BOGALUSA n In 1965, nine years after a Supreme Court decision made segregation of schools a violation of the law and prompted the initiation of action in state and local systems, four high school students made history in Bogalusa, said Emma Dixon, director of a project to honor the students and their bold move.
African Americans Frederick Cooper, Michael James, Frank Sellers and Edwina Torrence Sibley entered what had been, until that moment, an all white Bogalusa High School. One year later, the four were the first African-Americans to graduate from the school.
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"These four students represent the human virtue of courage and by their conviction stood fast for the principals of human rights and the ideals of America," said Dixon. "The courage celebrated and honored here is the courage to stand alone and to make choices…(that) may not seem prudent to others.
"We recognize that courage is ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and this project salutes and celebrates the deeds of four unsung heroes…"
During the civil rights era, which began in the mid-1950's and peaked in the 1960's, Bogalusa was a "hotbed of unrest," said Dixon. The local movement to improve conditions for African-Americans was led by A.Z. Young, R.T. Young, Robert Hicks, Gayle Jenkins, L.C. Dawson, William Bailey, Joe Dean and Charles Sims, the leader of the widely acclaimed Deacons for Defense, she said.
The Bogalusa move for civil rights garnered national attention. And pictures taken locally by Matt Herron in 1965 are included in "We Shall Overcome: Photographs from the American Civil Rights Era" exhibit that was organized and developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
Bogalusa was in the thick of the action when America was struggling to change. And four young people stood up, stood their ground and boldly moved forward. Today, those four are representative of the era, the cause and ongoing efforts for equality, freedom and justice.
The Central Memorial High School Class of 1966, classmates of the celebrants, and the City of Bogalusa and City Councilman McClurie Sampson will present plaques to the four during a ceremony at Mt. Zion Church at 4 p.m. on Dec. 26. The public is invited to attend.
"The Four Symbols of Courage project is a catalyst and impetus to pause and reflect on the Class of 1966 and its contribution and to encourage us to continue to honor those that help to protect our legacy of freedom," said Dixon.
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