55 in '58: Integrating the University of New Orleans
This is an immersive tour following the path of the 55 black students who integrated the new Louisiana State University at New Orleans (now the University of New Orleans) campus in 1958, creating the Crescent City's first desegregated school.
Access: Public transit
Distance: ~4.5 miles, ~1 hour
Tips: This tour is meant to be experienced by bus and on foot, taking the same bus route that many Black students took to the UNO campus in 1958. The 55 bus costs $1.25 for a single ride (Updated July 2026)
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Taking the Elysian Fields Bus to UNO in 1958
Begin this tour by climbing aboard the 55 Elysian Fields bus, just as many black students did on their first day of classes in September 1958. The bus runs from Canal Street, through the French…
Passing Gentilly Boulevard on the Bus to UNO in 1958
Gentilly Boulevard crosses the Elysian Fields bus route at the next traffic light after passing under Interstate-610. When the bus passed this stop on that Monday morning in 1958, it suddenly became a…
Hostility Towards Black Students During the First Day of Classes at UNO
Just after Robert E. Lee Boulevard, the bus will turn left into the Lakefront Campus of the University of New Orleans (the university was renamed in 1974), where the battle for acceptance began one…
Recollections from 'The 55' on Segregation and Harassment at UNO
Facing the bus, turn right and walk around the back of the bus stop to explore the campus, as you learn more about the rough road to integration. The giant statue of King Lear in front of the…
White Supremacist Presence During Integration of UNO
Looking north from the library commons towards Lake Pontchartrain, you can spy the old brick smokestack near the edge of the campus. The smokestack is the only original structure remaining from the…
UNO Administrators and Integration
Head back toward the bus stop, passing the amphitheater on your right and the administration building on your left. The administration building is a rather nondescript edifice, reflective of the role…
Louise Williams Arnolie Deck at the University Center
Enter the University Center at the top of the horseshoe driveway. To your left is the university cafeteria, renamed in 2014 for Louise Williams Arnolie, one of the original 55 African-American…Tour curated by: Becky Retz