Homer Plessy
Homer Plessy was an American shoemaker and activist who is best known as the plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson.
Activist
March 17, 1863
Pisces
March 01, 1925
61
New Orleans, Louisiana
Homer Adolph Plessy, born Homère Patris Plessy (1858, 1862, or March 17, 1863 â March 1, 1925), was an American shoemaker and civil rights activist. He is most renowned for his role as the plaintiff in the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the “separate but equal” doctrine. Plessy also participated in various other civil rights initiatives, such as the New Orleans Citizens’ Committee and the People’s Grocery boycott. In 2023, the Louisiana governor pardoned Plessy, acknowledging the injustice of his arrest 130 years prior. Although the Supreme Court decision faced criticism, Plessy’s activism laid the foundation for future civil rights movements.