Enjoy free admission every day. Visit the museum and shop or conduct research at the Williams Research Center.
Immerse yourself in America’s fight for independence in this new exhibition experience designed and produced by French technology firm Histovery. On view until January 17, 2027.
On Friday, May 8, bring your dancing shoes and enjoy classic tunes from the Great American Songbook, including hits by Louis Prima, in HNOC’s historic courtyard at 520 Royal Street.
Dive into the Collection’s holdings with image-rich previews of treasures from New Orleans history.
June 8–12, Curator Camp is a weeklong summer program for teens who get excited by history, artifacts, and storytelling! Daily hands-on workshops and experiences introduce skills that bring history and museums to life.
Captivating true stories that surprise and inspire, written and published by HNOC staff and special guest authors.
On October 29, join us in celebrating six decades of preserving, collecting, and making history. Save the date for music, memories, and more at what is sure to be a fantastic night out in the French Quarter.
Student writers reflect on experiences that have inspired them to create change, in response to HNOC’s NOLA Resistance Project.
Historical change doesn't just happen on its own. It occurs when individuals find the courage to fight for what they believe in. For its inaugural writing contest, in conjunction with the NOLA Resistance Oral History Project, the Historic New Orleans Collection asked student writers in grades 6-12 from across the country to reflect on experiences that have inspired them to create change.
“. . . . [I was] always a kid who wanted to know why. Why, momma, why we can't sit in the front of the streetcar? Why can't we ride in front of the bus? My mother always—and it stuck with me—she always had one answer. She said, ‘Baby, they're waiting for you to change it.’”
Don Hubbard, New Orleans civil rights activist and community organizer
By Adrian Ayestas, 6th grade, International School of Louisiana in New Orleans, LA
My name is Adrian and I live in Harvey, Louisiana. I can see myself being in the history books for protecting a world fighting with climate change. Living in an area that is directly affected by climate change through rising oceans makes taking action more important than it is for most people. When I grow up I want to be an environmental conservationist. When I see trash on the floor outside I always come to pick it up. I am enthusiastic when it comes to saving energy and reducing my carbon footprint.
Some ways I make changes are by doing anything I can around the house to save energy. I also participate in energy-smart, a program dedicated to helping my city save energy. In addition, I pick up trash anywhere I see it on the ground. I also use renewable energy ( solar panels and a small wind turbine ) which powers my home without creating or causing greenhouse gasses which lead to global warming. Another thing I do to save the planet is recycling, I put my trash in my trash can and every recyclable in a recycling bin.
I always enjoy a trip to the swamp to observe the beautiful creatures that live there. I love animals and I have read so much about them. I regularly go to my backyard to find some animals such as garter snakes and green anoles. One beautiful thing about nature is the fact that it can be found anywhere in the world. Since climate change affects the whole world I feel responsible as a change-maker to protect nature all over the world.
Another thing that has inspired me to make changes for the good are my parents who make me feel proud of my changes. They admit that they kinda messed up the planet but they believe it’s up to my generation to fix it. Also as a kid, I take a lot of inspiration from Greta Thunberg who is a sixteen-year-old climate change activist who has risen an army of activists including me. When I grow up and maybe right now, I can inspire thousands of other people to change and have a huge impact just like Gretta.
Lastly, I ask everyone who is reading this essay to make changes to protect the future of humanity and the natural world. Participate in local conservational events and cleanup events or instead simply just pick up trash on the floor. Recycle and never litter, also try to look into solar panels or other ways to get renewable energy. Avoid unnecessary plastic use and unplug unused chargers and turn off the lights also, tell friends and family to do these things. I know some people think that doing these things won’t make that much of a difference and but after a while, you would have made a huge impact.
By Elizabeth Northup, 8th grade, International School of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA
Every day in the United States, 100 people are killed by gun violence and another 200 are shot and injured. Access to a gun doubles the risk of homicide and triples the risk of suicide. Not only are the people who experience gun violence suffering, but so are their friends, family, and those who care about them. Gun violence hurts everyone involved and is currently hurting thousands of people around our country. These statistics and thoughts overwhelm me when I think about them. I find it incredibly sad that these problems are so relevant to the place we live in, a place where people are supposed to be free, respected, and safe. I shouldn’t have to go to school and fear for my own life and the lives of my friends. Gun violence has to decrease, and if that means I have to be the one to do something about it, I will. I can make a change through peaceful protest and using my social media platform.
After the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February of 2018, my generation was left feeling devastated. Our peers’ lives were lost because of an event that could have been prevented. Around the country, students decided to do something called “walkout day.” It was a day in which everyone would walk out of school as a reaction and protest to what had happened. I thought about this deeply, and decided to participate in a slightly different way with many other students from my school. We came together and stood in silence for 17 minutes, in remembrance of the 17 lives that were lost. United in our sadness, we wanted to honor those who had experienced gun violence first hand. I felt that even though I could not personally save them, I could come together with others to celebrate their lives and highlight the shame of what had happened. This still impacted the world by showing everyone how passionate my classmates and I are about guns and their danger.
Secondly, I use my platform to make a difference. Social media has brought the ability to share things in an instant, and in the appropriate times, I use this to my advantage. I post things to raise awareness about gun violence and get people thinking about it. Therefore, it is my goal to make it known and to get others on board. Hopefully, through my posting I can help people understand gun violence more and truly impact people’s opinions.
Through peaceful gatherings and protests as well as using my social media platform, I believe and hope that I am making a difference. It is terrible and things have to change. I’m willing to help bring change by lifting my one voice in a chorus with a million others. I believe this will create a deafening roar that cannot be ignored. I hope to see other students rising up and use what they have to help impact gun violence, and end it.
Works Cited:
“Gun Violence in America.” 20, February, 2020. EverytownResearch.org, 9 Mar. 2020, everytownresearch.org/gun-violence-america.
By Samarah Bentley, 9th grade, Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle Orleans, New Orleans, LA
In a country where creative suppression, discrimination, and a lack of education are prominent realities, it seems almost impossible not to become a changemaker. Changemakers are the modern day superheroes, and who doesn’t love a good superhero?
Subconsciously, I keenly observed and began questioning the things around me. I would ask “Where are the black girl superheroes? Why is creative expression deemed unnecessary in schools? Why do people want to silence others who merely want to speak their truths?” These types of questions went on for years, until my mother got tired of hearing it all the time. She told me, “If you want to see more representation or want things to change, I suggest you get started.” That’s when improving the lives of others became my aspiration and my inner superhero developed. I began using my voice more to advocate for others who felt they didn’t have a voice.
As a member of my school’s student council, I have the power to represent my peers and their concerns. This position gives me the ability to advocate not only for myself, but on behalf of my classmates. My classmates are also superheroes. Together in school, we voice our thoughts and visions and work hard to make those a reality.
I am a changemaker because I spread messages of capability, perseverance and hope to youth in my community through storytelling and advocacy. For example, after learning about the racial inequalities in how students of color were treated in today’s schools, I sought to research and educate others in my school about this topic. My presentation on racial disparities in education was eye-opening to many. As a result, several of my schoolmates were empowered and eager to help change the way some students were perceived by teachers and administration. Each social issue I address has importance for the community it impacts. I am showing other youth, other black youth, that they can thrive and bring about greatness - because greatness doesn’t care how old you are. I illustrate these same points through my writing and stories, and include a diverse cast of characters and cultures. My writing work incorporates diversity and activism, reflecting real life struggle and success through these character’s lives. My writing enables me to communicate messages in a form many audiences can understand and relate to.
Just like superheroes gifted with a great power and responsibility, I use my talents and gifts to help people. I am putting my artistic and communication superpowers to use in order to create change. And my goal is to inspire others, no matter how old they are or how they look, to do the same. Whether you implement something on a larger scale or smaller scale, you are changing someone’s life. Changing someone’s life for the better is an accomplishment that you should be proud of. Where would the world be without change makers?
By Samantha White, 10th grade, Saint Mary’s Dominican High School, New Orleans, LA
When I was a little girl, my parents took me on a trip to Memphis, Tennessee. We visited the National Civil Rights Museum. Learning about the African American leaders before me, who made a difference in America, made me proud to be an African American. By visiting the National Civil Rights Museum, I was able to learn more about racism, inequality, and the injustices African Americans endured during the Jim Crow Era.
During a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum, I saw the Lorraine Motel. This was the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. It felt so surreal to be in the same place Dr. King was when he was murdered. My mind brought me back to the 60’s, a time of repulsive police brutality and segregation. I visited the Dexter Avenue Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. Seeing both of these historical sites was an unforgettable moment for me.
