The Beauty of Hatred: The McDonogh Three’s Untold Stories

The Beauty of Hatred is a dissertation written to share the lived experiences of three primary participants of the educational desegregation movement of New Orleans public schools through a qualitative research approach. The methods used in this research were focus group interviews and document analysis. Two interviews were conducted to gather information about the events of the November 14, 1960 desegregation and their reflections on how it shaped their lives. The participants recalled life events from their experiences desegregating McDonough 19 in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans. This study focuses on the primary experiences of Gail Etienne, Leona Tate, and Tessie Prevost. As six year olds, these women faced isolation and hatred unknown to most children their ages. The methodology used in this study to discover themes that emerged and support the historical information from the time period and evidence of Interest Convergence one of the tenets of Critical Race Theorist. The counterstories provided by these women gave an additional perspective to historical information and allowed them to share one of the most important and significant parts of their childhood