By Allison Kadlubar, Bailee Hoggatt and Ezekiel Robinson LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE – Jessica Tilson spent many Sunday mornings in the early 1980s playing outside with her white friends under the shady oak trees in front of the fleur-de-lis stained glass windows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Maringouin. But as soon as the church bells rang, they parted.
“When it was time to go into the church, it was time to split up,” Tilson said.
The church has a main entrance with double doors, but members typically enter through separate doors on the sides of the building – to the left for Black members, to the right for white members. Once inside, Black and white members sit on opposite sides of the sanctuary to worship in front of one altar – even though Tilson said the church abandoned formal segregation in the 1980s.
Segregated cemeteries still âhauntâ Louisiana
Segregated cemeteries still haunt Louisiana By Allison Kadlubar, Bailee Hoggatt and Ezekiel Robinson | May 10, 2021 at 10:33 AM CDT - Updated May 11 at 9:25 AM
BATON ROUGE (WVUE) - Jessica Tilson spent many Sunday mornings in the early 1980s playing outside with her white friends under the shady oak trees in front of the fleur-de-lis stained glass windows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Maringouin. But as soon as the church bells rang, they parted.
âWhen it was time to go into the church, it was time to split up,â Tilson said.
The church has a main entrance with double doors, but members typically enter through separate doors on the sides of the building â to the left for Black members, to the right for white members. Once inside, Black and white members sit on opposite sides of the sanctuary to worship in front of one altar â even though Tilson said the church abandoned formal segregatio
ACLU asks local organizations to review policies after Oaklin Springs Cemetery removes âWhites Onlyâ provision ACLU of Louisiana (Source: ACLU of Louisiana) By Patrick Deaville | February 25, 2021 at 11:39 AM CST - Updated February 25 at 11:43 AM
OBERLIN, La. (KPLC) - The ALCU of Louisiana is asking local organizations to join Oaklin Springs Cemetery in reviewing and revising lingering racist policies following the cemeteryâs recent decision to remove their âwhites onlyâ provision.
In January of 2021, the ACLU issued a letter to the Oberlin cemetery after officer Darrell Semien was denied burial. The letter urged the cemeteryâs board to revise their governing bodyâs bylaws and remove any âwhites onlyâ provisions, language, and references. The cemetery would later remove the race-based restrictions from their burial contracts.