“The Place Where Everybody Is Somebody”: State Representative Pinkie Wilkerson Memorial Interchange: I-20 & LA 149 interchange in Grambling, Louisiana

Pinkie Carolyn Wilkerson was a Gambling native through and through. She was born in Grambling on February 8, 1948, and spent her whole life indebted to the location. Both of her parents were teachers. Her father, Calvin, was fired from his teaching position for getting individuals registered to vote in the 1950s. He became a merchandise peddler to make ends meet for his family. His peddling turned into a sport’s merchandise and high-end clothing business, named the Collegiate Shoppe, in 1957. The business allowed Calvin, a first-generation college student, to support students in need—providing them with books and professional clothing, at little to no cost. The Collegiate Shoppe would close 67 years later in 2024. Yet, the store gained its name from the college town that it resided in—Grambling, Louisiana.

Grambling State University (GSU), a public historically black college, is Grambling’s main attraction. The 124-year-old institution started as a way for rural Black farmers to educate one another, but it has grown into one of the most renown Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the United States. Wilkerson attended Grambling State University Lab High School, the high school attached to the university.  After high school, Wilkerson attended University classes at Grambling, later graduating with her bachelor’s degree (B.A).

After attending Grambling State University, Pinkie Wilkerson moved away temporarily to pursue a master’s degree (M.A.) in Ohio at Ohio State University. But after two years, she returned back to Louisiana, where she went on to receive a Juris Doctrine (J.D.) from Southern University School of Law in Baton Rouge in 1979. After finishing top of her class, Wilkerson continued her education in Louisiana getting a Master of Laws (LL. M.) degree from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. She returned to Grambling, Louisiana to open her own practice in 1979—later earning the title of assistant district attorney for Lincoln and Union Parishes. She then served as the assistant attorney general for the State of Louisiana. In addition to being a fantastic lawyer, she was an accomplished academic professor. Wilkerson taught law, business law, American history, and American government at several universities across the United States, including Grambling State University where she was an assistant professor.

In 1992, Wilkerson was elected to the State Legislature, becoming the first black state representative for Louisiana’s District 11. In her eight-year tenure in the House of Representatives, she supported legislation on social issues, education, and rural issues. In 1993, Wilkerson supported the creation of a 24-hour statewide compulsive gamblers helpline. With its requirement to be displayed on all casinos and advertisements for gambling and lottery tickets, this legislation has helped millions of people. Wilkerson’s legislative colleagues respected her ability to not give up on her constituents, accessing all the resources and funds she could for her district and hometown. She made history in 1997 becoming the first and only woman to chair the Rural Caucus of the Louisiana legislature. She was active in many committees during her time in Congress, like the Health and Welfare committee, Civil Law and Procedure committee, and the House Judiciary—where she was vice chairman of all these. Wilkerson was also a proud member of the Women’s Caucus, during her entire term in the Louisiana legislature. She was an avid supporter of women, advocating for domestic violence prevention. She was also the president of National Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Division and the League of Women Voters in the Ruston-Grambling area, where she followed in her father’s footsteps to promote voting rights.

Wilkerson remained an active legislator until her death on August 1st, 2000. Wilkerson’s vehicle was stuck from behind by a truck while stopped for construction on I-20—the same road that would wear her name two decades later—in Bossier City, Louisiana. Her funeral service itself took place on the campus of GSU, furthering solidifying Wilkerson’s ties to the college and town. Today, Wilkerson’s legacy lives on in Grambling through numerous scholarship funds named in her honor.

While Grambling is known as “the place where everybody is somebody,” Pinkie Wilkerson is not just somebody to her state, hometown, college, and community. She is somebody to remember.