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.

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

“One of the highlights of the exhibit is a streetcar bench with a race screen. The race screen was a movable plaque that segregated busses and streetcars. Some Black New Orleanians moved it further up to push back against restrictive seating in the streetcar or threw it out the window. It was a real battleground.”

Christopher Leach, WGNO-TV

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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

American Black Directory

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

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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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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

Visitors explore "The Trail They Blazed" exhibition at HNOC.

HNOC in the News

Beyond Bourbon Street Podcast Explores “The Trail They Blazed”

September 10, 2025

Exhibition curator Eric Seiferth joined host Mark Bologna to discuss HNOC’s newest exhibition about the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans.

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.