Author Archives

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1873 description of Andrew Jackson Statue

 

Putting this here partly because of the Take Em Down movement is purported to be focusing on the Jackson Statue. As wildly supportive as I am about the others being removed from public display, I am not in favor of the removal of this statue but the hoopla around it is likely very helpful to the movement and I appreciate that as a tactic.

All of those others that City Council voted to be removed pretend to “honor” those who rose up in arms against the elected government of the US in order to continue the enslavement of many but the truth is they were put up in the years of white supremacy as defiance and in order to warp the real history. As a way to illustrate that, I ask you to tell me where else in our country have those who led a failed insurrection against the elected government been enshrined in public and done decades after their time? Or, as I have said elsewhere, if you want statues of the true historical context, then add Grant over Lee, Abraham Lincoln over Davis, and Sherman astride Beauregard’s horse and tell the ACTUAL history of the war, including the continued institutional racism that subjugates many.

This statue  was erected in thanks to a military man who fought the British on our soil and later became a US President and therefore should remain, although I agree that details of his murderous and shameful campaign against native Americans needs to be added to the base of the statue. That update would honor true history and teach future generations of his complicated Presidency.

In this excerpt from 1873, one can see how history has always been subjective based on the personal opinions and political stance of those writing it. Check out the dig against the added plaque put there by General Butler and the disagreement over the accuracy of the statue itself.

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CW Cannon says it well too.

 

DeBerry does too

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Mead and Merry: Celebrate the return of Joan of Arc

Saturday Sept. 17, 5 – 6:30 p.m. Senior Commons Room, Danna Student Center, Loyola University Medieval tales and songs abound with references to ale, wine, and drunken feasts, but what were they really drinking?

Mead and Merry: Medieval Beverage Tasting Ticketed Event – Krewe de Jeanne d’ArcKrewe de Jeanne d’Arc

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Stand with Standing Rock

Join the national day of solidarity with Standing Rock as they lead the movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.
All Nations – All Generations – All Water – For All Generations!
The pipeline is designed to bring Bakken shale oil to refineries along the Gulf Coast. We are all living downstream.
We will gather on the steps across from Jackson Square and will perform a water ceremony.  Bring your signs.

Tuesday, September 13 at 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Decatur Street steps side of Jackson Square

 

 

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Vanishing Foodways Campaign

I have been a Slow Food member in the past and have always been a supporter of their innovative food system work. By supporting all aspects of the cultural milieu in which local farmers, foragers, and harvesters create and sustain their livelihoods, Slow Food is a key component in food sovereignty work locally and globally. Campaigns like this one illustrate the inclusive and thoughtful approach of many of their chapters.
Slow Food New Orleans is launching Vanishing Foodways  as an ongoing effort to collect stories from people and regions whose foodways and cultural traditions that are at risk of vanishing.  Please visit our GoFundMe campaign and become part of this initiative.  The GoFundMe campaign features a  fabulous video created by artist Voice Monet, who will be part of our 25-person Louisiana-Vietnam delegation to Terra Madre,  the international gathering of people from 150+ countries in Italy, September 22-26.

The Louisiana-Vietnam delegation to Terra Madre is the beginning of the the cross-cultural connections that the Vanishing Foodways seeks to create.  The Louisiana Coast and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta are two of the most abundant food producing regions in the world, yet are also two of the world’s most rapidly disappearing regions. Vanishing Foodways will video-document the Louisiana-Vietnam delegation’s experience at Terra Madre along with collecting stories from Terra Madre delegates representing regions that are experiencing the disappearance of their traditional and cultural foodways.

By collecting and sharing these stories, Vanishing Foodways aims to; 1) educate people that endangered foodways are not simply someone else’s problem,  2) engage people in the shared plight of all of our foodways & 3) empower people with simple daily choices that each of us can make to move the world towards reclaiming and preserving our vital cultural foodways that sustainably feed the world.
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Armstrong Park: 2016 Jazz in the Park schedule

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Off-leash green space for QuarterDogs coming

From NextDoor FQ:

At last night’s meeting of the full NORDC commission, an off leash dog area was approved for Cabrini Park. It was much larger than the plan that was expected to be proposed–18,816 sq ft rather than 10, 800–and is positioned against the Barracks St side of the park. The vote was 7-3 in favor of the off leash area.

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FQ business owner and resident Robbie Robertson using Cabrini Park with his beloved companion Dante from an earlier TeePee article. photo by Eliot Kamenitz

 

 

 

 

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Learning to live in the shadow of environmental doom

Do we have what it will take for New Orleans to survive the next Big One?

One opinion from a young native New Orleanian, in view of the recent environmental devastation around the state. Some excerpts:

Growing up in Louisiana doesn’t exactly instill strong faith in the fairness or integrity of government or official agencies. The lopsided Katrina “recovery” solidified my cynicism….

…There is so much raw sadness here, so much raw joy. So many of my fellow citizens are treated without dignity or respect and they still manage to maintain open hearts and a clear-eyed love for the city. There is an art to pleasure here, life for life’s sake. Why can’t all the beauty here be enough to assure New Orleans’ survival?

The August floods spared the city while places 45 minutes away were ravaged. Countless thousands of Louisianans are now mourning a life that will be forever marked by the dumbfounding destruction floodwaters bring. My heart aches for them. And I feel stunned, the way you would if an 18-wheeler jackknifed and flipped on the Interstate 100 yards ahead of you….

…I know to live honestly in New Orleans I have to live like the imminence of disaster is a reality. If you choose to live here now, you’re signing up for a second job, which is helping this city survive. The question is whether enough of us will assume that burden.

Source: Katrina remembered: Learning to live in the shadow of environmental doom | The Lens