New Orleans Civil Rights Icon Jerome ‘Big Duck’ Smith Dies at 87

NEW ORLEANS (BAMM Network) — Jerome “Big Duck” Smith, a legendary New Orleans civil rights activist, Freedom Rider, educator and community leader whose work helped shape the city’s role in the national civil rights movement, has died. He was 87.

Smith’s death was confirmed Friday. WDSU reported that the longtime activist and culture bearer had died, marking the loss of one of the city’s most enduring voices for racial justice and community empowerment.

A lifelong New Orleanian, Smith became involved in civil rights activism at a young age and emerged as a central figure in the local movement against segregation.

In 1961, Smith participated in the Freedom Rides, the interracial campaign that challenged segregation in interstate bus travel across the South. He was among the activists arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, and jailed for defying segregation laws.

Smith was also deeply involved in the New Orleans chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, working alongside prominent local activists including Oretha Castle Haley and Doratha “Dodie” Smith-Simmons.

His activism extended far beyond demonstrations and arrests.

For decades, Smith dedicated himself to mentoring young people and strengthening Black communities in New Orleans. He became particularly known for his work with Tamborine and Fan, a youth organization founded in 1968 that used culture, education and community engagement to support generations of children.

Smith’s influence was recognized locally and nationally.

In 2022, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter honored Smith on the floor of Congress, describing him as a “Civil Rights Pioneer and Icon of the Freedom Riders.” Carter noted Smith’s decades of work fighting segregation, educating young people and advocating for justice in New Orleans.

His legacy also became part of the city’s public landscape. In 2021, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority unveiled a Freedom Riders bus featuring artwork honoring Smith and fellow Freedom Rider Dodie Smith-Simmons.

Smith remained active in public life well into his later years, continuing to speak about civil rights, justice and the responsibility of younger generations to carry the movement forward.

Just last month, he was honored during a celebration in the Tremé neighborhood recognizing his contributions to New Orleans and the civil rights movement.

For generations of New Orleanians, Smith was not simply a figure from the history books. He remained a living link to the Freedom Movement — someone who continued organizing, teaching and pushing the city to confront inequality long after the major civil rights battles of the 1960s.

His death closes a chapter in New Orleans’ civil rights history, but the institutions, young people and activists he influenced continue to carry his work forward.