A.P. Tureaud
Cooperating Attorney
A.P. Tureaud was an influential civil rights lawyer who played a pivotal role in the fight against racial segregation in the United States, particularly in Louisiana. He became one of the first Black attorneys in the state, dedicating his career to advocating for the rights of African Americans. A.P. Tureaud played a crucial role in the fight against racial segregation, particularly about the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. Tureaud's legal efforts were crucial in challenging discriminatory practices and advocating for the rights of Black students.
Transcript
The Legal Defense Fund had initiated a suit here to desegregate public schools in Orleans Parish. Mr. Bush was one of those who joined in with a number of parents to protest to the school board the inadequacy of the school facilities. We came to the conclusion that just asking for additional school facilities was not an answer to the problem that the Negro children in New Orleans were facing. So we filed this suit to desegregate the schools in the system. It's been 14 years since the suit was filed and the case was decided and up until now, there's very little integration in the Orleans Parish School System. It is a little better, I'll admit that.
Transcript
Also, there was a case against the city of New Orleans to require them to employ Negro policemen, is that right? Yes, we did that around 1947. While a student at Dillard University, I took the police examination along with several other friends. I passed in the high 90s and all of the men who took the examination at the time I took it made reasonably good scores. However, we were passed over for appointments, actual appointments. On the occasion of the second passover, I alerted your office, and when my name was passed over for the third time, I requested assistance from the Legal Defense Fund. This brought your office into the case and we were successful, of course, in eventually being appointed. June 16, 1950, two of us were appointed to become the first Negroes on the police force. You did serve on the police force. I did. In active duty. For a period of five years. I think the Pecot case in general opened up jobs for more Negroes. Since that case they had this number of policemen hired: at present they have about five Negro women working in communication, they have one Negro woman in the central lockup, and there are quite a few Negro sheriffs before there were none. The case became moot because we were actually assigned. The case was to come up on the 20th, and we were appointed on the 16th. The pressure generated by the case really made the actual arguing of the case in court unnecessary.
