From April 22 to May 22, 2019, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser will host a series of meetings in cities across Louisiana to help identify locations for the new Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. According to a press release from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, this trail “will help tell the overarching story Louisiana played in the Civil Rights Movement.” A total of nine meetings will be held, beginning in New Orleans on April 22 and ending in Lake Charles on May 22. A meeting will be held in Shreveport, 3-5 p.m., Tuesday, May 21 at Valencia Recreation Center.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser visited with locals in Shreveport during a July 2018 visit to the Multicultural Center of the South.

Citizens who would like to help organizers identify and interpret historic events, physical structures, and locations that helped shape Civil Rights history in their local community are invited to attend the meetings and take part. The statewide meetings will provide an overview of the project, discuss the nomination process and criteria, as well as answer questions attendees may have.

There are numerous locations, businesses, and organizations in Shreveport-Bossier that should be considered for inclusion in this new trail, ranging from the downtown Shreveport site of Booker T. Washington’s 1911 speech on race relations to Antioch Baptist Church, Galilee Baptist Church (where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered this speech in 1958), and countless other historic places. If you’d like to take part in this process, mark your calendar to attend one of the meetings listed below.

Monday, April 22 – New Orleans
Small Center
1725 Baronne Street
New Orleans, LA 70113
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Monday, April 22 – Hammond
Tangipahoa Parish African American Museum
1600 Phoenix Square
Hammond, LA 70403
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Monday, April 29 – Lafayette
Clifton Chenier Center
220 West Willow Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Monday, April 29 – Opelousas
St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission
978 Kennerson Road (exit 23 off I-49)
Opelousas, LA 70570
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 30 – Alexandria
Kent House
3601 Bayou Rapides Road
Alexandria, LA 71303
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Monday, May 6 – Thibodaux
Jean Lafitte Wetland Acadian Center
314 St. Mary Street
Thibodaux, LA 70301
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21 – Monroe
NE Louisiana Delta African American Museum
1051 Chenault Park Road
Monroe, LA 71203
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21 – Shreveport
Valencia Recreation Center
1800 Viking Drive
Shreveport, LA 71101
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 22 – Lake Charles
SW Louisiana Economic Development Alliance
4310 Ryan Street
Lake Charles, LA 70605
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Featured Image of Shreveport Municipal Auditorium used courtesy of LSUS Archives and Special Collections, Noel Memorial Library.