McDonogh Three

[2] The McDonogh Three were Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost, girls who had all previously attended black-only schools in the lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, a neighborhood segregated by block.

That same morning, a 6-year-old girl named Ruby Bridges integrated a second New Orleans public school, William Frantz Elementary.

[3] In 1954 the Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, became the most impactful decision concerning the integration of public schools in America, and ironically happened in the birth year of The New Orleans Four.

[2] This test was intentionally very challenging and was made to limit the amount of applicants able to integrate the schools, which is why only four girls were able to attend McDonogh N.19 and William Frantz in 1960.

[citation needed] White resistance was also shown when the US District Court finally forced the school board to apply integration.

[3] This party grew up to 1500 members, and effectively produced newsletters, gained support of local officials, and advertised in all parts of the media to encourage integration.

[3] On November 14, 1960, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost, along with Ruby Bridges, were escorted by Federal Marshals to be the first African Americans to attend formerly white-only schools in New Orleans.

[8] When the girls walked into the school, they saw a room filled with their future classmates, but within a few minutes, they were all taken away by worried parents, and for the next two years, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost were the only students attending McDonogh No.

Throughout the school year, yelling crowds surrounded McDonogh No.19 protesting against the enrollment of the three girls (Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost).

[9] The Plessy & Ferguson Foundation, the Crescent City Peace Alliance, the Leona Tate Foundation for Change, the Institute for Civil Rights, and the Social Justice Committee joined with the community to honor the families of the Marshals who escorted the girls, along with Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost themselves.

The City hosted and outdoor Proclamation Day Ceremony at Gallier Hall (during the 3rd phase of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown).