Another Voice: Celebrating a legendary woman who helped end school segregation

Originally published in The Buffalo News on 3/20/25

This Women's Herstory Month, the Buffalo Center for Health Equity (BCHE) highlights the
trailblazing achievements of civil rights icon, Dr. Leona Tate who inspires the next generation of
leaders to advocate for equity.

To kick off a month of celebrating women, executives from BCHE had an opportunity to meet
Dr. Leona Tate, co-founder of the Tate Etienne Prevost (TEP) Center in New Orleans,
Louisiana, as part of, NYU’s City Health Dashboard Data Challenge sponsored by Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation’s Reinvestment Fund. The team from Buffalo included area leaders from
LISC, UB’s School of Public Health, ECMC, City of Buffalo, National Witness Project, and
Neuwater and Associates.

Dr. Tate is one of the "New Orleans Four," the courageous group of young students who, in
1960, became the first Black children to desegregate public schools in New Orleans. At just six
years old she, along with Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost, and Ruby Bridges, broke through the
racial barriers that had long defined the segregated education system in the South. Their
bravery ignited a movement that reshaped the future of education and civil rights in America.
Dr. Tate’s legacy remains a powerful force in the fight for racial equality. In addition to the
expansive repurpose and redevelopment of the school she once desegregated (the Tate
Etienne Prevost Center), Dr. Tate is the author of Small Shoes, Great Strides: The Journey of
the New Orleans Four, a memoir that chronicles the challenges she and her fellow students
faced during desegregation. As history repeats itself with the current dismantling of the Federal
Department of Education, her book serves as a vital resource for those seeking to understand
the financial, constitutional, and historical significance of this era.

Buffalo has its own rich history of civil rights activism, and the Buffalo Center for Health Equity
continues to honor this legacy by engaging in meaningful discussions that drive change by
learning from past movements to address today’s inequities. BCHE is an engine for dismantling
inequitable practices through a series of community engagement practices, including our
flagship annual conference, Igniting Hope, which will happen on September 20, 2025.
The Buffalo Center for Health Equity, Inc. is committed to addressing racial and health
disparities in Buffalo and beyond, by recognizing the deep connection between systemic
injustices in education, housing, labor, and healthcare. Engaging in discussions with national leaders like Dr. Tate provides a deeper understanding of historical injustices and their present-
day implications to direct advocacy efforts and equity initiatives in marginalized communities.

For those interested in learning more about Dr. Tate’s work or supporting the mission of the
TEP Center, in New Orleans, visit tepcenter.org.

For more information on the Buffalo Center for Health Equity, please visit
buffalohealthequity.com.