The Trail They Blazed
A traveling exhibition built in collaboration with leaders of the local Civil Rights Movement and those working to preserve its legacy
Monroe Library
Loyola University New Orleans
6363 St Charles Ave #198
Free and open to the public
Built collaboratively with people who participated in the local Civil Rights Movement, The Trail They Blazed is a multisensory experience that presents stories straight from the people who lived them. The exhibition includes 1,000 square feet of historic visuals and more than three dozen audio clips that highlight boycotts, public school desegregation, the Congress of Racial Equality, the 1963 March on City Hall, voter registration and education efforts, and activism in the Desire neighborhood.
The Trail They Blazed is presented by NOLA Resistance, a community initiative led by the Historic New Orleans Collection to preserve Civil Rights Movement history.
The exhibition is available to host sites free of charge. To inquire about becoming a host site, please submit the contact form on this page.
Support
The Trail They Blazed was produced with assistance from the African American Civil Rights grant program, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
Previous Hosting Sites
Xavier University New Orleans
August 5 to December 14, 2025
University Center, 2nd Floor
4955 Drexel Dr., New Orleans
New Orleans Public Library, REACH Center
November 18, 2024 to March 5, 2025
2022 St. Bernard Avenue, Corpus Christi, Building C
New Orleans, LA 70116
New Orleans Public Library, Main Branch
July 5 to August 23, 2024
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
New Harmony High School
March 4 to April 5, 2024
3368 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119
Blaine S. Kern Library, University of Holy Cross
November 20, 2023 to March 3, 2024
4123 Woodland Drive
New Orleans, LA 70131
TEP Center
September 8 to November 12, 2023
5909 St. Claude Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70117
Traveling Exhibitions Request
Related Pages
2026 Student Writing Contest: “The Trail They Blazed”
Students address important civil rights issues facing America today and in the future, inspired by the HNOC exhibition The Trail They Blazed.
NOLA Resistance
Learn more about the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans through HNOC’s community initiative NOLA Resistance. Find oral histories, videos, lesson plans, information about the traveling exhibition The Trail They Blazed, and more.
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The Trail They Blazed
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