During my interview project, I had the chance to interview the talented Tom Havey from krewe group “Skinz n Bonez.” From interviewing him I learned a lot about his occupation and his personal thoughts on (COVID-19). Together we discussed the importance on staying home and what the parading culture will look like in the near future. Throughout analyzing my personal interview, I learned that a major topic that was repeated during our conversation was on the emotional reaction and impact of the coronavirus crisis. I was able to listen to other interviews and gain other perspectives of similar ideas being shared on this specific crisis. 

On April 9th, 2020 I interviewed musician Tom Harvey from krewe of “Skinz n Bonez.” This krewe is a Mardi Gras drum core. In addition to parading with them he also has been parading with St. Anne for the pass 20 years. When it comes to the corona virus, Mr. Harvey’s krewe has been negatively impacted because most of the members are self-employed. Mr. Harvey explains that due to the virus he has been home all month. They are musicians and with large gatherings being banned they can not make any money. Tom Harvey states, “You are only two pay checks from being homeless and I think a lot of people are starting to realize it” (Harvey). He elaborates on the fact that some people aren’t getting paid, which is a huge issue.

COVID-19 is impacting parading culture in a difficult manner. After interviewing Tom Harvey, who is involved with the krewe of “Skinz n Bonez” it is safe to say that COVID-19 has taken New Orleanians by storm. It has put many parades to a halt and also put many people out of commission to work. Tom Harvey is a musician and due to large public gatherings being banned he can not preform with is krewe. He explained that it is important to be practicing social distancing because the more cases the longer we are stuck in our homes. Mr. Harvey believed during times like this it is important to stay together and stay united. My interviewee expressed that we should reach out to our loved ones and make sure they are taken care of. Many people are getting sick and it is overall important to stay safe and clear from danger. For community service Skinz n Bonz are making mask for people who are in the hospital. He quotes, “Parading culture just really helps unify people which is absolutely wonderful and really fun.” Mr. Harvey turley cares for his community and he hopes to get back out and do what he loves. 

When it comes to Mardi Gras parading, there are always criticism associated with the throws culture.  More specifically, environmentalist continue to opine on the hazards of using tons of plastic beads and the ongoing lack of effort to address the environmental problem for New Orleans. Of great concern is the fact that throwaway throws, at the time, were not biodegradable. Despite the lack of biodegradability, paraders are permitted to liter the streets with them and ultimately clog the sewers and enter the water way systems. To address this concern, groups have formed in New Orleans that are looking to recycle and to find a way to reuse plastic beads.

In the article, “Krewe Moving Away From All the Throwaway Throws” by UptownMessenger, many reasonable solutions to the issue were addressed. Ideas such as using glass beads or natural stones so that there is more value to the beads rather than just throwing them. Muses Krewe has always supported the idea of using throws, that you can use in everyday life, rather than just beads. Muses founder Staci Rosenberg states, “from soap to earbuds, socks to water bottles, luggage tags to pens and notebooks, bandanas to scarves, Muses has been a leader in throwing functional items every year, along with those that are cherished, and worn or displayed.” These are alternative options for throws which reduces the amount of plastic beads on the ground in New Orleans. 

I personally like the idea of alternative throws because it helps decrease the amount of waste in the city and it gives parade participates other things to cherish or wear. For the overall solution of reducing the tons of waste left after Mardi Gras celebrations, I believe that Krewes and community organizations should continue combing their resources to create recycling programs that focus on cleaning the city. Krewes should also be more aware of the environmental issues and be more cautious of New Orleans drainage systems.

Recently, the United States and most of the world, has been shutdown due to the spread of a new disease called coronavirus or (COVID-19). Coronavirus is a disease that causes severe respiratory problems with symptoms such as cough, fever, and difficult breathing. This virus has actually taken the world by storm and has increased mortality rates. With coronavirus being out, people have been told to practice social distancing and washing hands thoroughly to help protect themselves from the disease. Being that the virus is almost everywhere  the U.S. it has been adversely effecting events in major cities. 

Recently, I left Louisiana because universities have been closed in an attempt to suppress the spread of the virus. In Louisiana, which had a strong parading culture, the possible impact of the virus would be to halt public gatherings, such as parading. If the the coronavirus is not eradicated by next Mardi Gras season, it can have a huge financial impact on how much money New Orleans would accumulate and alter the cultural and social norms of the state. The virus would result in a cancellation of parading all together or a reduction in the number of people participating in New Orleans parading events. People would become more conscious about who they’re around and not wanting to get sick. I think that people would not want to come out their house because people travel from many places and there is no telling who may be infected.  Certain Krewe organizations probably would not want to participate in events because they are out all day around people who may have the disease. At the end of the day it is a huge risk and on top of that you could lose your life.

Hopefully, the virus will be quelled so Louisiana parading tradition can continue. However, if the virus is still as serious issue without a cure in 2021, Luisiana may have to consider virtual parading options.

On February 16, 2020, I attended the Mardi Gras Indian practice in Handa Wanda, New Orleans. I attended this event with Professor Helm and four young ladies from my class. When we arrived at the designated meeting area, we were amused as there were 6 people hoping to enter a  five- seater car. Without hesitation, I volunteered to get in the trunk so it would not be an uncomfortable ride for the ladies. As a safety precaution, I did politely ask Professor Helm to drive slowly. I specifically emphasized that I hoped she would take it easy when going over any speed bumps because I could feel all the  bumps and cracks in the road. Happily, we had smoothe and safe ride to the location.

