Mrs. Bernice Louise Delatte Carr
On Sunday, July 11, 1943, seventeen-year-old, Bernice Delatte (a recent graduate of McDonogh No. 35 and a resident of 2116 Law Street) found herself on her way to Lake Pontchartrain for a pleasant swim, accompanied by her sister, Doris Delatte, and friend, Evelyn Segue. As the bus they were riding approached Franklin Avenue and Gentilly, an altercation took place that would make headlines in several local Negro newspapers. The day following her trip, on Monday morning, Bernice Delatte, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Inez Populus Delatte Johnson went to the office of The Louisiana Weekly to relate the unfortunate incident that took place. She relayed the following story:
“My two friends and I were on our way to the lakefront. We were riding the Bomber Base bus, which was one-third full with only Negro passengers. Only two white people were on the bus, the bus driver and this special officer or detective. Because I was standing up, I moved the screen up to make a seat available for myself. No sooner than I had moved the screen, this officer [Nicholas Jacobs] spoke to me in a rough way and told me to move it back where it was. When I didn’t move it back fast enough to suit him, he jumped up and snatched the screen from my hand and said, ‘I’ll brain you with this.’”
As Miss Delatte cast an angry look at the officer, he asked, “What are you looking at? She swiftly answered him, “You’re not anything to look at.” That comment seemed to infuriate him, for as she continued, “He grabbed my arm, twisted it, and flung me from the bus. He then hit me with his hands, cussed me, and later kicked me. While waiting for the patrol wagon, he told my two companions (Doris Delatte and Evelyn Segue) that if they said anything he was going to brain them too. Several busses came by as I waited on the road. Passengers laughed and winked at the officer and asked how he was doing with the niggers. He forced me to stand on the road and to wait there to be picked up by the patrol wagon. Upon arrival of the wagon, the driver wanted to know ‘How many niggers the bus driver had?’ When told that there was only one, he said that it was too expensive to come all the way out here for just one nigger and the next time ‘have a whole lot of em.’
Miss Delatte was soon whisked off to the 5th Precinct Station and locked in a cell. She was booked with disturbing the peace and detained until her parents were notified of the arrest and came to obtain her release. Upon returning home, Bernice Delatte contacted Father Harry Maloney, S.S.J. of Corpus Christi Church, the NAACP, and several lawyers for advice on what kind of action she should take.
The very next day, the New Orleans Branch of the NAACP discussed the case. President Daniel E. Byrd declared that much of the brutality committed by policemen on busses and street cars was tolerated if not sanctioned by New Orleans Public Service (NOPSI). A committee was formed and the public relations department of Public Service, the mayor, and the superintendent of police were contacted and warned that preventative measures must be taken to guarantee that incidents of this nature would never take place again.
Trial for Miss DeLatte came up for hearing that following Thursday and (on the motion of her attorneys) the charges were dismissed. She was represented in court by Attorneys Joseph A. Thornton and A.P. Tureaud.
The assault and unfair arrest of Bernice Delatte came just one month after Earl Blanc, another Seventh Ward resident and a student at Xavier University, was beaten by police and employees of the Circle Theater. After both unfortunate incidents, there was community outcry and an exertion of leadership by the local NAACP, the Seventh Ward Civic League, and Josephite Father Harry Maloney.
In this present era when protest and activism have taken on new significance, these harrowing incidents and the subsequent community action should serve as reminders of the past and motivators for the present and future.
Just two years following this incident, Miss Bernice Louise Delatte, was married to Mr. John Earl Carr on 12 October 1945. She was born on 1 November 1924 to Maurice Delatte and Inez Populus. Her sister, Doris Eugenia Delatte, became Mrs. Milton Doucette. He other sibling was Inez (Mrs. Desdunes) Gilyot. Bernice Louise Delatte Carr died on 9 November 2010 in Palmdale, California. Courage could be said to be a family trait for Miss Delatte, inasmuch as she was a descendant of Captain Joseph Savary, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans.
Lolita Villavasso Cherrie
Sources: The Louisiana Weekly, 17 July 1943, pages 1, 6; The New Orleans Sentinel, 17 July 1943, page 1.
