On April 13 1837, a mob of armed white men attacked the courthouse in Colfax, Louisiana, where a group of Black men had gathered to protect their right to vote, killing 80 or more people. This story was largely lost to history, but recently, the Colfax Memorial Organization unveiled a new memorial that recognizes the truth of this event.
Rev. Avery Hamilton, the great-great-great grandson of Jesse McKinney – the first man killed in the massacre – and Dean Woods, the great-grandson of Bedford Woods, who participated in the massacre, came together to bring this new memorial to life. They join us today for more on this new marker and their organization’s mission to support educational opportunities for Black youth in Colfax.
The 37th annual Festival International de Louisiane begins this Wednesday and runs through Sunday April 30. It’s a five-day family-friendly cultural celebration that brings musicians, artists, and cuisine from around the world to downtown Lafayette.
Festival marketing director Carly Viator tells us what’s on deck for this year’s event.
Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman and Aubry Procell.
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