Haiti and New Orleans
I listened with empathy and a measure of recognition today, to newscasts interviewing Haitian expats in the U.S. Their voices tremble as they speak of anxiously awaiting news of the fate of their loved ones, and recounting a night of little or no sleep. Haiti and New Orleans have historic connections. Their people share a past of brutal plantation culture, slavery and a racial caste system under French colonists in the 17th and 18th century. The present day country of Haiti was formed in 1801, after an extremely bloody period of slave rebellion on the island of Saint Domingue in the 1790’s. The island was split into two countries (the other being Santo Domingo, or the modern day Dominican Republic), and many post-rebellion refugees from Saint Domingue eventually found a home in New Orleans. Ned Sublette, author of The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square writes “The southern United States was in a panic. The slaves of Saint-Domingue had risen up and killed slavery itself.” He further states that “Haiti was central to every major event in the hemisphere at the time, and most especially to the Louisiana Purchase. Slavery continued for in the southern United States for another 70 years…but the Haitian revolution was the turning point.” He also connects the slave rebellion with the French Revolution as a fundamental event in shaping the modern world. So perhaps, in some way, we all owe a debt to Haiti. New Orleans is often referred to as a Caribbean city, and many of its distinctive rhythms (along with the voodoo culture) arrived there directly from the islands of Saint Domingue and Cuba. It traded with the newly established nation of Haiti, long before the government of the United States recognized it as a nation. Unfortunately, the nation of Haiti has not fared well, suffering dictatorial governments, bruising poverty, and I might add, little or no help- and sometimes harm- from its huge northern neighbor. And the news of today’s earthquake is heart wrenching. As I said, I can empathize having seen my beloved city of New Orleans face an unprecedented disaster, and yet this is oh so much worse. I hope that if you have stuck with me this far, you will do whatever you can to help the citizens of Haiti now. I’ve listed below a few organizations that are on the front lines helping. Doctors without Borders Habitat for Humanity Oxfam The Clinton Foundation Yele Haiti Also, you may text "Yele" to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the...
read moreKing’s Day, King Cakes and the Beginning of Carnival Season
King’s day- the Feast of the Epiphany- marks the beginning of Carnival season when King Cakes grace every table in New Orleans.
read moreHarry Shearer Interviews Army Corps of Engineer’s Whistle Blower
Once again, I am so grateful for Harry Shearer's continuing to shine the spotlight on post flood New Orleans, and the ongoing issues the city faces, even when most of the country has seemed to move on. Here is an excellent interview he did this weekend with Maria Garzino, a whistle blower within the Army Corps of Engineers. I especially hope all of you who still refer to the destruction of New Orleans as a "natural disaster" will listen. Ciao, Gisele, born in the now still mostly deserted 7th Ward of New...
read moreOff to Dillard University
A farewell to my young cousin as he goes off to historic Dillard university in New Orleans.
read moreNew Orleans 4 Years Later
This weekend marks the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s hit on the Gulf Coast, and today the 4th anniversary of New Orleans’ awakening, in spite of being spared a direct hit, to being flooded by the effects of waters surging up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. And this week marks the 4th year since the startling “Third World” images were broadcast across our airwaves from one of our nation’s most beloved cities.
read moreMs. Leah Chase Receives Another Lifetime Acheivement Award
Ms. Chase, whose name readers of this blog are familiar with, was given another lifetime achievement award this month- this time from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans (she had previously received one from the Southern Foodways Alliance) . When I mentioned it to my uncle he responded, "it's no wonder-she's important to that city and its food reputation." I might also add that she is such an inspiration to so many, working tirelessly for what she believes in, and always very gracious and accessible to all. Here's a clip from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum's latest newsletter. This past month, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum hosted its gala in honor of Leah Chase. During the dedication ceremony, Leah's granddaughter pointed out that Leah never lets the bad (Katrina) or the good (awards and honors) stop her from continuing along her path. To drive the idea home, she ended her speech with a message to her grandmother, in words that Leah must often use, regarding the gallery named after her at SoFAB. "Grandma, this is great. We knew you could do it. We are proud of you. Now let's move on." Next post I'll share with you what Ms. Chase had to say to me about the differences between Cajun and Creole food the last time I spoke with her. You'll love it, so tune...
