Historical marker unveiled to honor trailblazer Dorothy Mae Taylor
18th November 2024 · 0 Comments
By Arielle Robinson
Contributing Writer
(Veritenews.org) — A new historical marker in Central City will commemorate the civil rights and political achievements of Dorothy Mae Taylor, the former state legislator and New Orleans city councilmember known for her work toward desegregating the city’s Mardi Gras krewes.
Local officials joined two nonprofits advocating for peace and social justice to unveil the temporary Louisiana state historical marker Sunday afternoon (Nov. 10) at Mount Zion United Methodist Church. A permanent historical marker will be placed outside of the church, where Taylor was a member when she died in 2000, sometime next year.
Taylor achieved many firsts for Black women in Louisiana politics. In 1971, she became the first Black woman to be elected to the Louisiana State Legislature and the following year became the first woman to be awarded the Legislator of the Year award. Taylor was also the first Black woman to lead a statewide department, the Department of Urban and Community Affairs, in 1984 and was one of the first two women and the first Black woman to be elected to the New Orleans City Council in 1986.
She was also famous for helping to desegregate Mardi Gras krewes as a New Orleans city councilmember in the 1990s, an act met with ire from krewes dominated at the time by white men.
The Plessy & Ferguson Initiative (PFI) and Search for Common Ground USA sponsored Sunday’s event, where Taylor’s family, members of the church congregation and a few local politicians gathered at Taylor’s former church to honor her.
Louisiana State Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, and New Orleans City Councilmembers Lesli Harris and Eugene Green spoke about Taylor at the event.
“She was a trailblazer, an unwavering voice for justice, and a woman who transformed the landscape of our state and our city,” Duplessis said. “She shattered barriers and opened doors for generations to come, for people including myself and all Black elected officials in the city.”
The event featured two musical performances by a local band, The Studio Academy, as well as several other speakers. During the final musical performance, two Zulu Tramps burst through the church doors and encouraged the crowd to sing and dance.
PFI co-founder Keith Plessy also read from a letter sent by former Mayor Marc Morial to Taylor, in which he expressed his admiration and appreciation for Taylor’s work.
PFI and Search for Common Ground USA presented the Taylor family with a Lifetime Achievement Award honoring the late politician for her “lifelong commitment to advocacy, education, community and innovative leadership.”
Belinda Taylor Holloway, Taylor’s daughter, spoke on behalf of the Taylor family Sunday.
She thanked the sponsors of the event and the church for allowing the family to have the celebration at Mount Zion.
Holloway said people could find her mother sitting in the fifth pew or working within various ministries at the church.
“There are so many stories told to us by many New Orleanians that we encounter even now, of her bravery, her tenacity, and, of course, her courage. Then again – there are stories [of her struggles] that we did not hear,” Holloway said.
Holloway said that her mother was very protective of her family and tried to shield them. They did not discuss politics in the household, she said. Instead, the focus was on community and family.
“She enjoyed being with her grandkids, and, of course, the talk around who dat said they gon’ beat her Saints,” Holloway said. “As I said before, to you, she was Dorothy Mae Taylor – all three names – a door opener, a glass ceiling-buster, but to the nieces and nephews, sister in laws and cousins here, she was known as a loving person.”
This article originally published in the November 18, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
