Rev. Francis Joseph Atlas, Sr.

Rev. Francis Joseph Atlas, Sr.'s Civil Rights Struggle in Northeastern Louisiana

Rev. Francis Joseph Atlas, Sr. was born and raised in Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, LA. For as long as he could remember, he was denied the right to register to vote even though he was made to pay poll taxes. In lieu of this, he, along with a group of other African Americans in the area, decided to challenge the Registrar of Voters after repeated attempts of trying to register to vote. The group eventually filed a suit and two witnesses were chosen to testify in front of a grand jury; Rev. John H. Scott and Rev. Atlas.

Following their testimony, Rev. Scott and Rev. Atlas were the subjects of economic coercion and physical violence. Eventually, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against area businessmen regarding economic coercion and won. Rev. Atlas eventually was voted the head of the parish schoolboard and served several terms in this position.