Louisiana’s Civil Rights Struggle Told Through 11 Historic Sites

The History of Civil Rights in Louisiana

Louisiana might be famous for its food and festivals, but its civil rights landmarks pack a punch just as potent as any Sazerac. Here are 11 key sites everyone who comes to the state needs to see.

The Louisiana Civil Rights Museum

Located inside the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, you’ll find three main areas to explore: the Right to Assemble, the Right to Education, and the Right to Vote.

One of the best features is the DreamCube. This VR experience drops you in the middle of key moments, like the long march from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge. The museum’s design is also inspired by the Civil Rights Trail.

Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans

Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, which opened in 1941, is more than just a place to eat – it’s a big part of New Orleans’ civil rights history.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, it was a safe place for civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. to meet and plan their efforts.

Dooky Chase’s was also groundbreaking because it was the first fancy restaurant in New Orleans to serve Black customers before segregation ended. It was also the first art gallery in New Orleans to showcase Black artists.

William Frantz Elementary School

William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans played a big role in school desegregation.

On November 14, 1960, six-year-old girl Ruby Bridges became the first Black student to attend this previously all-white school.

Ruby needed federal marshals to protect her from angry protesters on her first day. For the whole school year, Ruby was the only student in her class, taught by Barbara Henry, who came from Boston to help with integration.

The Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge

The Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, often called the “Castle on the Hill,” is an impressive Gothic Revival building with deep ties to Louisiana’s political and civil rights history.

During the 1953 Baton Rouge bus boycott – the first big boycott against segregation in the United States – the Old State Capitol was a key spot for organizing free rides to work.

Now, it’s mainly a museum where you can explore exhibits about Louisiana’s rich political and cultural history, including its role in the civil rights movement.

New Zion Baptist Church

On February 14, 1957, almost 100 civil rights leaders met here to officially start the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the SCLC became a major force in promoting nonviolent protest to fight against racial segregation.

The church was also a meeting place for the Freedom Riders, who challenged segregation in the southern United States in the early 1960s.

The Robert Hicks House in Bogalusa

This was home to Robert “Bob” Hicks, an important civil rights leader who helped start the Bogalusa chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice. The house was used to plan rallies, marches, and legal challenges aimed at ending segregation.

On February 21, 1965, the local chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice was formed here in response to threats from the Ku Klux Klan.

The house has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2015, and there are plans to turn it into a civil rights museum.

The A.Z. Young Park in Baton Rouge

A.Z. Young Park in Baton Rouge is named after the well-known civil rights leader A.Z. Young.

At the park, you’ll find a marker on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail that commemorates the historic Bogalusa to Baton Rouge Civil Rights March.

This 105-mile march, led by A.Z. Young along with Robert “Bob” Hicks and Gayle Jenkins, started on August 10, 1967, and is known as the first and longest march of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Capitol Park Museum

One key exhibit you’ll see here is about the Baton Rouge bus boycott of 1953, which was the first bus boycott in the United States and inspired later civil rights actions across the South.

Other powerful exhibits are ones on slave markets, resistance, and revolt, as well as the Jim Crow era.

One particularly moving display recreates the feeling of holding cells where enslaved people were kept before being sold, and even includes the actual door from the Fairview Plantation jail for slaves.

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Reserve

Built in 1937, it was one of the few Catholic churches set up specifically for African American parishioners in the area. The church provided not just a place to worship but also a sense of community and identity for its members.

The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University

At the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, you’ll find the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive independent archive focusing on the history of African Americans and other ethnic minorities in the country.

Started in 1966, the center has over 15 million documents, including manuscripts, photographs, and oral histories related to the civil rights movement.

The collection includes papers from important civil rights organizations like the American Missionary Association and the Race Relations Department of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries.

The Port Hudson State Historic Site near Jackson

This site was where the longest siege in American military history happened and saw African American soldiers fighting in the Union Army, which was a big step towards civil rights.

The 48-day siege in 1863 involved the Louisiana Native Guards, one of the first African American units to fight in the Civil War.

As you walk around the museum, you’ll see rebuilt earthworks, artillery displays, and learn about why this site is important in the bigger picture of African American military service and the long struggle for civil rights.