We Shall Overcome

Along this route is a constellation of landmarks immortalized by the local civil rights movement. It reached a defining moment in the 1960s. Organized largely by students and grassroots activists in groups like the Congress of Racial Equality and the NAACP, a series of hard-won sit-in protests and boycotts catalyzed local government and business owners to end some overt discriminatory policies and desegregate. The civil rights movement was a collective reaction to widespread racism in many forms, from the vestiges of slavery to police brutality. While it’s critical that we celebrate these important sites of resistance, the fight for civil rights is far from over. The police hoses that terrorized protestors in the 1960s bear a disturbing resemblance to the use of tear gas by law enforcement during Black Lives Matter protests today.

Click here to see suggested turn-by-turn directions and stop info for this 10 mile route.

Turn by turn directions can be found here: https://goo.gl/maps/rU3GfnoTBvdh9xbQ8

Stop A: Plessy v. Ferguson Historic Site

Stop B: McRory’s Five and Dime (1005 Canal)

Stop C: S. Rampart & Canal (Woolworth’s)

Stop D: City Hall

Stop E: Southern Christian Leadership Conference Pavilion Project

Stop F: Freedom House

Stop G: Dooky Chase

Stop H: Knights of Peter Claver

Stop I: Ruby Bridges Mural

Dave Dennis, civil rights activist who organized with the Congress of Racial Equality speaks on the civil rights movement.

Further Reading

While you are riding, bring masks and hand sanitizer, respect physical distancing, and make sure that you have an emergency contact who knows where you are and can pick you up if needed. We also have some more in-depth tips for safe biking in the pandemic, check them out! Please be aware that NOLA to Angola cannot provide logistical or emergency support to individual riders this year. Take care, and safe riding!

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