NEW ORLEANS — A new traveling exhibit called "The Trail They Blazed" is honoring the legacy of civil rights leaders, advocates and activists. Its first stop was in the heart of the Desire neighborhood, inside of the old McDonogh 19 school building, now the TEP Center, a historical marker for desegregating schools in the south.
The exhibit preserves visual and oral histories of the movement in New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward. Visitors can engage with moments from history through hearing the voices and seeing the images of activists, while thinking forward for change in the future.
Spanning 1,000 square feet, the exhibit features more than three dozen audio recordings spanning over 50 hours highlighting public school desegregation, boycotts, the 1963 March on City Hall and the Congress of Racial Equality.
Along with voter registration and education efforts, the space shares the stories of individuals who helped to bring resilience and change today.
"This exhibit brings that life back to all of those movements, you know, people don't see it, and it dies away," said Leona Tate, Executive Director of the Leona Tate Foundation and founder of the TEP Center. "This is going to remind them of what we went through in the past."
Still, there is more work to do towards equity and equality in our city, said Eric Seiferth, a curator and historian for The Historic New Orleans Collection.
"This is all about New Orleans. Let's honor the trail, the work that they've done and let's follow it forward," he said.
Its next stop is the University of Holy Cross at the Kern Library on the Westbank starting Nov. 20 until March 4, 2024.
To learn more about "The Trail They Blazed" and upcoming exhibit travel dates visit Nola Resistance.
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