Joseph Guillaume and Streetcar Integration
Though the Civil War was over, the practice of segregating New Orleans streetcars by race continued. This tour explores the actions of Joseph Guillaume and others in their efforts to integrate New Orleans streetcars during the Reconstruction Era.
Access: Online only
Tips: This tour is meant to be experienced virtually because many of the locations mentioned in each stop no longer exist. You can visit the site that all stories are pinned to at the corner of Canal and Rampart Streets, where Guillaume hailed a “Whites Only” streetcar in 1867.
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The Star Car
Joseph Guillaume had had enough. The Civil War was over, Reconstruction was in full swing, yet the practice of segregation on the streetcars of New Orleans continued. Every third streetcar—although it…
Previous Protests of Streetcar Segregation
No doubt Guillaume had heard of Dr. R. I. Cromwell, who had forcibly been thrown from a non-star car by five or six men who kicked him and tore his clothes. Cromwell noted the inequity of the star…
Joseph Guillaume's Audacious Ride
On May 4, 1867, Guillaume acted. What happened next is open to some debate. According to the New Orleans Times, at 11:30 a.m. Guillaume hailed a “Whites Only” car number 148 on Love Street, now known…Tour curated by: Kevin J. Brown