Equality's Smallest Soldiers
The Untold Story of the Girls who Integrated Schools in New Orleans
Six years after the Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional, three small, brave Black girls found themselves on the front lines of putting the country’s principles into practice. Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost were just six years old when federal marshals escorted them past a screaming crowd into McDonogh Elementary for their first day of school. The girls didn’t realize the historical significance of their experience until much later, but their actions were essential to the Civil Rights movement.Â
Joined by Dorothy Prevost, Tessie’s mother, the women shared their difficult and inspiring stories at the 2022 National Storytelling Festival. In their talk, they described their experience in the lower 9th; the inequality of their lives in segregated schools; the process of applying to go to a white-only school; their lives after the Marshals left in the 3rd grade; going to a high school that honored the confederacy; and the innocence of children who just wanted to go to school.Â
The Legacy Series is a part of the National Storytelling Festival where we celebrate the voices of unsung heroes and give them a platform to share their stories.
This series was made possible by the Sonia King Estate.Â
Historical Context
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Credit: National Archives.The ruling in this Supreme Court case upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races.”
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Credit: National ArchivesIn this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. It signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States, overruling the “separate but equal” principle set forth in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case.
Bush v Orleans Parish School Board (1956)
Credit: Eastern District of LouisianaAttorneys Tureaud, Carter, Trudeau Jr., and Marshall filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of black students, parents, and families demanding the desegrigation of New Orleans schools. Judge Wright, after years of resistance by Louisiana legislators, ordered the Desegregation of Orleans Parish public schools with all deliberate speed and he drafted a desegregation plan for the School Board to implement.Â
Leona, Gail and Tessie enroll at McDonogh 19
Credit: New Orleans Four LegacyLeona Tate, Ruby Bridges, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost became the first African Americans to integrate formerly white only public elementary schools in New Orleans.
Conversation at the National Storytelling Festival
The McDonogh 19 School Today
In 2020, Leona Tate purchased the McDonogh 19 school after working to get the building on the National Historic Registry. The Leona Tate Foundation for Change Inc. (LTFC) and Alembic Community Development (Alembic) partnered to redevelop the historic building into the Tate, Etienne & Prevost (TEP) Center, an innovative educational facility with an overall mission to promote Civil Rights and undo structural racism.Â
The TEP Center will have low-cost housing for seniors, educational programming for youth, and tours of the school.
In 2020, Leona Tate purchased the McDonogh 19 school after working to get the building on the National Historic Registry. The Leona Tate Foundation for Change Inc. (LTFC) and Alembic Community Development (Alembic) partnered to redevelop the historic building into the Tate, Etienne & Prevost (TEP) Center, an innovative educational facility with an overall mission to promote Civil Rights and undo structural racism. The TEP Center will have low-cost housing for seniors, educational programming for youth, and tours of the school.
