Images of the September 30, 1963, Freedom March in New Orleans
From the B. Raynal Arriati Papers.
While lunch counters and department stores had begun to desegregate in New Orleans by the summer of 1963, public administration had not yet implemented wide-spread desegregation efforts. On August 9, 1963, New Orleans Mayor Victor Schiro signed an agreement to desegregate public buildings, including City Hall; begin hiring qualified blacks for city positions, and cease appealing court desegregation orders or harassing businesses that were in the process of desegregating. However, only portions of the agreement were actually implemented, and on September 30, more than 10,000 whites and blacks marched from Shakespeare Park (now A.L. Davis Park) to City Hall to present the “Petition to the Greater New Orleans Community” demanding the realization of the August 9 agreement and other directives. The Mayor and other white politicians refused to meet with the protesters, so a week later, Reverend A.L. Davis presented the petition to City Council. Protests and demonstrations continued in New Orleans throughout the fall and winter of 1963, with City Hall’s cafeteria finally being desegregated shortly thereafter.
