Announcement

HNOC to Participate in Inaugural New Orleans Black Education History Week, November 15–20

November 5, 2026

Established by an Orleans Parish School Board resolution, the citywide observance will honor the legacy, impact, and future of Black education in New Orleans.

New Orleans Black Education History Week header image showing a Black child with her arm outstretched.

Courtesy of New Orleans Black Education History Week

The Historic New Orleans Collection is honored to participate in the inaugural New Orleans Black Education History Week,Opens in new tab taking place November 15–20. Established by a Orleans Parish School Board resolution, the annual observance will celebrate the history, legacy and future of Black education in New Orleans by bringing Black educational history into classrooms and community spaces across the city.

HNOC’s education department will join nearly 20 schools and more than 30 cultural institutions and community organizations participating in the week’s events. Programming is free, with some events requiring advance registration.

Below is a summary of events involving HNOC staff that are open to educators and the general public. Check out the full schedule of events on the New Orleans Black Education History Week website.Opens in new tab

events Featuring HNOC Staff

NOLA Resistance Curriculum Virtual Workshop
Monday, November 9, 6–7:30 p.m. CST
Hosted on Zoom
Free with RSVP

HNOC education department staff, in partnership with Black Education for New Orleans (BE NOLA), will host a virtual workshop for educators highlighting the institution’s NOLA Resistance Project curriculum and educational resources developed for The Trail They Blazed, HNOC’s 2025 exhibition about the New Orleans Civil Rights Movement. The workshop is free and open to educators or anyone interested in these resources.

The Kickoff: Black Is Brilliant Summit Pop-Up
Sunday, November 15, 1–6 p.m.
Merchant Hall, 1152 Magazine St., New Orleans
Free with RSVP

Stop by HNOC’s table at the kickoff event for New Orleans Black Education History Week! Meet members of our education team, watch videos featuring oral histories from HNOC’s 2025 The Trail They Blazed exhibition about the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans, and explore our NOLA Resistance Project curriculum, including interviews and printed transcripts. We will also have copies of HNOC publications to view, including Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood, Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana, and others.

View Full Event Schedule

Learn & Explore

For Educators

Learn more about field trips, lesson plans, workshops, and other opportunities for K–12 educators.

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A teacher guides two students who are writing on clipboards in a museum. They are examining an exhibit with photographs and text on the wall. The group is focused and engaged in the educational activity.

Research

NOLA Resistance

Explore our oral history project featuring testimony from individuals who were active in the fight for racial equality in New Orleans between 1954 and 1976.

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A group of people sits at a diner counter. A woman drinks from a soda bottle, while another eats a burger. A man is smoking a cigarette. The counter is filled with plates and glasses, and the background shows shelves with various items.

Related Collection Highlights

A sepia-toned vintage photograph of a man with curly dark hair and a mustache. He is dressed in a 19th-century suit with a double-breasted coat and bow tie. The image has an old, slightly worn appearance.

Dr. Louis Charles Roudanez Papers

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.

Learn More