Oral history interview with Rudy Lombard, 2000

Biographical Note

Rudy Lombard was born in 1939 in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. During the civil rights movement, Lombard became a member of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), began a sit-in movement to desegregate New Orleans restaurants, participated in the Freedom Rides, volunteered at the Mississippi Freedom Summer, participated in various voter registrations initiatives throughout the South, brought a CORE chapter to Syracuse, New York, and served time in jail for his activism. Lombard served as the National Vice Chairman of CORE and brought a case, Lombard v. Louisiana, to the Supreme Court. The case set precedents to strike down other segregation laws and practices. His inclinations towards social equality and justice continued throughout his life and led to his involvement with various unions, his work educating Black men about cancer risks, and his book, entitled Creole Feast, which sought to give recognition to the Black chefs who contributed to New Orleans cuisine and culture. He was also an avid collector of African Art. Lombard died of pancreatic cancer in 2014 at age 75

Scope and Contents

Lombard begins this interview by describing his childhood in New Orleans, including his father's stance on racial rights, his first encounter with activism in elementary school, and the influence of his parents. He shares his experiences with higher education, including the application process, financial burdens, his one year at the University of Michigan, his subsequent transfer to Xavier University of Louisiana, and his pursual of graduate school at Syracuse University. Lombard recalls his initial impressions of the North. He chronicles his early ambitions in the labor movement, his work with a waterfront labor union in New Orleans, and the impact of the Greensboro Four sit-ins in 1960 on his career path. Lombard goes on to describe his time in the civil rights movement. He recalls how he first became involved with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and how he met Lolis Edward Elie. He recalls his interactions with and impressions of Martin Luther King Jr., Cassius Clay and Malcolm X. Lombard goes on to discuss his experiences with law enforcement, a disagreement with James L. Farmer, and his relationship with Syracuse professor and fellow activist George Wiley. He lists the various projects he was involved with and places he worked during the summers of the early 1960s, including: the Mississippi Freedom Summer, a desegregation effort in Asheville, NC, and voter registration in Louisiana. He explains the reasons the Freedom Rides ended, and the subsequent controversy, as well as the shift towards Black Power. Lombard discusses the impact of New Orleans culture and how the city has changed since his childhood there, including a discussion of his book on New Orleans cuisine, Creole Feast. Other topics of discussion include: his education in Jewish culture and its presence in the movement, his love of New York City and its jazz scene, his appreciation of travel, his role as a father, how drug addiction is related to political ideology, urban planning, and his African art collection

Subjects

• African Americans--Suffrage--United States.
• Civil rights demonstrations--United States.
• Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.
• Civil rights workers--United States--History--20th century.
• Congress of Racial Equality.
• Interviews.
• Lombard, Rudy--Interviews.
• Michaels, Sheila, 1939-2017, interviewer.
• New Orleans (La.)--History.
• Oral histories.
• United States--Race relations--History--20th century.