Werely Gobar, of Port Arthur, was one of 70 black students who started integration at Southwestern Louisiana Institute in the fall of 1954.
PORT ARTHUR - Before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington or the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 70 brave black students stepped on the Southwestern Louisiana Institute campus and ignited the spark of desegregation that would later spread throughout the South.
Junior Werely Gobar, one of those courageous students, enrolled in S.L.I. in the fall of 1954, paving the way for millions of aspiring black scholars to enroll in equal education universities.
Born in Beaux Bridge, La., Gobar grew up in the segregated deep South where he was limited to riding in the back of public buses, drinking from "black only" labeled water fountains and attending segregated schools.
"I attended Southern University in Baton Rouge from Sept. 1953 to May 1954," Gobar said. "It was an all black school. In 1954 two men spoke to my mother and when I got home she said two men were looking for me. Two lawyers, Tourneau and Thurgood Marshall were handling a desegregation suit against S.W.L. Institute and asked me if I would be available to go to school there that year if it was to become desegregated."
The lawyers were trying a desegregation case against the institute following the denial of admission of four black students in 1953. During litigation, Marshall and Tourneau recruited young adults from the surrounding Lafayette black communities to attend the all white institute. It would be the first of many attempts to break down race barriers in higher learning institutions.
"They won the case and it was feasible for me to register in the fall of 1954," Gobar said. "I was excited about the opportunity to stay at my momma's house. Mmmm, I couldn't pass up my momma's good cooking."
Despite the comfort of remaining at home, Gobar was now forced to face the racism and cruelty of his white peers that he had not dealt with while attending Southern University.
"The atmosphere was not too nice," Gobar said. "You know, there was name calling and teasing, no violence though. Some of the men were belligerent, but I am grateful to the young ladies that went to school there. They were the peacemakers. The ladies held the guys back, they soothed tense situations."
The ugliness of racism extended beyond name calling for Gobar, however, as he and the other students were ostracized by white students and organizations.
"It hurt bad that we could not play sports or participate in school activities," Gobar said. "Other schools would not have participated if a black man was allowed to play on a sport's team. I was strictly there for the school, for the education."
Gobar said despite the alienation by white students, that he valued his time at the institute and would never regret the close friendships that he developed with his black peers.
"We formed our own groups," Gobar said. "There were some very good days at that school. I made friendships there with a lot of the guys and girls."
Looking back on his experience at S.L.I., Gobar said he feels the school did both he and the other students a service and a disservice by keeping the publicity about the integration quiet.
"I am 71 years old now and I just want to say that I am very highly grateful for my time at S.L.I.," Gobar said. "I will cherish my time there for the rest of my days. I want to thank the courageous teachers that took a chance on us. I want to thank the people of Lafayette for their cooperation and for not allowing violence or brutality. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart."
Gobar said he feels that it is now time for the intrepid black students who took a giant leap of faith for freedom to gain the recognition that they deserve for integrating an all white school, two years before Brown vs. The Board of Education was finally enforced.
The rest of the story
By Ashley Sanders
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