McDonogh 19 Elementary School
Making Rights Real - Louisiana Civil Rights Trail
On November 14, 1960, three six-year-old girls-Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne- integrated McDonogh 19. Known as the "McDonogh Three,” they were escorted every day by U.S. Marshalls, and were the only students to attend the school for months. The girls had recess indoors, ate under staircases, and the windows were covered at all times. The girls' parents responded to a request from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and volunteered them to participate in the integration of the New Orleans Public School System. McDonogh 19 Elementary School was one of the initial two schools selected to desegregate our schools. The other school was William Frantz Elementary School.