BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – In this city, it’s hard to understand why anyone would hate LSU, let alone the clock tower.
“If that chime went off, it was like a death toll for me.”
Hate is a strong word that AP Tureaud, Jr. has grappled with throughout his life.
The year is 1953. Tureaud, then 17 years old, wanted to go to LSU, but there was a problem. Blacks weren’t usually allowed to do this, so his father, AP, Sr., sued the school until he was granted an injunction to enroll.
- Advertisement -
He became the first black undergraduate to enroll in the school, but once he got on campus, it was only two minutes before he regretted it.
“I was accepted and came. Worst mistake I’ve ever made,” Tureaud said.
The governor, school president, state police officers, students and staff did not want Tureaud on campus
“The rule was that anyone who said anything to me or was kind in any way was blacklisted,” Tureaud said.
And they made sure he knew, including his former math professor.
- Advertisement -
“She said to class the second day, I don’t know how I’m going to get through the semester because I’ve never taught a ni***r before.”
At this point hatred began to grow and 55 days later came a court order stating that Tureaud had to leave LSU.
The next week he enrolled at Xavier University in New Orleans and his decision to go to LSU was made.
- Advertisement -
“I will not come back.”
For the next 30 years, Tureaud never set foot on campus until he received a phone call.
LSU wanted to rename a building after his father because of his contribution to civil rights, but before he could say no, the person on the phone said the following…
“‘Well,’ they said, ‘think about it. You have a story to tell, and you can help other students if you come and tell your story.’”
Fast forward to 2023, at the young age of 87, AP has forgiven LSU and is back on campus to inspire the next generation of black leaders.
“If you think about AP’s contributions, he took that first first step, and it was a very big step for LSU,” said Alexandra Henderson, chair of political outreach for LSU’s Black Student Union.
APs says students are still fighting for diversity and inclusion — and he wants today’s kids to learn from him — and run with it.
“It’s amazing to me, especially since a lot of history classes and a lot of history teachers will try to make the civil rights movement seem like it was so long ago, when in reality it was our grandparents and sometimes even our parents who lived through the civil rights movement , and maybe she caught the ending of it, but for Amanda it was her grandfather in the civil rights movement, so maybe we’re a generation away if that’s the case.”
LSU has made strides since Tureaud left campus from President William Tate to Law Center Dean Alena Allen. There are more people of color in positions of power than ever before — but he says the work isn’t over yet.
“It’s a historic journey for me, but I’m not done yet.”
So yes, on the surface it can be hard to see why anyone would ever hate something like the LSU clock tower.
It’s inspiring to see how someone can allow themselves to love again.
“Now it’s like a beautiful sound.”
Click here to report a typo.
Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.
Source
