New Orleans’ Return To Cultural Parades Is A Step Toward Healing In The South
New Orleans was a hotspot for COVID-19 cases and deaths at the start of the pandemic and many of the attractions that bring people in from across the region – from Jazz Fest to the bustling bar scene on Bourbon Street – were halted. But an event last month offered a glimmer of a hope for a return to normalcy.
New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Indians held a second line funeral, a parade for family, friends and strangers to honor local icon Keelian Boyd, otherwise known as Big Chief Dump, of the Young Maasai Hunters tribe. He died from heart failure March 28, 2021.
It was one of the first major Mardi Gras Indian burials and parades since the city shut down.
New Orleans is now in modified Phase 3, where social distancing and masks are still required, but gatherings of 500 people and live music are permitted. City officials say second line parades are only allowed with permits.
“During this pandemic, this is like one of the first big culture events, so it’s like bringing a family together,” said Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste, of the Yellow Pocahontas tribe.
See more photos and read the full story from our partners at WWNO here.
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between WBHM, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WWNO in New Orleans and NPR.
Watching a neighbor’s cat turns lethal in ‘Caught Stealing’
Darren Aronofsky's film is a funny, bloody valentine to 1990s New York City. Though awfully engrossing, Caught Stealing's mix of rambunctious slapstick and bone-crunching violence doesn't always gel.
Hundreds of South Koreans are among 475 detained in a Georgia immigration raid
"The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed," a foreign ministry spokesman said after about 300 South Koreans were detained.
Four Democratic senators urge Smithsonian to resist White House attempts to ‘bully the institution’
Sen. Alex Padilla of California and three other Democrats are reminding the Smithsonian's secretary that the institution "is the responsibility of Congress."
Greetings from Guhagar, India, where newly hatched turtles get some help into the sea
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Israel is blasting through Gaza City neighborhoods, but people have nowhere to go
Israel's military says it has gained "operational control" of 40% of Gaza City and plans to intensify its attacks in a large-scale ground offensive to fully occupy the city.
Horror, rom-coms and ‘Hamilton’ are all in theaters this weekend
This weekend, Hamilton is in theaters in honor of its anniversary, a new Conjuring horror film opens, and Dylan O'Brien stars in a twisty story about grief.
