BATON ROUGE, La. – Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism will unveil the next marker on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail on Friday, July 7, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Lisbon, Louisiana, at the Friendship CME Church.
Friendship CME Church played a pivotal role in the Louisiana Civil Rights Movement. It was the only Claiborne Parish church to open its doors for strategy meetings and voter registration drives. The church had prominent community leaders in its congregation, including Frederick Douglass Lewis, a pioneer of civil rights activities. He served as president of both the Claiborne Parish Civic League and the Homer Chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice, an armed self-defense group founded by black veterans to protect civil rights activists and their families. In 1965, the church hosted mass meetings, desegregation tests, voter registration drives, and non-violent workshops. These efforts successfully desegregated the Claiborne Parish Police Jury, law enforcement, school board, schools, public library, and restaurants.
The Louisiana Civil Rights Trail continues to recognize and bring to life Louisiana’s role in the modern civil rights movement. The markers tell the significant role Louisiana played in shaping American history during the 1950s and 60s and draws attention to the courage and commitment of the trailblazers of the movement.