North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition

Living Legend Gala Honoring Maxine Prescott Sarpy
2024-05-11 18:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Shreveport Convention Center, 400 Caddo St, Shreveport, LA, 71101, United States
For Immediate Release
Contact: Angelique Feaster, 318-382-2841

Tickets & Sponsorships via EventBrite®
(Call 318-318-382-2841.)

NLCRC to Honor Maxine Prescott Sarpy at 2ᴺᴰ Civil Rights Gala
Event May 11, 2024 to benefit North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition
Shreveport, LA — Maxine Prescott Sarpy, civil rights pioneer from Shreveport, Louisiana, will be honored at a gala at the Shreveport Convention Center on May 11, 2024, benefiting the capital campaign of the North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition (NLCRC) to restore the old Galilee Baptist Church as the future location of the Galilee Civil Rights Museum.
The 2ᴺᴰ Living Legend Gala will honor Maxine Prescott Sarpy! Maxine Prescott Sarpy, a Caddo Parish iconic Civil Rights leader, and legend, life is a testament of courage, compassion, determination, and passionate leadership in service to others. A nurse and trailblazing Civil Rights leader, she has dedicated her life to fighting for justice and change through love and peace. As a founding member of Blacks United for Lasting Leadership (B.U.L.L.) that initiated change in Shreveport’s city government, she became the first woman to serve on the Shreveport City Council, the first president of the Shreveport Mayor’s Women’s Commission and co-chaired NAACP voter registration campaigns, just to name a few of her many pioneering acts of service. Mrs. Sarpy is also a founder of the NLCRC along with the late Dr. C.O. Simpkins, the late Dr. Harry Blake, and Dr. C.E. McLain as Chairman of the Board.
Join us at the Shreveport Convention Center for an unforgettable evening celebrating the incredible achievements of Maxine Prescott Sarpy. This semi-formal event promises to be a night filled with dinner, music, and heartfelt tributes to a true living legend! Don’t miss out on this special occasion to honor and show appreciation for Maxine Prescott Sarpy’s remarkable contributions that positively impacted the landscape of Shreveport’s Civil Rights history. Get your tickets now and be a part of this memorable event! This benefit supports the continued restoration of Old Galilee Baptist Church–future home of the North Louisiana Civil Rights Museum, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. first spoke in Shreveport, LA!

Memories of the Movement @ Broadmoor Branch
2023-09-21 13:00 - 14:30 | Shreve Memorial Library — Broadmoor Branch, 1212 Captain Shreve Dr, Shreveport, LA, 71105, United States
Remembering Shreveport’s Civil Rights Legacy
A panel discussion series on the 60ᵗʰ year commemoration of the area’s Civil Rights Movement.
Panelists include:

Rev. Asriel McLain
Carolyn Jones Sullivan
Monica Mickle
Rev. Calvin Austin, III
Moderator: Dr. Sharron Herron-Williams

Memories of the Movement @ David Raines Branch
2023-09-20 11:30 - 13:00 | Shreve Memorial Library — David Raines Branch, 2855 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr, Shreveport, LA, 71107, United States
Remembering Shreveport’s Civil Rights Legacy
A panel discussion series on the 60ᵗʰ year commemoration of the area’s Civil Rights Movement.
Panelists include:

Rev. Calvin Austin, III
Dr. Sharon F. Green
Monica Mickle
Verma Henderson
Dr. C.E. McLain
Moderator: Dr. Sharron Herron-Williams

Memories of the Movement @ Wallette Branch
2023-09-18 11:30 - 13:00 | Shreve Memorial Librry — Wallette Branch, 363 Hearne Ave, Shreveport, LA, 71103, United States
Remembering Shreveport’s Civil Rights Legacy
A panel discussion series on the 60ᵗʰ year commemoration of the area’s Civil Rights Movement.
Panelists include:

Dr. C.E. McLain
Dr. Sharon F. Green
Carolyn Jones Sullivan
Candace Higgenbotham
Rev. Asriel McLain
Moderator: Dr. Sharron Herron-Williams

Living Legend Gala Honoring Dr. C.O. Simpkins
2018-11-03 18:00 - 20:30 | Shreveport Convention Center, 400 Caddo St, Shreveport, LA, 71101, United States
For Immediate Release
Contact: Roxann Johnson, 318-218-0231

Tickets & Sponsorships No Longer Available Online!
(Call 318-218-0231 or 219-6099.)

Andrew Young to Honor Dr. C.O. Simpkins, Sr. at Civil Rights Gala
Event November 3, 2018 to benefit North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition
Shreveport, LA — Dr. C.O. Simpkins, Sr., civil rights pioneer from Shreveport, Louisiana, will be honored at a gala at the Shreveport Convention Center on November 3, 2018, benefiting the capital campaign of the North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition (NLCRC) to restore the old Galilee Baptist Church as the future location of the Galilee Civil Rights Museum. Simpkins was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in the 1950s, serving closely with his friend Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. C.O. Simpkins, Sr.
Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins I was born in 1925 in Mansfield, LA. He attended Wiley College and Tennessee State University, where he received his undergraduate degree. He earned a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, Tennessee. He served in the Air Force as a Captain until 1951 and returned to Shreveport to practice dentistry.
Simpkins’ civil rights activities focused on voting rights. He was harassed by the Ku Klux Klan, elected officials and law enforcement. Simpkins invited Dr. King to Shreveport to call attention to the racial problems here. His home and office were firebombed, and he ultimately moved to New York, where he continued his civil rights advocacy.
After 26 years in New York, he returned to Shreveport and ran for mayor. Simpkins lost the mayor’s race but won a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 4 from 1992–1996. He retired in 2011 but continues to be a community advocate. He and his wife donated land for a community clinic in an underserved neighborhood. Simpkins is Honorary chairman and founder of the NLCRC, along with Dr. Harry Blake, and Dr. C.E. McLain.
Frmr. Atlanta Mayor, Congressman, & U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young
Andrew Young, who also worked with Simpkins and King, will be the keynote speaker for the event. Young is an American politician, diplomat and civil rights activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, he was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as Executive Director of the SCLC. Young later became active in politics, serving first as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, then United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and finally Mayor of Atlanta.
Since leaving political office, Young has founded or served in a large number of organizations working on issues of public policy and political lobbying. Ambassador, Congressman, Mayor, humanitarian, ordained minister, international businessman, and sports enthusiast, Andrew Young has been serving and shaping our country for almost 50 years.
Testimonials about Dr. Simpkins:
It is with great honor that the North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition has the privilege of honoring our Co-Founder, Dr. C.O. Simpkins. This organization holds his legacy and ongoing work in civil rights as a shining example in everything we do. Our mission is to make his dream of restoring the old Galilee Baptist Church into a civil rights museum a reality. Dr. Simpkins has worked for decades to make this museum possible and now it is upon us. We shall see it into fruition.
— Deborah Allen, Executive Director, North Louisiana Civil Rights Coalition
Simpkins is married to Elaine Shoemaker Simpkins, Ph.D., a biochemist. His children are Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins II, MD, of Shreveport, Louisiana, a trauma surgeon; Deborah Simpkins-Savage, of California, a translator; Eric Simpkins of Washington, DC, a computer analyst; Cheri Simpkins Gardner of Washington, DC, an assistant district attorney; and Alicia Ritchens of Australia.
