Uncrowned Community Builders

Ninth born to her parents, on the border of Jefferson and New Orleans, Hazel Rhea-Hurst was a natural born leader. After growing tired of walking miles to a white man's grocery store to use a phone, her letters and persistence paid off; she was the first in her community to get a phone line, and allowed all her neighbors to use it without requesting payment. Although she would refuse tips, the neighbors left more money to her than the what the phone bill was. She also was able to get the postal route in the same community. A down-to-earth, working woman, educator, auntie, friend, sister, etc, her legacy continues through the Hazel Rhea Hurst Community Center in Shrewsbury. Her presence still touches those she came in contact with, and her spirit remains in the hearts and minds of all who knew her, and those she never met. A trailblazer and inspiration to their fullest extent and a warm comforting personality that reassured others that she was a woman and human first and foremost, she will never be forgotten. Crowned, or uncrowned, this Empress will forever live on.