2008 Woodie Awards
LSU civil rights moment remembered
Perisha Hendricks--Louisiana State U
Issue date: 9/17/03 Section: Campus Life
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(U-WIRE) BATON ROUGE, La. - Fifty years ago the first African-American undergraduate student, A.P. Tureaud Jr., was admitted to the LSU.
Although he was only at LSU three months, his tenure helped successfully break racial barriers.
Now 50 years later students reflect on the impact his presence has made on the campus and the changes it still needs to implement.
In 1953, Tureaud Jr. was the first African-American undergraduate student to enroll at LSU.
Tureaud Jr. was the son of civil rights activist A.P. Tureaud Sr., who graduated from Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C., in 1925.
Therefore it should come as no surprise his son would apply to LSU.
Tureaud said his father never recruited him to apply. One day he said wanted to go to LSU and did not think it would be an issue.
"My father always gave you the feeling that you could do what you wanted to do and it would be OK," he said.
Because of legal and social problems Tureaud Jr. was unable to complete college at LSU. However, a building was named in honor of his father.
Crawford Leavoy, a political science freshman, first learned about A.P Tureaud Jr. this summer during the STRIPES program.
"I'm from Alabama, where the governor stood on the steps of a school and refuted the entrance of African-American students," he said. "So, I think it's commendable that under some the same racial pressures, he was able to initiate a change in the structure of LSU."
Although in there is an obvious change race relations at LSU, some students believe improvements can be made.
David Robbins, an undecided freshman, said some people can't help their narrow mindedness and racist attitude because it has been instilled in them since birth.
"Even though these people want to change," he said. "They just don't know how."
One suggestion he has is to add meeting people of different cultural backgrounds to the list of 101 things to do at LSU to ease the pressure of exploring different cultures.
Although he was only at LSU three months, his tenure helped successfully break racial barriers.
Now 50 years later students reflect on the impact his presence has made on the campus and the changes it still needs to implement.
In 1953, Tureaud Jr. was the first African-American undergraduate student to enroll at LSU.
Tureaud Jr. was the son of civil rights activist A.P. Tureaud Sr., who graduated from Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C., in 1925.
Therefore it should come as no surprise his son would apply to LSU.
Tureaud said his father never recruited him to apply. One day he said wanted to go to LSU and did not think it would be an issue.
"My father always gave you the feeling that you could do what you wanted to do and it would be OK," he said.
Because of legal and social problems Tureaud Jr. was unable to complete college at LSU. However, a building was named in honor of his father.
Crawford Leavoy, a political science freshman, first learned about A.P Tureaud Jr. this summer during the STRIPES program.
"I'm from Alabama, where the governor stood on the steps of a school and refuted the entrance of African-American students," he said. "So, I think it's commendable that under some the same racial pressures, he was able to initiate a change in the structure of LSU."
Although in there is an obvious change race relations at LSU, some students believe improvements can be made.
David Robbins, an undecided freshman, said some people can't help their narrow mindedness and racist attitude because it has been instilled in them since birth.
"Even though these people want to change," he said. "They just don't know how."
One suggestion he has is to add meeting people of different cultural backgrounds to the list of 101 things to do at LSU to ease the pressure of exploring different cultures.