We are fortunate to have living among us a woman whose intellect, intestinal fortitude, and determination, blazed trails for every African-American in this city. She is rarely the recipient of awards or recognition. Her name is rarely called, but in a generation where many were afraid to speak up, she acted and helped change conditions forever.
Now in her 90s, Mrs. Reddix is the matriarch of the Reddix family, but she Is the mother of the Civil Rights movement in Monroe.
She was the better half of the husband and wife team of Dr. John I. and Frances Pierce Reddix, a husband and wife team that courageously spoke truth to power and helped topple the walls of segregation in Monroe.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were illegal. In 1964, The U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Bill. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Bill.
None of those rulings had been implemented in Monroe, Louisiana, until Dr. Reddix and his wife Frances organized local blacks to take force compliance in Monroe.
Mrs. Reddix, an educator, and her husband, a dentist, defied the Ku Klux Klan, White Supremacists, and even the state’s laws to break down barriers.
They revived the NAACP, even though the state legislature listed it as a subversive organization, and attached criminal penalties for members. Mrs. Reddix and her husband chartered the branch but formed a separate group called the “Guiding Voice” to sidestep the law. The members of their new group paid dues to the “Guiding Voice,” which were forwarded to the National NAACP.
The duo sued for voting rights, and Dr. Reddix testified before Congress about voter purges that happened in Monroe.
They sued to integrate Monroe City Schools, The University of Louisiana, Monroe Fire Department, and organized protest marches to desegregate public accommodations in Monroe.
For 20 years, between 1956 and 1976, the John and Frances Reddix team were at the forefront of the civil rights battle in our community. Obviously, they were alone. There were others fighting peripheral battles, but the Reddixes were the vanguard-The true trailblazers.
Frances and John Reddix invited Martin Luther King, Jr to come to Monroe as he pushed for the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Acts (King was turned around by another group of blacks at the airport).
After suing to integrate Neville High School, she ultimately became a teacher at Neville and later ULM.
She was relentless at the school, pushing to ensure that Black students, a small minority of the student body, were treated fairly. She agitated for a Black homecoming queen, more black teachers, Black cheerleaders, Bengal Belles, and fair competition for honors.
She took a lot of heat, threats, and professional intimidations but succeeded.
There were many warriors of the 1960s movement who are no longer with us. Only two are still alive today: Rev. Lawrence Martin, who marched with Dr. King, and Frances Reddix, who gave her youth and much of her small fortune to make life better for future generations.
During this Black History Month Celebration, we salute Frances Reddix, a living legend and a true Historic Trailblazer in the City of Monroe.
