Fat Tuesday In Post-Katrina New Orleans

When you get to New Orleans, you gotta go see the Mardi Gras. And when you get to the Mardi Gras, you gotta see the Zulu King down on Rampart and Dumaine...

Today New Orleans will celebrate it's annual Mardi Gras celebration, and for the first time in my life I'll be riding a float with the infamous Zulus, a social and pleasure club that has gained international recognition over the years.

The entire experience will be bitter sweet for me. On the one hand,  I'm fulfilling a childhood dream--riding a float on Mardi Gras day! When I was kid growing up in the projects, I imagined being up there on a float, tossing beads and cups to hundreds of screaming tourists. Now that it's my time, I can't help but marvel at the idea, but mourn for the many Hurricane Katrina victims who are still struggling to return to the city. And for many others who have already returned, it's been tough and tumultuous.

My aunt, who was displaced to Atlanta after the hurricane, tried to move back to the city, but just couldn't make it work. Housing is ridiculously high and jobs are scarce. Although my aunt wanted to be close to her family, Atlanta offered her better opportunities for growth. Her story mirrors the experience of many Katrina evacuees who have faced many challenges in post-Katrina reconstruction. The homeless situation is simply out of control as well. The city government decided to tear down the housing projects that were home to many of the city's poor and underprivileged.

Recently, I had to drive to New Orleans (I now reside in Baton Rouge, an hour outside of the Crescent city), to pick up my beads and cups from the Zulu Social Club. As I was driving into the city, I passed the Claiborne Bridge and saw hundreds of people living under the bridge. They had made the bridge their home with tents and beds. It was really sad and depressing.

The Claiborne Bridge did and still does hold special, historical significance for African Americans in the city during Mardi Gras. Back during Jim Crow days, blacks were not allowed to celebrate Mardi Gras with their white brothers and sisters. Therefore, Zulu was incorporated to celebrate African culture and give blacks in the city a parade of their own. The Claiborne Bridge was a meeting place to catch the parade. Families would arrive early in the morning, barbecuing and preparing food for the day's festivities. Although the Zulus are now celebrated  by all cultures and races, the community event underneath the Claiborne Bridge still lives on today. I wondered how it would look to the tourists to see all those people living under the bridge in a city that's partying and letting the good times roll.

Maybe it will bring attention to the ongoing problems facing Katrina evacuees? I don't know what will happen in the days to come, but I do know that we can not celebrate Mardi Gras without taking a moment to acknowledge those who are suffering and struggling to regain their lives after Katrina.

For me, writing about this experience is my way of coping with this dilemma. And on Mardi Gras Day when my float passes the Claiborne Bridge, I have special treats and throws for the people under the bridge. I know treats and throws wont erase the pain or lessen their hardships, but maybe for a moment it can help them forget their problems and troubles.