Watch the Documentary Trailer
St. Charles Parish · Louisiana
Preservethe 43
A memorial. A documentary. A curriculum. A living archive.
In 1965, approximately 43 Black students stepped through previously all-white school doors in St. Charles Parish. Their courage changed the trajectory of generations. The memorial now gives their story a permanent place. The documentary preserves their voices. The curriculum will bring that history into classrooms.
Help preserve what the monument began.
Dedicated September 23, 2026
The memorial is complete. Now we must preserve the voices behind it.
The monument exists. The people who lived this history are aging.
Now we need to record what only they can tell us.
We are not raising money for a film. We are preserving an intergenerational historical record — and the documentary, the curriculum and the archive are how it will last.
Stories · Dedication day
They Came Back to See Their Names
Trailblazers, families, students and neighbors gathered at the memorial. These are the people this initiative exists to preserve.
Four pillars · One preservation initiative
A Permanent Educational and Historical Resource
01
The Memorial
The physical record
The permanent monument in Luling.
Explore →
02
The Documentary
The human record
First-person testimony, interviews, archival material and the story behind the monument.
Explore →
03
The Curriculum
The educational record
Lesson plans and learning materials for students and educators.
Explore →
04
The Archive
The historical record
Interviews, photographs, documents and supporting materials preserved for future generations.
Explore →
The memorial is the physical anchor. The documentary and curriculum are the vehicles. The archive is the long-term legacy.
The 43
They Were Children When They Made History
In the middle of the 1965–66 school year, approximately 43 Black students volunteered to transfer to previously all-white schools under the parish's Freedom of Choice plan. St. Charles Parish became one of the first five Louisiana school systems to voluntarily begin desegregation; 112 Black students followed the next year, and full desegregation was completed in 1969.
The students faced threats, insults and mistreatment. Their decision opened a path for everyone who followed.
One of the 43
Ulysses Frontha
One of the original students, he later taught for many years at Destrehan High School and brought the idea of formally recognizing the first Black students to School Board member Ellis Alexander — helping set this memorial in motion.
Source: St. Charles Parish Public Schools reporting and its 2022 Trailblazers documentary. District accounts use “approximately 43”; an official complete roster has not been publicly released. More profiles will be added after verification and family permission.
Reference image — archival photograph pending permissions
Oral Stories · Hear it from them
The Trailblazers, In Their Own Words
A memorial can mark a moment — but only the people who lived it can tell you what it felt like. Watch Ulysses Frontha, one of the original 43, share the story of 1965 in his own words. These oral-history recordings are the heart of the living archive we are building.
Ulysses Frontha — one of the original 43
Now we have the opportunity to hear what happened from the people who lived it.
Help us record their stories while we still can.
Pillar 01 · The physical record
The Memorial
A permanent monument in Luling, commissioned by St. Charles Parish Public Schools and created by artist Derrick Monk — the physical anchor of the entire initiative.
Concept
Construction
Entrance
Dedicated
Students shape the memorial · October 2025
Learning History Through Making
Derrick Monk led metal-casting workshops for St. Charles Parish Public Schools students. They sculpted elements in foam that were cast in metal and built into the memorial's benches — joining today's students to the Trailblazers who opened the doors. It is the model for the curriculum to come.
Pillar 02 · The human record
The Documentary
First-person testimony, interviews, archival material and the story behind the monument. Derrick and his wife began documenting the process from the first sketches; now the work turns to the voices only the Trailblazers can provide.
- Interviews with surviving Trailblazers
- Family members and community members
- Educators and historians
- Archival photographs and documents
- St. Charles Parish locations connected to the story
- Derrick Monk's creative process
- The student metal-casting workshops
- The September 23, 2026 dedication
Pillar 03 · The educational record
The 43 Trailblazers Education Project
A classroom curriculum built around the memorial, the documentary and primary-source history — so students learn this story the way the student artists did: by engaging with it directly.
