Commemorating 60 Years of Desegregation at Tulane: Uplifting Black Resistance, Liberation, and Joy

Franz Hill is a healthcare professional with a background in Biology, Law, and an MBA in Health Services Management. He is experienced in invasive and noninvasive cardiovascular diagnostics, general medical ultrasound, and medical equipment resale. Franz founded Diagnostic Medical Technologies, Inc. and SONOGRAMS UNLIMITED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the medical imaging needs of underserved communities and providing disaster relief medical imaging. He has also served as the Chief Cardiac Sonographer at various healthcare institutions and possesses degrees from Tulane University, Loyola University-Law, and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. Franz is dedicated to providing accessible and high-quality medical imaging services.

Pearlie Hardin Elloie, a native of Houston, Texas, has been a resident of New Orleans since 1960.   Ms. Elloie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dillard University in 1960 with an undergraduate degree in Sociology and an aspiration to obtain a graduate degree in Social Work. The nearest university offering a graduate degree in Social Work, Tulane University, did not admit black students. The nearest state school offering a graduate degree in Social Work did admit black students but was seventy-five miles from New Orleans, requiring either a daily drive of more than 150 miles or relocating to Baton Rouge. Neither was an attractive option for Ms. Elloie. In the spring semester of 1963, Elloie and ten other black students registered at Tulane University.>

Since graduating from TUSSW in 1965 Ms. Elloie has dedicated her entire professional career to improving the lives of young children and their families, having served as a leader and administrator of Head Start, Early Head Start, and other child and family development and education related programs and initiatives for over forty-five years. Much of this work was accomplished in collaboration with numerous other community organizations such as the Urban League who operated the first delegate agency administered Head Start Center – the Carrollton Head Start Center located at Willow and Leonidas.

Deidre Dumas Labat, Ph.D, is a New Orleans native and accomplished scholar with a lifelong dedication to academic excellence. She holds an educational role and has served as a professor of biology, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and senior vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Labat's commitment to teaching and research has made her a luminary in the world of higher education, leaving an indelible mark on the institutions she has been a part of and the countless students she has impacted.

Edwin Lombard is a lifelong public servant and advocate for justice. He graduated from Xavier Preparatory High School and received a Rockefeller Fellowship at Tulane University. He earned his Juris Doctorate Degree in May 1970 and was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar Association on September 11, 1970. He continued his studies, earning a graduate degree in Public Administration in 1977-78 and a Bachelor of Arts in 2013. For 28 years, he served as the Clerk of Criminal District Court in New Orleans, introducing the first Computerized Voting Machines in Louisiana. In 2002, he was elected as a Judge for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, serving until his retirement in December 2022. Edwin was actively involved in numerous boards and commissions, including the Federal Elections Commission, the State Board of Elections Supervisors, the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials, and Treasurers. He worked to ensure fair and transparent elections in Louisiana and internationally, contributing to elections in South Africa, Bosnia, and the Dominican Republic. As a dedicated member of various professional organizations, Edwin has made significant contributions to the legal field, and his involvement in community organizations showcases his commitment to the betterment of society.

Dr Ernest Sneed- Tulane Class of 1986. Albert Einstein College of Medicine graduate.  Served as Assistant Dean of Students Tulane Medical School.  Currently staff physician at the Southeastern Louisiana Veterans Health System.

Harold Sylvester is a veteran actor, Emmy award-winning writer/producer, and director. Born and raised in New Orleans, he was the first African American to receive an athletic scholarship at Tulane University, where he majored in theater and psychology. He landed his big break in the lead role of "Part 2 Sounder" and moved to Los Angeles in 1975. He starred in many high-profile films, including "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Fast Break", "Innerspace", "Uncommon Valor", "Inside Moves," and "Corrina, Corrina." On television, he spent three seasons as Griff on "Married...With Children" and had recurring roles on "Hill Street Blues," "NYPD Blue," and "A Different World". Sylvester is also a successful screenwriter and has won an Emmy Award as writer/executive producer of the TNT documentary "On Hallowed Ground." He made his directorial debut in 2005 with the feature film "NOLA." Sylvester is a member of various Boards of Directors, including The John Anson Ford Theatre Foundation, Tulane University President's Council, and the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center. He is married to Kathleen Dunn-Sylvester and has two children, Dr. Tracey Sylvester-Garnett and Harold Christopher Sylvester III.

Gwen Thompkins is a New Orleans-based journalist, writer and PhD student in History at Tulane University. Her research interests are rooted in the historic rise of jazz and other New Orleans-centric music forms as essential expressions of personal and societal freedom worldwide. Since 2012, she has been the executive producer and host of the public radio program Music Inside Out, which showcases the unusually varied musical landscape of Louisiana. Thompkins was the longtime senior editor of NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon and later NPR’s East Africa bureau chief, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Following a fellowship at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, she has contributed stories and interviews to The New Yorker online, The Oxford American, NPR Music, WXPN’s World Café, The Massachusetts Review, and other outlets. Currently, she’s writing a book based on the Music Inside Out interviews. Find the full archive at: musicinsideout.org

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Alexandria Williams-Reich graduated from Tulane in 2017 with double majors in Sociology and Africana Studies and a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. While on campus, she served on the executive board of Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR), tBSU, TUCP, and the Nu Mu Citywide chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She further served as a student senator, Office of Multicultural Affairs Peer Ambassador, Greenwave Ambassador, Community Engagement Advocate, and Presidential Fellow. For her efforts, she was a Tulane 34 honoree in 2017. In 2015, she was one of the lead organizers of the Call for Unity, a student-led protest movement to call attention to DEI efforts on campus.

In 2021, she received her Master's in Social Work from the University of Houston with a specialization in Behavioral Health. During her time at the Graduate College of Social Work, she was a member of the UH chapter of the Association of Black Social Workers and one of the lead organizers of UH Revolution, an organizing effort to combat police violence on campus. She currently works as a mental health therapist and full-spectrum doula in Houston.