Oct 10, 2023 - News

New civil rights exhibit debuts in 9th Ward

Chelsea Brasted

Leona Tate stands in front a museum panel telling the story of how she was part of the desegregation of New Orleans schools. She looks directly in the camera and smiles slightly. — The story of how Leona Tate (pictured), Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne desegregated McDonogh 19 is part of a new THNOC exhibit on display at the TEP Center. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios

A new exhibit at a 9th Ward community center takes a closer look at New Orleans' civil rights history.

Why it matters: "The Trail They Blazed" is housed inside the Tate, Etienne and Prevost Center. It makes a key part of the city's history more accessible as curators hope to bridge a gap in local understanding of New Orleans' role in expanding civil rights.

Flashback: The TEP Center was once McDonogh 19, a school which three young Black students — Tessie Prevost, Gail Etienne and Leona Tate — desegregated on Nov. 14, 1960, the same day Ruby Bridges desegregated William Frantz Elementary.

Today, Tate runs the Leona Tate Foundation for Change, which operates out of the TEP Center.

What they're saying: People all over the country know New Orleans was key to integrating U.S. public schools, but it's rarely part of today's curriculum, Tate tells Axios.

"It's something I want our students to come see," Tate says of the new exhibit.

What's happening: The exhibit, created by The Historic New Orleans Collection, is built on free-standing panels that weave together 30 oral histories through seven civil rights stories that happened here.

Visitors can play audio from the oral histories, create Instagram posts through available QR codes and place stickers directly on the panels to indicate their own experiences with civil rights, says Eric Seiferth, THNOC curator and historian.

Entrance to the exhibit is included in $10 admission to the TEP Center.

Meanwhile: The state welcomed visitors for the first time over the weekend to its new Louisiana Civil Rights Museum.

Admission is free through Oct. 15, after which a fee will be charged.

What's next: The exhibit will be on display at the TEP Center through Nov. 12. Then, THNOC plans for it to travel throughout New Orleans.

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New civil rights exhibit debuts in 9th Ward

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