May 19,1896

Yesterday, the opinion for our case or Plessy v. Ferguson as it is now known was announced. I am not surprised by the outcome of the case. We lost 7-1. Of course, Justice Harlan was the sold dissenter. I personally believe that we had a very strong argument and very good evidence. For example, we quoted the 14^th amendment.

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"

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Hopefully, one day another court will overturn the decision made.

Apirl 5, 1896

It has been around 4 years since the faithful day when I got on the train in New Orleans. Today, the Supreme Court of the United States finally decided to hear our case. I'm quite excited about having the Supreme Court argue about my actions and me. I hope that this case becomes a historic one. I hope people don’t think of me as a martyr for civil rights, because I am not. I am simply a man who was part of a social experiment. All I hope is for this case to benefit people of color in this country.

June 7, 1892

I boarded the train this morning to test the Separate Car Act. I boarded the train and sat in the white-only first class car. I sat down and began to read Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque by Edgar Allan Poe, which by the way is a fantastic book. As I am just starting a new chapter, I see the looming conductor from the corner of my eye. I began to get a little nervous. After that everything happened so quickly. The conductor asked me for my ticket and I handed it to him. Then I mumbled, "I am only 7/8 white." He looked up and told me to move to the next car or get off. I confidently shook my head from side to side. He began to get angry and he told me to move or he would call the police. I held my ground and the conductor left. For a moment, I was alone in the car. Then the conductor returned with another train worker, who escorted me off the train. Now, I am in sitting in a police station awaiting arrest. I am proud of my actions, no matter what happens.

June 6, 1892

I couldn't sleep last night. I was tossing and turning thinking about tomorrow. On June 7th, I will ride in the first class car of an East Louisiana Railroad train running between New Orleans and Convington. I have lived all my life as a white man, even though I am 1/8 black. Tomorrow, I will come race to race with the reality that 1/8 of my heritage is though of poorly by many members of society. I was not aware of my roots in the African culture until I was 8 years-old. One day, I was walking down by the bayou and an old woman walked up to me. She asked me if I was a member of the Plessy family. I nodded in agreement and she told me that she had been enslaved with great-grandfather. I was very confused and I told her she had been mistaken, because I came from a white household. She shook her head and laughed. I ran home confused and asked my mother about this. She made me promise to speak of our families past, so I didn't until now. Tomorrow, I will fully face my hidden past.

May 2, 1892

Today, I had my first meeting with the Citizen's Committee. They have hired a fancy New York City lawyer, Albion Winegar Tourgée, to help them repeal the Separate Car Act. The Committee is getting a lucky break, because Mr. Tourgrée isn't charging them a penny. The whole point of the meeting was to get me to sign a contract to agree to ride in a white-only first class train car and tell the conductor that I am 1/8 black. I laughed when I first heard about this idea, but after I realized the seriousness of this bill, I shut up. I'm a little nervous that I will end up in prison for a long period of time. If I do end up a jail bird, I will miss my beautiful wife, Louise Bordenave. I hope this experiment works out for the good...