The new Louisiana Civil Rights Trail has officially launched in the Bayou State.
In the upcoming months, markers will be placed around the state to honour the Civil Rights Movement. A Story of Pride. A Story of Courage. Louisiana’s Civil Rights Story
The Louisiana Civil Rights Trail offers visitors a chance to discover the real-life heroes who strategised, organised, preached, marched, boycotted, stood up, sat down, and sang for change. Real people who dedicated themselves and their lives to Making Rights Real.
It brings together the events of the 1950s and 1960s that placed the state of Louisiana at the centre 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.
Two years in development, the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail explores the bold and courageous leadership role of Louisianians during the Modern Civil Rights Movement. It 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.
“Louisiana is a state known for many firsts. This is also true in the fight for Civil Rights as Baton Rouge was the site of our nation’s first bus boycott. It was this boycott that inspired the Montgomery bus boycott two years later,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Through the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail, we respectfully share these amazing stories of pride and courage.”
UK and Ireland Louisiana Tourism Account Director, Neil Jones commented “Louisiana’s compelling and accessible history is one of the many reasons that British and Irish Visitors head to the Bayou State, which has been a melting pot for cultures and the site of many significant historical moments. We are excited that the new Louisiana Civil Rights Trail will make it much easier for visitors to understand the significant role Louisianans played in this movement.”
For more information please visit LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com
