Series 2: Civil Rights and Community Organizations, 1983-2009

The Civil Rights and Community Organizations series consists of collected documents and primary materials pertaining to Llewelyn Soniat’s involvement with several civil rights and community organizations. Materials provide a broad perspective on the political and social issues related to Black organizations located in New Orleans and Louisiana, and are arranged alphabetically by organization name, encompassing agendas, correspondence, case studies, committee meeting notes, hand script notes, flyers, programs, press releases and reports. The bulk of the materials includes correspondence, programs, program notes, resolutions and news clippings from Soniat’s participation with the NAACP-New Orleans Chapter.

Of interest are files from the Families Against Police Brutality, a grassroots community organization, which include documentation on the shooting of Hot 8 Brass Band member Joseph Walker Williams. On August 3, 2004, Williams was shot and killed by New Orleans police officers outside a convenience store in the Treme neighborhood. Included with the files are forensic laboratory reports of Williams’ death; correspondence from the family lawyer requesting incident reports, officers’ background information, and other information concerning evidence of the shooting; and legal case report and his funeral program.

Other community organizations represented in this series are the Carrollton Area Network Crime Committee; Carrollton Community Economic Development Corporation; Carrollton Riverbend Residents’ Association; Mobilization to End Racism in Government and Everywhere (MERGE); Orleans Parish School Board; and the University of New Orleans International Alumni Association.