Civil Rights Pioneer, Tessie Provost dies at 69

Tessie Prevost, a pioneer in school desegregation, died over the weekend. She was 69 years old.

Prevost was one of the first Black girls to attend New Orleans public schools after federal courts forced schools to abide the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling that determined that segregation of schools was unconstitutional. 

On Nov. 14, 1960, Prevost, Prevail Etienne, and Leona Tate enrolled in McDonogh 19 Elementary School. Federal marshals escorted the six-year-olds into the building while an angry white mob jeered at them. Prevost said she wasn’t afraid of her aggressors.

“My daddy told me in the car, he said, ‘Look straight ahead, take my hand, and I’m here.’ And I wasn’t afraid,” she told CBS News. “For some reason, I just wasn’t afraid. I felt protected with my daddy,” Prevost told the outlet.

White parents abruptly removed their children from the school, leaving the three girls to be the only students in the school. The children were under constant police guard, and their classroom windows were covered with brown paper. The students attended recess in the school’s gymnasium because it was too dangerous for them to play outside. 

The school has been converted into Tate Etienne and Prevost Center, a historical landmark designed to preserve and teach New Orleans’s civil rights history.

Prevost worked at the LSU School of Dentistry for over 20 years and made public appearances where she shared her experience while attending McDonough Elementary school. She also advocated for voting rights.  

“On behalf of NOLA Public Schools and the Orleans Parish School Board, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Tessie Prevost’s family, friends, and all who were touched by her remarkable life,” NOLA Public School Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams said.

Her cause of death has not been released, but Prevost’s family told WSDU News that her health had been declining for several months. 

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a statement honoring the trailblazer. 

“Her passing is a profound loss, but her contributions will continue to resonate for generations. May she rest in God’s perfect peace.”