Condolences from New Orleans political and civic leaders poured in on Wednesday following the death of a former First Lady of New Orleans, Sybil Haydel Morial.
Morial, the wife of former New Orleans Mayor Ernest Nathan “Dutch” Morial and mother to former Mayor Marc Morial, died Tuesday. She was 91.
Morial was a powerful force in her own right, having founded the Louisiana League of Good Government, which helped Black residents of the Ninth Ward register to vote during the Jim Crow era. She was the lone plaintiff in a successful challenge to a Louisiana law that barred public school teachers from being members of groups that fought segregation. She was also an educator and administrator at Xavier University for 28 years.
“She confronted the hard realities of Jim Crow with unwavering courage and faith, which she instilled not only in her own children but in every life she touched,” the National Urban League said in a statement announcing her death.
Current Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city’s flag will fly at half-staff in her honor.
“Mrs. Morial was a New Orleans treasure and trailblazer as the first African American First Lady of the City of New Orleans," Cantrell said in a statement. "The historic service of Mrs. Morial and her late husband Ernest "Dutch" Morial, the first African American Mayor of New Orleans, will always be remembered as a shining legacy of love and inspiring leadership for the City of New Orleans.”
“Few women have played such an outsized role in the recent history of New Orleans,” former Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a post on X.
"The many, many lives that she touched, across all strata, all economic bases; a real iconic leader that will be sorely missed," Rep. Troy Carter said in an interview with WRKF's Brooke Thorington. "She leaves a legacy of accomplishments, she leaves a legacy of love, and she leaves a tremendous amount of respect that this community has for her and will forever. "
“Mrs. Morial’s work over the years was always a reflection of what was just and fair for the community that she deeply loved, and that deeply loved her. She was an elegant, eloquent force of nature and the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and the nation are better because she lived,” said Urban League of Louisiana President and CEO Judy Reese Morse.
“Mrs. Morial was more than the wife of our first Black mayor, Dutch Morial, and mother of Mayor Marc Morial; she was a trailblazer, educator, and fierce advocate for civil rights. Her impact on our city is immeasurable—from her work at Xavier University to her lifelong dedication to justice and equality,” New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas wrote in a statement shared on X.
Morial is survived by her sons, Marc and Jacques Morial, daughters Dr. Julie Morial, Judge Monique Morial and Cheri Morial Ausberry. She has seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Funeral services have not been announced yet.
