Homer Plessy was a shoemaker who lived in Jim Crow-era New Orleans, LA. But he made a decision that would change the prospects of Black people in the United States for decades to come.
Plessy had a plan – to break the law.
At the time, railroad cars were segregated. Yet Plessy, who could pass as a white man, purchased a first-class ticket along with fellow activists to challenge the law. He was arrested and convicted by the state of Louisiana once the conductor realized he was Black.
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the State – famously determining that “separate” could be “equal.”
Despite being a part of this landmark case, Plessy faded into obscurity and died with a criminal record. But in January 2022, the state of Louisiana decided to pardon him! This means his criminal record no longer stands.
But why, after all this time?
Louisiana officials say the pardon was a move toward racial equality, and that his conviction should never have happened.
However, the state still incarcerates more people per capita than any place on EARTH, most of whom are Black.
Plessy used his light-skinned privilege to challenge a racist state law. Though it wasn’t repealed for decades, and there is still much work to do today, he reminds us that until all of us are free, NONE of us truly are!