A few years later, I joined one of Dillard University’s summer programs. At the end of the program, some students were selected for an educational trip to Atlanta. I was one of those fortunate students. While in Atlanta, we toured Spellman, Morehouse, and Clark University. We visited the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park and it included the Ebenezer Baptist Church. When we arrived at the church, we witnessed something beyond terrible. Someone had put four confederate flags in front of the building. Newscasters followed us to the scene. They asked us how we felt about this disgusting hate crime. Every last one of us said how angry it made us feel to look at those flags. To know there were still people trying to degrade African Americans was beyond my belief. It was infuriating to witness the hate and discrimination that was still present in America.
I told my grandmother about the incident in Atlanta once the trip was over. She told me she never thought racism would go away. My grandmother dealt with racism when she visited Mississippi. She said the best thing to do in those situations is pray and speak up for what’s right. My grandmother and the students from the Atlanta trip spoke up for what was right. Dr. King died speaking against racism. My way of speaking up is through my participation in my school’s diversity club (Students for Human Dignity and Diversity in Action). I’ve learned more about injustices and the actions necessary to promote change. Dealing with issues involving racism has made me stronger as a student and as an overall person.
Every culture is unique and beautiful and no one deserves to be treated unfairly because of their race. Being a member of diversity club has given me the initiative to fight for what is right. Seeing the difference my voice has made tells me that I must continue fighting for equality. I am the change, and so is my generation.
By Annabel Beatmann, 11th grade, Ursuline Academy, New Orleans, LA
Less than a year ago, a five minute conversation with a friend changed my attentiveness to the world around me and ultimately altered the way I live my life on a daily basis. Clare is an eighteen year old high school student who I have known for a long time; she does well in school and is now the president of her senior class. In a casual conversation, Clare brought to my attention the startling fact that she would be able to vote in the next presidential election, and she was seriously concerned. She told me she felt not only worried and unprepared but “unequipped with everything she needed to know to be an educated voter.” This stuck with me more than I thought such a seemingly trivial conversation ever could. I realized that I was likely to be in Clare’s position in a year, and that there are millions of teenagers around the country who are probably facing this exact realization. The day after I had this conversation, I actively decided I would take it upon myself to get more involved with what was going on around me, which started with being well-informed. I now listen to the news every day on the way to school, fact-check information, and encourage my peers to do the same. I believe that having these important and current conversations in a classroom setting is not only necessary for the students and their ability to successfully participate in our democracy, but for the health of American civil society as a whole.
Only nine states and the District of Columbia require a full year of instruction in U.S. Government or Civics. Thirty-one states require a half year, and ten states have no civic education requirement. Most commonly, when students take this required course, it is during a student’s senior year. This means that many students who turn eighteen during election yearshave not even completed their required civics course and therefore feel unprepared to vote. This is an issue because at school, teenagers could be learning about what actually pertains to their lives and futures, while forming and navigating their own political opinions at the same time. Starting these conversations and introducing important issues earlier in students’ careers is a way to make this problem less prominent. This way, students are given information about current events and issues at school, and are encouraged to continue researching them in their own time, eventually making this more normal for teenagers in general.
Frequent discussion about politics and current events in schools is essential to the formation of young Americans and to the cultivation of well-informed, engaged citizens. It does not take grand, extraordinary experiences for teenagers to get involved in politics; however, it does take conversation. Something as simple as talking about current events in class can not only help students to increase their political efficacy and confidence, but hopefully create more widespread political engagement within younger populations.
Learn about HNOC’s annual student writing contest and read winning submissions from previous years.
Read winning selections from previous contest years, below.
Student writers reflect on experiences that have inspired them to create change, in response to HNOC’s NOLA Resistance Project.
Students submit works of poetry and prose in response to HNOC’s book Afro-Creole Poetry in French from Louisiana’s Radical Civil War-Era Newspapers.
Students craft imaginative short stories that explore Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans.
Students write letters to New Orleans civil rights leader Sylvanie Williams about the state of equality in America today.
Students pick up the pen where our curators left off and imagine details about the unknown portraits featured in HNOC's 2024 exhibition Unknown Sitters.
Students respond to themes inspired by HNOC’s exhibition Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Students address important civil rights issues facing America today and in the future, inspired by the HNOC exhibition The Trail They Blazed.
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) used nonviolent tactics to press for racial equality guaranteed under federal law.
For many women in the South, its ratification was only the beginning of their fight for equality.
A post-segregation sibling to the Green Book, this directory compiled information on Black-owned businesses across the country.
A rare collection of manuscript essays and family correspondence offers a thrilling look at one of the most influential people in the early struggle for African American civil rights in Louisiana.
The story of women’s suffrage, leading up to and beyond the passage of the 19th Amendment
Portraits of women who fought for equality, justice, and charity
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