LT. GOVERNOR NUNGESSER UNVEILS LCRT MARKER AT WILLIAM FRANTZ ELEMENTARY IN NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans - Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism today unveiled the eighth marker on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. William Frantz Elementary School was one of the first all-white elementary schools integrated in the south in November 1960 when Ruby Bridges became the first black student to attend. That year, Bridges' parents responded to a request from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and volunteered her to participate in the integration of the New Orleans school system.

On November 14, 1960, four U.S. Marshals escorted Ruby in the school as angry crowds shouted and threatened her. William Frantz Elementary School, now the home to Akili Academy, was one of the two initial schools selected to desegregate the New Orleans Public School System. The other school was McDonogh 19 Elementary, which received its marker in January 2022.

"We are proud to tell the story of Ruby Bridges and to commemorate an iconic landmark for visitors and Louisianans to visit and to learn about the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana. This Civil Rights Trail marker unveiling is a continuation of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism's commitment to recognize and bring to life Louisiana's role in the modern civil rights movement," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

"Akili Academy is honored to serve students in the William Frantz building, and we are thrilled this historic building is receiving its very own Louisiana Civil Rights Trail marker to commemorate its special place in history," said Jasmine Graves Black-Clemons, Principal at Akili Academy.

The Louisiana Civil Rights Trail brings together the events of the 1950s and 1960s that placed the state of Louisiana at the center of the national Civil Rights Movement and narrates the compelling stories and experiences of the people who dedicated themselves and their lives to making civil rights real in Louisiana.

The first series of LCRT markers were installed in 2021 at Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport, Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New Orleans, and the Louisiana Old State Capitol and A.Z. Young Park in Baton Rouge. Last year, additional markers were installed at McDonogh 19 Elementary School in New Orleans, the Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum in Pineville, and the Robert Hicks house in Bogalusa.

About the Markers
The Civil Rights Markers are life-sized metal figures that are cut from steel, weigh over 200 pounds and stand over 6 feet tall. The fabrication of the interpretative markers for the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail is being supported in part by an African American Civil Rights grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

The LCRT
The trail is a cultural tourism product that informs, inspires, and invites visitors to experience and explore Louisiana's prominent role in the modern movement. The trail reveals inside stories and examines the civil rights era from culture and commerce to desegregation, protests, and confrontations. Two years in the making, the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail was developed with community vision and public submissions from across the state. Twenty-two meetings were held in every region of the state and university scholars and subject matter experts reviewed all submissions. To learn more about the unique and important history of the movement in the State of Louisiana or to nominate a site, a person, or an activity for inclusion, visit LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com.