As we celebrate Black History Month we will honor local Black Catholics who have given service to the Church and community, thus making the world a better place. This feature, The Resilience of a People, is an opportunity for us to hold up those who are beacons of light for the whole world to see!

Alexander Pierre Tureaud, Sr.

A.P. Tureaud, as he was known, was a Black Catholic of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Mr. Tureaud served as the attorney of the local NAACP chapter. In 1954, working with Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, he successfully sued to end the system of Jim Crow segregation in New Orleans. This case paved the way for the integration of New Orleans Public Schools. He also sued the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors on behalf of his son, A.P. Tureaud, Jr. His work was so well known that Louis Berry, an African American civil rights attorney in Alexandria wanted to join his firm. However, Mr. Tureaud did not have the capacity to add an attorney. In the Church, Mr. Tureaud was an active member of Corpus Christi Council 60 of the Knights of Peter Claver. He served faithfully in the order rendering time as National Advocate and National Secretary and attained the honor of being exemplified into the Meritorious 4th degree. On June 6, 1981, London Avenue was changed to A.P. Tureaud Avenue and in 2017 the National Parks Service added Mr. Tureaud's home to the African American Civil Rights Network. This designates it a historical site of the Civil Rights Movement and ensures its protection for the years to come. We are proud that through the work of A.P. Tureaud and others Black Catholics were represented in the Civil Rights Movement.

We honor and hold up the life, the legacy, the gift of

Mr. Alexander Pierre Tureaud, Sr!