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

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.

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Related Virtual Exhibitions

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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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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Related News

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.

An exhibition installation shows a streetcar bench from a New Orleans streetcar, labeled "FOR COLORED PATRONS," and placed in front of a vintage black and white photo of a streetcar from the same era.

HNOC in the News

NOLA.com: In a Tourist-Heavy Part of the City, Voices of New Orleans Civil Rights Movement Are Heard

June 16, 2025

Dave Walker for the Times Picayune explores the personal stories embedded HNOC’s new exhibition, “The Trail They Blazed.”

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.”