Erect Statues for Morial, L’Overture, Deslonde, and Pinchback

By Jeff Thomas

Ernest “Dutch” Morial was the first African American mayor in the city of New Orleans.  His place in New Orleans political history is well documented, but since he died nearly 30 years ago a quick recap of his numerous first accomplishments include being the first African American to graduate from LSU law school and  the first to serve as juvenile judge and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Replace Robert E. Lee with Dutch Morial.

Toussaint Loverture led the most successful and famous slave revolt in history.  A veteran and skilled soldier, led an army of slaves and free blacks like himself and defeated both French and British forces and eventually became ruler of the entire island of Hispaniola.  General Loverture’s great skills as a fighter eventually enabled Haiti to become the first black republic in the Western hemisphere and led to France’s decision to sell Louisiana to the United States.

Replace PGT Beauregard statue with Toussaint Loverture

Charles Deslonde led the largest slave revolt in American history in 1811.  Seeing the horrors of sugar cane farming, this heroic freedom fighter planned and executed the largest slave revolt in American history. Himself a mulatto and a transplant from Haiti, Deslonde carefully planned, recruited African warriors and attempted a Haitian style revolt in 1811 along the German coast.  Hoping to make it to New Orleans and join with others in Congo Square, Deslonde’s attempt was unsuccessful.  Armed with only a few guns and hand tools, whites with guns squelched the revolt and brutally killed and beheaded around 100 of the 500 members of the revolt.

Replace the Liberty monument with a statue honoring Charles Deslonde

Starting in 1892 for 6 weeks, P.B. S. Pinchback served as the first and only African American governor in the state of Louisiana.  Pinchback was also the first African American elected to Congress in Louisiana.  In 1880, Pinchback also sponsored and passed legislation which created Southern University, originally located in NOLA.  Pinchback was a founding member of the Comité des Citoyens formed to fight for the civil rights of African Americans.  This group launched the landmark New Orleans case Plessy v Ferguson, which created the longstanding separate but equal doctrine that dominated the American landscape for 68 years.

Replace Jefferson Davis Statue with a statue honoring P.B.S. Pinchback