Sadie Roberts-Joseph Explained

Sadie Roberts-Joseph
Birth Date:1944
Death Cause:Homicide by asphyxiation
Nationality:American
Occupation:community activist
Known For:Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American Museum

Sadie Roberts-Joseph (1944 – July 12, 2019) was an American community activist and founder of the Baton Rouge Odell S. Williams Now & Then Museum of African-American History in 2001.[1] She was also the founder of a non-profit organization, Community Against Drugs and Violence (CADAV).[2] She organized the annual "Juneteenth Celebration" which commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the Southern United States.[3] She helped organize an annual Veterans Day celebration at the Port Hudson National Cemetery to honor veterans of all races who fought in the Civil War.[4]

Early life and education

Roberts-Joseph was born in 1944 and grew up in Woodville, Mississippi. She was the fifth in a family of twelve children, and her parents were sharecroppers.[5] The family later moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She attended Baton Rouge Vocational-Technical School and Southern University, studying education and speech pathology. She was an active volunteer in the local black community, and worked for many years as a certified respiratory therapy technician.

Personal life and death

Her brother serves as pastor of the New St. Luke Baptist church in Baton Rouge. She had two children, a son, Jason Roberts, now curator of the Baton Rouge African American museum,and a daughter: Angela Roberts Machen, a commissioner on the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission.[6]

On Friday, July 12, 2019, the body of Roberts-Joseph was discovered in the trunk of her own car about three miles from her home in Baton Rouge.[7] [8] On Monday 15 July, police stated that the cause of death was "traumatic asphyxiation" by suffocation and ruled it a homicide.[9] [10]

The next day they arrested a tenant of hers who owed $1,200 in rent.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Body of African-American history museum founder discovered in trunk of car. www.cbsnews.com. 14 July 2019 . en-US. 2019-07-15.
  2. News: Killing of Sadie Roberts-Joseph, African American Museum Founder, Stuns Baton Rouge. Mervosh. Sarah. 2019-07-15. The New York Times. 2019-07-15. en-US. 0362-4331.
  3. Web site: Founder Of African American History Museum Discovered Dead In Car Trunk. NPR.org. 14 July 2019. en. 2019-07-15. Sant. Shannon Van.
  4. Web site: Woman found dead in trunk of car was founder of Baton Rouge African American history museum. writers. LEA SKENE and ELLYN COUVILLION Staff. The Advocate. 13 July 2019 . en. 2019-07-15.
  5. News: Sadie Roberts-Joseph exuded a 'quiet power' as she enriched her community. CNN. 2019-07-17. 2019-07-18.
  6. Web site: Founder Of African American Museum Found Dead In Car Trunk. 2019-07-13. HuffPost. en. 2019-07-15.
  7. News: Activist who spotlighted African American history found dead in trunk of her own car, police say. Horton. Alex. Knowles. Hannah. 14 July 2019. The Washington Post. 2019-07-15.
  8. Web site: Sadie Roberts-Joseph, founder of an African American history museum, is found dead in the trunk of a car. Nicole Chavez. CNN. 14 July 2019. 2019-07-15.
  9. Web site: African American museum founder Sadie Roberts-Joseph found dead in boot of car. 2019-07-16. The Independent. en. 2019-07-16.
  10. Web site: Sadie Roberts-Joseph exuded a 'quiet power' as she enriched her community. CNN. 17 July 2019 . 2019-07-23.
  11. Web site: | Time. https://web.archive.org/web/20190716232831/https://time.com/5627899/man-arrested-louisiana-african-american-museum-founder/. dead. July 16, 2019. time.com. 2019-07-23.