The African American Experience in Louisiana

schools of the 1950s within this context. In rural areas in particular, where schools have been
greatly consolidated, many schools of this era dwell as hulking ghosts on the landscape,
seemingly only waiting to be torn down. Yet if there is recognition of the importance these
institutions held for their communities when they were built, they might yet be able to be
restored and adaptively reused to once again serve their communities. In order to be potentially
eligible for the National Register, the significant role in the local history of African American
education played by the school must be established. Schools of this era must retain a historically
recognizable form. It is unlikely that they will have been moved from their original sites, but
location and setting do greatly contribute to the ability of such schools to convey their
significance and any changes should be evaluated carefully.
Figure 66: John S. Dawson High School, St. Francisville, West Feliciana Parish.
8) Landmarks of Integration
In the aftermath of the Brown vs. the Board of Education decision, the state of Louisiana
immediately did all it could legally to circumvent the federal ruling. The reaction of racist
whites to the prospect of desegregation was virulent and on November 14, 1960, it was displayed
on national television as New Orleans public schools – or, rather, to be literal, four young
African Americans – took the first steps of integration. One of the two schools that was
integrated that day was the formerly all white William Frantz Elementary School (Figure 67).
The march of little Ruby Bridges into Frantz, flanked by federal marshals,
was later
immortalized in Norman Rockwell’s painting The Problem We All Live With. In 2005, less than
fifty years after this event, William Frantz Elementary School was listed on the National Register
for its exceptional significance. In 2011, it was nearly demolished as part of the aggressive
campaign to improve school facilities that determined the demolition of Wheatley and Thomy
Lafon, but preservation of the landmark prevailed. All around the state of Louisiana,
desegregation played out in different ways. A great many schools were desegregated so the
eligibility of an individual school
for its association with
integration must depend wholly
upon the specific events and
local context of that school.
Association with very significant
historic events may outweigh
Figure 67: William Frantz Elementary School, New Orleans, Orleans Parish.
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