Once we arrived it looked as if we were entering someone’s home but we weren’t. From the outside of the building you could hear music playing. When we got to the door we were surrounded by many people and could hear the voice of the main person singing a traditional Indian song called “Indian Red.” Once entering the place, I could quickly tell the place was more of a restaurant and a bar combination. The tables had been moved out of the way and there was just a crowd of people standing in a circle near the stage, all tuned into the performance.  It seemed like this event had many spectators who live nearby in the area. There were at least seventy people in the building. The building had two floors and there was not enough room for us to stand near the stage so we ended up going to the top floor to watch the performance from there. The demographics of the crowd was primarily black, but there was a good amount of white people in attendance too. The people represented a wide range of ages; however, an older group of men seemed to be in charge of the practice.

Once the music completely stopped, we started to go back downstairs and we decided that we wanted to talk to the lead singer of the practice. There were lots of people who also wanted to talk to him. As I listened to the conversations in the crowd and saw the great appreciation for the event, I quickly realized that lots of people admire this man. I also noted that he was an influencer for many people at the event. We patiently waited our turn and once he started talking to us he gave us advice and shared important Mardi Gras facts. He also told us why he does this type of work. He shared that he was the lead vocalist for one of the parades and loves what he does. He gave us words of advice and encouragement that included live-time advice. He even extended an open invitation to join him Mardi Gras morning in a parade. He also talked about his costume for Mardi Gras and explained the months of hard work he put into making that costume. He spoke of his deep love for what he does and  how he enjoyed inspiring the youth. The Mardi Gras Indian practice was an event I would never forget because I learned so much about New Orleans culture and traditions through this experience.

On February 9, 2020 I attended the Krewe du Vieux and Krewe deLusion, which took place in the French Quarter. This was the first parade I attended in New Orleans. This parade was very close to bourbon, so there were endless people out having a great time. When we first arrived to the parade we had a hard time finding the route because there were so many people. I actually lost a couple of my friends in the crowds. Once we found the proper location, I noticed that the audience of the crowd was mainly older adults. Once the parades started coming through I realized the reason. 

In this specific parade the floats had a sex related theme to them. There were many people who were half naked participating in this parade. The floats themselves were also just highly inappropriate, but in a humourous way. This was the reason for why it was mainly older adults in the crowds viewing this parade. I was very appalled to see all of this because everyone was acting like nothing was wrong and enjoying themselves. I personally had many mixed emotions, but they were mainly good feelings. It was a very enjoyable parade to witness. Since this was my first parade, this parade caught me off guard. Base off this one parade I thought that most of the parades were going to be inappropriate from there on. I honestly just did not know what to expect. I definitely will be in attendance again next year!     

On February 9, 2020 I attended the parade of Krewe of Nefertiti. This was located in East New Orleans neighboorhood. It had been 28 years since the last time a parade took place in New Orleans East. I attended the event with professor Helm and three other girls from my class. When we first arrived to the actually scene of the parade I realized that the people in attendance of the event were primarily African American. The demographics of the crowd were mainly young children and middle aged black people. Initially we got there early to get a spot before a lot of people came, but upon arrival there was a good amount of people there. There were people were lined up outside on the parade path with lawn chairs ready for it to start.

One thing I can say about this specific parade is that, the audience for the parade was something I have never witnessed before. I am not New Orleans local and I have never really experienced parades before. I am from Washington, D.C. and the only time I really see floats is when a local sports team won a championship.

The overall vibe of the event was bright. The crowd was cheering on the performers and celebrating. I could tell that people were just very happy to be there. Even though I am not from New Orleans, I felt as if I was welcomed into the community. People were engaging in conversation with me about their lives and sharing their favorite Mardi Gras moments. It was something I have never experienced before, there was a strong culture bond within New Orleans. I wished D.C. had similar events back at home because watching the audience enjoy their time made me happy. 

Blog #2

On January 3, 2020, two guest speakers came to my class to speak on behalf of their organizations that are affiliated with the parades within Mardi Gras. The first guest speaker was apart of an organization called “Baby Dolls.” She gave a presentation on the history of Baby Dolls and why they were important to culture in Louisiana. She went on to explain why Baby Dolls dress the way they do and their motives for being apart of Mardi Gras. The second guest speaker was apart of huge Mardi Gras organization, which was called “Zulu.” Zulu was a krewe that consist of over a thousand of members. Our guest speaker explain that Zulu members have a specific look while they are marching in the parades. They paint their faces black and paint one eye white. He explained that this was before blackface was a prominent issue. He enriched us with important information and background about this krewe so we know before Mardi Gras comes around. 

A couple things I was surprised about with these organizations was how much was going on behind the scenes. I was not aware of the amount of krewes in Mardi Gras. I always thought it was whoever wanted to be in the parade could be in the parade. I also was surprised about the amount of money that goes into just being a member of one krewe in Mardi Gras. With the Baby Dolls they choose wisely who they want to be in their krewe and they do this with interviews. I did not realize how serious these organizations are. Even with the Zulu krewe there are positions and the higher the position, the more responsibility. Ultimately they are doing this for joy, but the culture is deeper than I personally expected. 

Blog #1

When taking part in class interviews, I learned a lot more about Mardi Gras in New Orleans. From the neighborhood gatherings to continued traditions throughout multiple years. Something huge that I learned is that Mardi Gras is deeper than I originally  thought. I believed it was all about floats and overall just celebrating. In some cases it holds those characteristics, but it also embodies traits of bringing people together and being with the ones you love. 

Being from Washington D.C., I have only experienced marches and parades for sports teams. D.C. has a unique culture too, but we do not have a whole city shutdown for it. I want to gain knowledge on the history of Mardi Gras and how it originated. I have never participated in Mardi Gras and I hope to learned more about the traditions.