Shadows-on-the-Teche is putting on a free program this week dealing with the legacy of African-American students and the desegregation of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The lecture, which takes place Thursday at 6 p.m., will feature author, historian and community volunteer Ruth Foote, who served as the co-founder and editor of Creole Magazine and received a Master of Arts in public history at UL Lafayette.

According to a prepared statement, Foote will discuss the desegregation of UL Lafayette in 1954 when the U.S. Western District of Louisiana ordered the school (which was then called Southwestern Louisiana Institute) to admit African-American students into its fold.

The permanent injunction, in the case of Constantine v. SLI, came two months after Brown v. Board of Education, and the federal court’s decision resulted in the university becoming the first higher education institution in the Deep South to desegregate, forever changing the historical landscape for decades to come.

Foote will discuss the 76 black students who integrated into the university 70 years ago. A light reception for the event will take place at 5:30 p.m., with a lecture to follow at 6 p.m.

The program is free to attend, but registration is recommended.