Thank you for this information. Lived through this time, but had little idea what was happening. This helps to reduce my ignorance. Julia
It was a tragedy what happened to her. No wonder our world is so messed up today. More things simiilar to that are happening and nothing is being done about it.
It is our responsibility to pass on the many stories of the past. Our children and grandchildren will not be aware of the struggle, if not for stories like this! The sixties was the culmination but, many of us endured the wrath of hate long before the sixties!
Thank you for exposing history and truth.
Hi Cleo,
Would you happen to be kin to the Lemelles from Opelousas? Have you heard of Evie Lemelle?
Thanks to the bravery of these individuals who paved an easier path for me, another seventh ward resident who also lived on Law St. I was born in 1948. I was certainly aware of the racism/hatred by others. I was not a victim of this brutality. But my experiences have helped me to identify very quickly the racism/hatred that is practiced today. When confronted, it is denied. It never ceases to amaze me why when they have done nothing to assume their “privilege”, and somehow seeing you for the first time, you are judge to be less so it justifies their attitude/jprejudice.
Although I was not born until 1949 I experienced much of the same ignorance during my youth in New Orleans. I am proud to say that I am also a graduate of McDonogh #35 (1968). I am honored to be an alumnus of Ms. Bernice Delatte (R. I. P.) and the pride and strength that she stood for in fighting for equality of Blacks and all minorities in general.
To this day I teach my children to respect all cultures but to remember that the misuse & disrespect of blacks and other minorities in this country is as strong today as it has always been, but hidden very well. Many youth are blind to the historical data and the experiences of us older individuals so it is our duty to instill in them the proper furtherance of that education.
Mr. King, you used a turn of phrase that changed my understanding and helped me see what I must do. When you say ‘fighting FOR the equality…’ rather than using ‘of” which implies that this equality is something that can be doubted. Thank you. J
I love this story.
Read the story with much interest. Thank You, Ms. Bernice Louise Delatte, for your contribution to the cause. The struggle continues with one of your relatives Mary Elizabeth Delatte Andry, daughter of Alvin Maurice Delatte.
Mrs. Andry, thank you for reading and supporting CreoleGen. Your father, Alvin Maurice Delatte, was the nephew of Bernice’s father, Maurice Delatte. Your grandfather, William Delatte, and Bernice’s father, Maurice Delatte. William and Maurice were both sons of Edward and Jeanne Delatte.
Thank you very much for “connecting the dots.” As you can see I discovered the information in 2017 and did not revisit the site to see the reply. My brother very recently brought the article to my attention, again. Is there any additional information that will be helpful to my family in getting to know our family history? Thank You.
Ms Andry, I really don’t have any additional information ( beyond census records) to share with you. Of course there is much more for you and your family to discover. I would recommend DNA testing to connect with other family members and further research into the Civil War Era and slave/ free people of color documents….Lolita
Very interesting. I was not aware of this incident.
Sad but very informative.
Does anyone know if the young ladies had a brother or cousin by the name of Horace Delatte? Horace Delatte is my g-grandfather from Louisiana…wonder if we are related somehow. His mother was a slave and his father was a slave owner.
Thank you for this story of courage in fact of this redneck ignorance – – I attended the public school system of Montgomery County, MD. There were very few blacks that attended. I had to endure similar, but not as humiliating abuses from snooty sons & daughters of very prominent, if not wealthy white, Jewish, or Asian families of modest means. I had little chance to socialize with blacks because there were so few of them (the ones that did attend were probably also wealthy, & deferential only to other disdainful, rich kids. It was a peculiarly painful upbringing for me living on the east coast during the 60s.The HS principal, who was a ordained Baptist minister, on Sundays was also deferential only to the privileged, wealthy white, Jewish, Asian students. The memories of those years will have to remain with me for the remainder of my life… ..
This article is written about my grandfather’s half-sister. They shared a mother: Inez Populus Delatte Johnson. My grandfather was Arthur Johnson Jr. I had no idea about his family, as he died when I was 1. I knew he had sisters older than him and that he was from New Orleans. I am now trying to find information about his father, Arthur Johnson Sr. and his father’s father Henry H. Johnson.