Phoebe Ferguson

Cofounder and Executive Director Phoebe Ferguson is a native New Orleanian and the great-great-granddaughter of Judge John Howard Ferguson. In addition to her work with the initiative, she is founder, producer, and director of Bayou and Me Productions. The New Orleans-based studio collaborates with community members and local organizations to make films on pressing social issues, including the need for equitable, community-based public schools. Ferguson studied at ArtCenter College of Design, New York University, and Tulane University.

The Plessy & Ferguson Initiative was founded in 2009 by two descendants of the opposing parties in Plessy v. Ferguson, the landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation in the United States. The organization’s work focuses on civil rights history, memorialization, and transitional justice.