For nearly 100 years, Xavier University of Louisiana has instilled a mission to promote a more just and humane society in its thousands of students. The nation’s only historically Black and Catholic institution, Xavier has graduated legions of social justice advocates and leaders of positive change. Now, on the cusp of celebrating its first century of service, the university will honor and remember one of its most esteemed alums whose society-changing actions truly embodied what it is to be a Xavierite in a special Black History Month symposium on February 19 at 6 p.m. in the Qatar Auditorium; the Dr. Rudy Lombard Symposium of Civil Rights.

The late Dr. Rudy Lombard (‘61) was a renowned civil rights icon who worked to organize a Freedom Ride while serving as the senior class president at Xavier. During this process, he engaged Xavier University of Louisiana President Emeritus Dr. Norman C. Francis, then University Dean of Men, to offer support for the Civil Rights travelers. 

During their journey, the Freedom Riders experienced violent segregationist attacks and were refused treatment by hospitals. On May 15, 1961, the Freedom Riders arrived in New Orleans but were denied lodging. Upon Lombard’s request, Dr. Francis fearlessly made space for the courageous Civil Rights activists in St. Michael’s Residence Hall on Xavier’s campus. While tucked away from the public on the third floor, the activists offered students around them encouragement and mentorship in the fight against civil injustices.

Dr. Rudy Lombard’s legacy stretched far beyond Xavier. In 1960, he was contacted by civil rights strategist Marvin Robinson, who advised him that a Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) member, James T. McCain, intended to establish a branch in New Orleans. By September of the same year, the then Vice-President Lombard had planned two sit-ins in protest of the rigid color lines demarcated by Jim Crow laws across the segregated South. But the second protest, held at McCrory’s five-and-dime store, earned both Lombard and the New Orleans CORE branch national recognition.

The annual Dr. Rudy Lombard Symposium on Civil Rights was created at Xavier to remember that powerful legacy and is sponsored by Xavier’s Office of Alumni Relations. This year, the symposium will be held in the university’s Qatar Auditorium, located in its Qatar Pharmacy Pavillion. The symposium will feature several panelists who will aptly be discussing voting rights as a critical election year looms.

Panelists include the Honorable Ronald C. Gathe Jr. (‘96), United States Attorney for the Baton Rouge-based Middle District of Louisiana; the Honorable Ellen Hazeur, judge for the Orleans Parish Civil District Court Division A in Louisiana; and Dr. Cassandra Shepard, adjunct professor of African American Studies at Xavier. There will also be a student panel featuring three current Xavierites deeply entrenched in social and racial justice: Kennedy Carey-Prescott (senior), president of Xavier’s Student Government Association; Terrol Perkins (senior), president of the Xavier chapter of Collegiate 100; and Layla Dent (senior), president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at Xavier.

Both panels will be moderated by Dr. Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir (’99), Keller Family Endowed Professor and associate professor of history at Xavier. The Honorable Judge Edwin A. Lombard, brother of Dr. Rudy Lombard, will be a special guest. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate by submitting questions during the event. To learn more, email alumni@XULA.edu or call 504-520-7575.