Among the living legends in our community is Frances Pierce Reddix, the grand lady of Monroe’s Civil Rights movement.
Mrs. Reddix and her husband, Dr. John I. Reddix, formed the brain trust and energy behind Monroe’s local civil rights movement. From their homes on Flynn Street and Ber Jones Lane, Mrs. Reddix, side-by-side with her husband, planned actions that resulted in securing voting rights for African-Americans, integration of public accommodations, and the integration of the Monroe City Schools and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
John and Frances Reddix used their personal resources to underwrite the costs of lawsuits challenging a purge of Negro voters from the Parish voting rolls in 1956. It was a fight, joined by…
