The Louisiana Office of Tourism recently announced the launch of the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail and LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com. 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.
“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.”
The Louisiana Civil Rights 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 the inside stories and examines the civil rights era from culture and commerce to desegregation and protests and confrontations.
Two years of community meetings and public submissions from across the state were key in the development of the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. There were 22 meetings in every region of the state. And university scholars and historians reviewed all submissions.
In the upcoming months, markers will be placed around the state to honor the Civil Rights Movement.
