HNOC in the News

Verite News: New Exhibit Showcases Local Figures of Civil Rights Movement

June 13, 2025

“The Trail The Blazed” comes to the Historic New Orleans Collection after appearing as a traveling exhibition at different locations throughout the city.

New Orleans Civil Rights leader Leona Tate signs books at the opening of The Trail They Blazed on June 12, 2025. Photo by Robert Stewart, Verite News

“Setting up the show at the HNOC’s French Quarter museum meant that it could include original artifacts that needed preservation, such as hand written contemporary notes and original photos. The traveling show used printouts of the artifacts on the panels. It also means the exhibit can reach a larger audience because of the number of tourists who visit the museum, Seiferth said.”

Robert Stewart, Verite News

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Related Exhibitions

Exhibitions

The Trail They Blazed

June 6, 2025 to June 7, 2026

Leaders of the local Civil Rights Movement tell their stories of resistance and persistence.

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Black and white photo of people in line for voting registration outside a building. Two men are seated near a Voting Applications sign, and several individuals are standing in line, some wearing hats and summer clothing.

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.

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American Black Directory

A post-segregation sibling to the Green Book, this directory compiled information on Black-owned businesses across the country.

Learn More

Related Virtual Exhibitions

A group of people walking on a street, several wearing Vote 3 Dutch Morial shirts. Some are smiling and waving. Trees and houses are in the background. The mood appears lively and supportive.

Women's Rights

“Yet She Is Advancing”: New Orleans Women and the Right to Vote, 1878–1970

The story of women’s suffrage, leading up to and beyond the passage of the 19th Amendment

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Four women stand behind a table set with a tablecloth, glassware, and a candle holder. Three of them wear light-colored dresses with floral corsages, and one wears a dark dress with a white collar. They are smiling and posed for a photograph.

Women's Rights

Voices of Progress: Twenty Women Who Changed New Orleans

Portraits of women who fought for equality, justice, and charity

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Related News

Exhibition curator Eric Seiferth speaks with WGNO about The Trail They Blazed at HNOC.

HNOC in the News

WGNO: “The Trail They Blazed” at the Historic New Orleans Collection

June 25, 2025

Journalist Christopher Leach explores HNOC’s exhibition honoring the achievements and sacrifices of local leaders during the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans.

Students visit HNOC's exhibition "The Trail They Blazed."

Announcement

HNOC Announces Winners of 2026 Student Writing Contest

April 15, 2026

This year’s contest challenged students to address important civil rights issues facing America today and in the future, inspired by the HNOC exhibition “The Trail They Blazed.”

A woman points at an installation at HNOC's "The Trail They Blazed" exhibition. Children are gathered around her.

Announcement

HNOC Opens Submissions for 2026 Student Writing Contest

December 10, 2025

Inspired by the exhibition “The Trail They Blazed,” this year’s contest prompts students to address civil rights issues facing America today and in the future.