Hammond School Suspend Negroes Students

 

Source
The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana) 
Sept 7, 1963

                         The first kind of such demonstration in Southeastern, Louisiana 

Three African-Americans Broke the Segregation Lines in St. Helena Parish

Three African American students broke the segregation lines in St. Helena Parish. It was in 1964, that the brave students faced one of most difficult times in their life. They were escorted by their parents and marched by police into the red brick building know as Greensburg High School.  

The school was surrounded with people from the tow, news reporters, and photographers. They were kept back by the state police from approaching the school. There wasn't any reports of incidents, although it was reported that several crosses were burned over the week in the newspaper article. 

Georgia Lea Gordon 17,  David Howard, 18, and Charles Hall-were accepted under a federal court order directing St. Helena Parish to desegregated the 11th and 12th grades. These students are the Ruby Bridges of St. Helena Parish.  Four later after Ruby Bridges desegregated the all-white Williams Frantz elementary in New Orleans, LA. 

Left: Ann Lee Hurst-Right: Georgia Lea Gordon
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Source

The Time (Shreveport, Louisiana)  August 1964

NAACP Called Three Witness from St. Helena Parish by A.P. Tureaud

A.P. Tureaud

The NAACP called three witness in an attempt to show that Negros have been discouraged from voting in St. Helena Parish election to choose between public and private schools. Ellis D. Howard, Higgins,  and John Hall. A.P. Tureaud, attorney for the three men attempted to stop the election. 

The Civil Rights Movement took place in St. Helena Parish. For whatever reasons, many people do not talk about it.  A lot of the elderly people who was a part of the movement had passed away. 

Others like Mrs. Minnie Lee Stewart, Oscar L. Hall, and Clarence L. Knighten all was farmers in St. Helena Parish, but stood up for the rights of others who was to afraid to take a stand. 

They face men with pistols in their belts who tried to intimated them from voting. "Negroes are not going to vote in St. Helena."  They didn't allow them for lining up to vote. In some cases the Negro voters outnumbered white votes, causing long lines at the polls for Negroes. 

Knighten  said that at one election in which the negroes were entering to vote was closed for three hours, but the white voting polls continue to be open. 

Source: The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) Sun. August 16, 1964-Page 28

             The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana)   Thur. Sept 1960