On April 16, 1868, Louisiana voters approved a groundbreaking new state constitution that became a major milestone during the Reconstruction era. This constitution was not only progressive—it was revolutionary. It explicitly banned racial segregation in public accommodations under Article Thirteen, declaring:
“All persons shall enjoy equal rights and privileges upon any conveyances of a public character, and in all places of public resort or amusement.”

That same day, Louisiana elected two historic Black leaders to statewide office:

• Oscar J. Dunn, who became the first Black lieutenant governor in U.S. history.

• Antoine Dubuclet, who was elected state treasurer, and would go on to serve longer than any other Black elected official during Reconstruction.

These advancements represented one of the boldest assertions of multiracial democracy in the post-Civil War South—a moment of courage, vision, and resistance that would influence civil rights fights for generations.