Planned components
- Teacher guide
- Student lesson plans
- Primary-source document set
- Oral-history interviews
- Timeline of 1965–69
- Louisiana civil-rights history
- Local geography / map activity
- Civic engagement lesson
- Art + sculpture lesson
- STEM / metal-casting lesson
- Community-history project
- Discussion questions
- Student writing prompts
- Short documentary clips
- Digital archive access
Pillar 04 · The historical record
The Living Archive
Interviews, photographs, documents and supporting materials preserved for future generations — growing into a searchable record of the 43, where permissions allow.
Oral histories
Full-length interviews with Trailblazers and families.
Photographs
Family, school and dedication photographs, with permission.
Documents
Records and materials from the 1965–69 transition.
Memorial process
Sketches, maquettes, castings and construction records.
The campaign
Four Phases of Preservation
Phase I · Now
Preserve the Voices
$35,000
Documentary interviews, travel, production, archival research and post-production.
Phase II
Bring History Into the Classroom
Curriculum development
Teacher guide, lesson plans and primary-source materials for schools.
Phase III
Build the Digital Archive
Archive development
Interviews, photographs and documents preserved and made accessible where permissions allow.
Phase IV
Community Screenings & Education
Screenings & outreach
Bringing the film and curriculum back to St. Charles Parish and beyond.
Phase I raised
$1,250of $35,000
Interviews
Recording firsthand testimony from Trailblazers, families and community members.
Travel & Lodging
About two weeks in Louisiana for the production team.
Production
Camera, sound and production resources.
Archival Research
Photographs, historical materials and licensing.
Post-Production
Editing, sound, color, graphics and finishing.
Individual giving
Become a Patron of the 43
Institutional sponsorship · Sponsor the Education
Help place the story of the 43 Trailblazers into the hands of the next generation.
Partnership levels for organizations that want measurable community impact: every level produces a defined piece of the preservation record.
Ideal for Banks · Energy companies · Hospitals · Law firms · Universities · Foundations · Community-relations teams.
Sponsorship benefits and tax treatment are confirmed in writing with each partner, through our nonprofit partner Bee Younited Inc.
Art collection
Collect a Piece of the Preservation
Selected works by Derrick Monk are available to collectors who want to support the preservation of the 43 Trailblazers story.
The signature edition
The First Step
Edition of 43
One edition. One for each Trailblazer.
Cast bronze · 8 × 6 in
Passage, No. 1
Bronze relief · 24 × 18 in · Original
Parish Register
Engraved brass · 16 × 12 in · Original
The artist
Derrick J. Monk
Artist · Cultural Preservationist · Educator
Derrick Monk is the founder of Visual Original Customs, a public-art studio specializing in monumental sculpture, memorials and cultural heritage projects. Preserve the 43 is the studio's flagship cultural preservation project, undertaken in partnership with the nonprofit Bee Younited Inc.
Explore the studio →Case study · 43 Trailblazers Memorial
How One Community Preserved Its History
Problem
A community's history needed a permanent physical presence.
Research
Historical records + oral history.
Design
Monumental sculpture + narrative elements.
Community
Students participate.
Fabrication
Metal casting + architectural construction.
Education
Students learn history through making.
Documentation
Film captures the process and voices.
Legacy
Memorial + documentary + curriculum + archive.
We can do this with your community's history.
Develop a Cultural Heritage Monument →
Help Preserve What the Monument Began
In 1965, approximately 43 Black children changed the history of St. Charles Parish. In 2026, the memorial gave their story a permanent place. Now we record their voices, bring their history into classrooms, and preserve it for generations to come.
A Note on Independence
An Independent Preservation Initiative
Preserve the 43 is an independent cultural preservation initiative led by Derrick Monk in partnership with the nonprofit organization Bee Younited Inc. Its documentary, curriculum and archive are not funded by, produced by, or formally affiliated with St. Charles Parish Public Schools.
The memorial itself was commissioned by the school district. This initiative documents its making and the history it represents, drawing on firsthand accounts, district records and verified archival research. Views and interpretations expressed are those of the independent team and do not represent official positions of St. Charles Parish Public Schools.