor created a resolution to thank the Shreveport Police Department for reopening the Ann Brewster suicide case at a recent city council work session.

Smith was joined by Shreveport activist Craig Lee and LSUS historian Gary Joiner, both of whom were in the series, to speak to the council.

Smith said he sees this as an opportunity for the police department to be mindful and responsive to the community,

“I do understand that some 60 years back this has been an incident that has many questions and concerns,” he said. “I put together an awesome team of independent eyes, beyond that of the Shreveport Police Department. Everybody that comes to the table has a unique set of resources… that will hopefully answer some of these unanswered questions.”

“At LSUS we are doing a major research project on the Civil Rights in Caddo Parish,” Joiner said at the meeting, “We have a lot of resources that we can assist this group, and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Lee spoke about the importance of preserving the places connected to the Civil Rights movement in Shreveport.

“This house (Brewster’s) should be a historical landmark, because it was a historical meeting spot and lodging for Civil Rights iconic figures.”

Taylor agreed and also wants to see a landmark sign at the Modern Beauty Shop building,

“I am because she was," Taylor said. "She made the ultimate sacrifice with her life that I may be able to speak with you as an African American woman without the fear of retribution.”

The last owner of the Modern Beauty Shop, which closed in 2020, was Carolyn Jones. Jones is a daughter of Shreveport Civil Rights leader the Rev. E. Edward Jones and first went to the shop as a child to get her hair done.

Jones was only 3 when Brewster died, but she always knew about her.

“I grew up in the shadow of Ann, her legacy was a fixture in the shop, just as much the pictures on the wall,” Jones said.

When Jones started working at the Modern Beauty Shop, she learned about all of Brewster's Civil Rights efforts and felt a responsibility to preserve its historical impact. Shortly after the shop closed because of the COVID epidemic, Jones wrote a play called "Beauty and the Ballot Box."

“I wrote the play to memorialize the life and times of these amazing women. It is my tribute to the legacy of these women,” Jones said.

The play opened at the East Bank Theatre in 2023 and will return this March with encore performances in honor of Woman’s History Month.

“Shreveport has history,” Taylor said, “It is vital to our city to understand the roles that many in the African-American community contributed for the very freedoms that we enjoy today.”

If You Go

Beauty & The Ballot BoxEast Bank Theatre - 630 Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City7 p.m. Friday, March 22Noon and 5 p.m. Saturday, March 23Tickets are $20 and available for purchase online via Eventbrite

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Play honors Civil Rights champion Ann Brewster, new investigation of death