Leading the Way - Loyola and the Desegregation of New Orleans

While much of the South was resisting desegregation in the mid-20th century, Loyola University New Orleans students and faculty actively advocated for social reform and civil rights, making the university a model for other New Orleans institutions, as well as city government.

As a part of Loyola’s Centennial Celebration, the university presents “Leading the Way: Loyola and the Desegregation of New Orleans,” a candid discussion about the role Loyola played in the civil rights movement in New Orleans during the 1950s and 60s on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. in Nunemaker Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, with free parking available in the West Road Garage.

The panel discussion will include Xavier University New Orleans President Norman Francis, J.D. ’55, H’82, who was one of the two African-Americans selected to integrate Loyola’s College of Law and its first black graduate. The panel will also feature former mayor Maurice “Moon” Landrieu ’52, J.D. ’54, H’79, H’05, who led the fight to desegregate city government and public facilities, and Loyola’s first African-American student body president and former vice president of Dillard University, Edgar L. “Dooky” Chase III ’71, J.D. ’83. The Rev. Bentley Anderson, S.J., Ph.D., associate professor in the African and African-American Studies Department at Fordham University and current member of Loyola’s Board of Trustees, will moderate the discussion. Anderson is also the author of “Black, White, and Catholic: New Orleans Interracialism, 1947-1956.”

Dr. Norman Francis

For 100 years, Loyola University New Orleans has helped shape the lives of its students, as well as the history of New Orleans and the world, through educating men and women in the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence. The Centennial Lecture Series seeks to explore Loyola’s rich history as being a catalyst of change in social justice and ethics reform in this community and beyond. For more information, contact Loyola’s Office of Public Affairs at 504-861-5448 or publaff@loyno.edu. IMAGE CREDIT: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Public Relations and News Services · Martin Hall Room 319 Post Office Box 41009, Lafayette LA 70504-1009, USA. 337/482-6397 · 337/482-5908 (fax) · prns@louisiana.edu