Skip to main content

Preserving the History of Civil Rights in New Orleans


On the same morning that 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first Black student to integrate an elementary school in the South, three young girls completed the same historic act just a mile away. On November 14, 1960, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost were escorted by Federal Marshals past angry protestors into McDonogh 19 Elementary School in New Orleans.

Tate went on to devote her life to civil rights activism. In 2009, she created the Leona Tate Foundation for Change, Inc. to promote racial equality through education. In 2020 — 60 years after Tate, Etienne, and Prevost made history — Tate and her foundation purchased the McDonogh 19 building. It’s now the home of the Tate, Etienne, and Prevost (TEP) Center: a mixed-use facility and exhibition space dedicated to the history of civil rights in New Orleans.

Tate is also part of the ACLU of Louisiana’s first-of-its-kind Black Donor Network, a group of 30 African American supporters who work in philanthropy, education, public health, and other fields. The network brings together a community of people devoted to the historic movement for racial justice.

Here, Tate discusses a lifetime of experiences promoting civil rights in New Orleans and beyond.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Leona Tate, Founder and Executive Director of the Tate, Etienne, and Prevost Center

“McDonough 19 and now the Tate, Etienne, and Prevost Center represents the education of racism — mostly undoing racism. It’s a place for dialogue. It’s a place to come and see what we went through. And we need to understand why those things happened and the change that they meant.

“Nobody is teaching civil rights the way we think it should be taught. We’ve got to get this history to [a point] where it’s never going to be forgotten again.

“Today, I continue my activism with the community, with civil rights leaders, with the ACLU. [For] any kind of social justice changes that need to be made and made for the right reasons — the ACLU is here.

“Donating to the ACLU is one of the most powerful things you can do to fight for justice. They have been a great support of us. And I hope to be a great asset to them. I think we’ve got the same mission here — doing positive work to get things done in this community. The ACLU is all about that.”

We need you with us to keep fighting
Donate today
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New video by T-Series on YouTube

Aila Re Aillaa (Video) Sooryavanshi | Akshay, Ajay, Ranveer, Katrina, Rohit | 5 November Presenting first song "Aila Re Aillaa " from the most awaited movie of the year "Sooryavanshi". The movie is staring Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and Katrina Kaif in the lead role. The biggest party anthem of the year, this track "Aila Re Aillaa" is sung by Daler Mehndi and the Music Recreated by Tanishk Bagchi and the new lyrics are penned by Shabbir Ahmed. The song originally is composed by Pritam and penned by Nitin Raikwar. Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Picturez In association with Dharma Productions and Cape Of Good Films presents “Sooryavanshi”. Produced by: Hiroo Yash Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Rohit Shetty Directed by: Rohit Shetty Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and Katrina Kaif. SONG CREDITS Song - Aila Re Aillaa Singer - Daler Mehndi Music Reworked by - Tanishk Bagchi Programmed and Arranged by -...
Post a Comment
Read more

Latest AI tools in 2025

Artificial Intelligence has reached a new height in the year 2025. With the help of powerful tools, AI has made it possible to transform business, revolutionalize the way we live, and the way we work. Chatbots are one of the many amazing things that AI has brought to us in 2025. They have made it possible for businesses to provide 24/7 customer service without the need for human interruption. But chatbots are just the tip of the iceberg of what AI has to offer in 2025. With natural language processing (NLP), AI has made it possible for machines to understand human language and emotions. This has paved the way for virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to assist with everyday tasks and questions. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is also one of the growing trends of AI in 2025. This tool facilitates the automation of repetitive tasks, which frees up time for more important work. This improves productivity and efficiency in businesses and organizations. As for the healthcare industry, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Documents Reveal Confusion and Lack of Training in Texas Execution

As Texas seeks to execute Carl Buntion today and Melissa Lucio next week, it is worth reflecting on the grave and irreversible failures that occurred when the state executed Quintin Jones on May 19, 2021. For the first time in its history — and in violation of a federal court’s directive and the Texas Administrative Code — Texas excluded the media from witnessing the state’s execution of Quintin Jones. In the months that followed, Texas executed two additional people without providing any assurance that the underlying dysfunction causing errors at Mr. Jones’ execution were addressed. This is particularly concerning given that Texas has executed far more people than any other state and has botched numerous executions. The First Amendment guarantees the public and the press have a right to observe executions. Media access to executions is a critical form of public oversight as the government exerts its power to end a human life. Consistent with Texas policy, two reporters travelled t...
Post a Comment
Read more