read moreChoices
I wrote earlier about meeting Misty in the French Quarter at En Vie. She gave me her phone number, so I called her again towards the end of my trip. She asked how I had enjoyed my visit. I shared with her that it had been somewhat difficult for me. She said "New Orleans tests you if you want to live here." Indeed. I say she's a tough mistress. Charming and beautiful, but petulant and demanding. She’s difficult, and entrenched in her ways, but her allure is undeniable. She gets her hooks in you, and doesn’t let go. Misty suggested I just sit back and let things happen when I expressed my frustration to her. How differently people there approach things. Here in Los Angeles everyone is into making things happen, “creating","manifesting” their own reality. They believe in attracting everything to themselves that they need or want. I’ve even heard the suggestion that you can change things in your life in an instant by changing your mind, making a choice. But in New Orleans, people have squarely hit against forces they cannot control. I remember using the phrase “ever since they started trying to tame the river” in the presence of my friend Jerry, a fellow expatriate of NOLA. What exactly I was discussing, I don’t remember, but I was, no doubt, showing off my newly learned knowledge after reading RISING TIDE: THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI FLOOD OF 1927 AND HOW IT CHANGED AMERICA , and learning a great deal about the history of the Army Corps of Engineers’ flawed attempts at flood control in the region. Jerry let out a hearty guffaw. “You can’t control that river.” And so it’s true. The river is mighty- wild and powerful- and a force beyond our control, as it keeps reminding us. I talked to a friend last week who asked about my trip. Once again, I found myself saying to someone, that it was “somewhat difficult.” I started in, relating to her the various moods I’ve encountered in NOLA during my trips since the flood. The celebratory mood at the homecoming to the first Mardi Gras PK, the realization of the hard realities they were hitting a year later, and the entrenched discouragement of this trip, in spite of small and individual successes. “I was reading something about New Orleans the other day” she said. “The article said the city isn’t coming back, that whole neighborhoods are still empty.” “It’s not true. It is coming back” I responded. “Some neighborhoods are back and doing well. Some are not. But it all depends now on the choices they make.” Yes-choices. While choices are important in creating our reality-and when I think about Ray Nagin (hmmm-maybe it would be good if they kept him in China) I realize it’s something the people of New Orleans need to consider very seriously- the rest of us can learn from them that we cannot control every force. We learn that we must live in balance, that we must make good and proper choices to live harmoniously with those forces, and that our good and proper choices must still sometimes inevitably yield to forces beyond our control Okay- I promise we'll get back to food and fun next time. Ciao,...
read moreTreeless Leeves- The Army Corps Is At It Again
Army Corps orders thousands of trees chopped down Here they go again. The Army Corps of Engineers’ track record when it comes to flood control along the Mississippi has been disastrous. Remember the drowning of New Orleans. Here’s a clue- it wasn’t the natural disaster Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city. Just a couple of months before the post-Katrina flooding of NOLA, I finished reading a book I highly recommend to everyone. RISING TIDE: THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI FLOOD OF 1927 AND HOW IT CHANGED AMERICA by John Barry is, among other things, a history of the flawed policies regarding flood control in the Mississippi Delta. It’s a book that took Mr. Barry 20 years to write, and although it is history, it reads like a novel. I highly recommend it to anyone who ever wondered how it was that New Orleans found itself in the position it did in late August of 2005. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand New Orleans. You’ll also come away learning much about this country, and how things work in the corridors of power, just in case you didn’t know already. And now, I read today the article linked to above on the latest pursuits of the Army Corps. Please read it (and seriously-pick up Rising Tide) and then do whatever you can to get the word out about this, and hopefully stop it. Do we really need, in a world threatened by global warming, to have our government destroy thousands of trees (many old growth) across the country? Please take action now! ...
read moreThe Chinese in New Orleans and Yaka Mein
Yaka Mein – chasing down the origins of a New Orleans favorite with Chinese roots
read moreArriving at Dooky Chase’s and Who’s Your People?
I walked in the door to be greeted by a small man in a baseball cap and slightly rumpled shirt grinning toothlessly at me and family friend Lloyd Gonzalez. Lloyd introduced me to him. "Perez- I know some Perez's" he said. I would never have dreamed that this was Dooky Chase, owner and namesake of this well known restaurant.- a porter maybe, or a dishwasher. Hey, but that's how the Chase's are, so humble, approachable and accesible to everyone. "Emmanuel Perez" Dooky continued. I demurred, not connecting the name to myself. "Yeah- that's your uncle" LLoyd piped in. "Manuel". Oh Manuel, I thought. Now where in the world could you walk in a door, and have someone connect you to, and accept you as one of their own through your father's uncle who has been dead for over 60 years? Emmanuel- until my brother Eric recently sent me biographical material he had unearthed on Uncle Manuel, I had not even known his naem was Emmanuel. Uncle Manuel-Manuel Perez – the legendary New Orleans trumpet player, who I had once heard Louis Armstrong say he followed around as a child. Lloyd dropped another name or two as the conversation continued- Ann DuPlessis (Du PLessis is my mother's maiden name)- currently a New Orleans councilwoman, who I know nothing about. Just a name I'd come across in newspaper articles after Katrina, along with Llopeis, another of my ancestral names. All these " perhaps" relatives I've never met. Even Leah Chase is related to my mother somehow we figured out afer my last visit. As we left Dooky we were still discussing origins, and Dooky was still calling off family names and their connections to each other. That's New Orleans- who's your mama? Ciao,...
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