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[cool, light jazz tune playing]
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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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- [jazzy music fades]
- [streetcar rattling on tracks]
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- [birds singing]
- [bell tolling in distance]
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[insects chirring]
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{\an8}[paint spraying]
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[trumpet playing in distance]
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{\an8}- [overlapping conversations]
- [brass instruments warming up]
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[excited chatter and laughter]
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{\an8}[brass band playing energetic tune]
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[man] The name of this organization is
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the Zulu Social Aid
& Pleasure Club, Incorporated.
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The dues cost too much,
in my opinion, but...
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- [man 2] You gotta pay to play.
- [man 3] Oh Lord!
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[man] Man, look...
We are the dues-paying members.
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But go outside them gates, man.
Zulu is owned by everybody.
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Everybody here feels a part of us.
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But ain't no question about
what the soul of Mardi Gras is.
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Ain't no question about the crowds
that are out there to see us.
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There wouldn't be no Mardi Gras
without Zulu.
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[man 4] I'm throwing things
from the back of the float.
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Beads and everything.
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I miss my own children by a second.
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The float passed 'em up
because I couldn't see.
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It's like looking at shag carpet.
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"You looked right at me.
You looked right..."
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- Man, it's a sea of faces.
- That's what everybody say. I looked!
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- "You looked right at me!"
- [man 5] How much you had to drink?
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- [man 4] Huh?
- How much you had to drink?
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[man 3] Hey! Hold on.
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I know my own children!
I don't care how much I had to drink.
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But let's get it clear.
There is no drinkin' on the float.
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First of all,
there is no drinkin' on the float.
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It's just so many people,
you can't see, I think.
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- [man 5] Right.
- [group laughs]
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- That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
- [man 4] Wait, no.
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[group laughs]
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A three-year-old goes his whole life
seeing Zulu.
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Zulu King from 30 years from now,
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he's on a parade route somewhere saying,
"I wanna be that guy on the float."
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And that's the magic of this whole thing.
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The energy that Zulu brings
cannot be matched.
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When Zulu come through,
it's a spiritual experience.
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That's the only way you can put it.
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[raucous brassy fanfare playing]
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[cheering and whooping]
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[excited shouting]
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[festive marching band tune fades]
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[motor starts]
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{\an8}♪ Every year at Carnival time ♪
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{\an8}♪ We make a new suit ♪
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♪ Ah ♪
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♪ Red, yellow, green, purple, or blue ♪
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♪ We make a new suit ♪
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[motor turns off]
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[seabirds calling]
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How many people you got
comin' from out of town?
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I got about...
eight or nine comin' from California.
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And about six comin' from, uh, Texas.
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Ah, this'll be my last fishin' trip
until Mardi Gras season is over.
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Shit, I got to get ready for the ball.
Got to get the coconuts ready.
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Got to... [groans]
...a lot of sh... a lot of stuff to do, man.
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Got a lot of stuff to do.
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Come on, suckas.
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Get some nice, juicy shrimp.
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I'm... I'm way different
than a person that grew up in DC or LA
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or anywhere else
in the United States, y'know?
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We're the most Afro-Caribbean place
in the United States.
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We cook different.
We eat different. We talk different.
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I don't walk around,
"How's it going, guy?"
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I never had the desire
to speak the Queen's English.
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I wanted to speak like a New Orleanian.
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And that's something
I never wanted to change.
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- [man] Ooh, yeah.
- [both laugh]
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[speaking indistinctly]
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[Terrence] At least we can say
we caught a fish.
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I joined Zulu because I wanted my children
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to understand how special
their culture is.
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Ever since Katrina,
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I think Zulu has, uh... become
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the foremost, uh,
leading krewe in the city.
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'Cause we were one of the first to say
we want to come back post-Katrina.
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And I think that set the tone
for the city.
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And we held that rightful place
ever since.
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{\an8}["Hey Pocky A-way" by The Meters playing]
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[whistle blowing]
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Zulu coconuts!
Get your coconuts over here!
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Mardi Gras wouldn't be Mardi Gras
without a coconut.
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♪ Feel-good music ♪
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♪ I've been told... ♪
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[woman] Carnival was a magical time
for a child growin' up in New Orleans.
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You know, Zulu was the parade
you were lookin' forward to,
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you know, on, um, Carnival mornin'.
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[man 1] There was always
this mythical thing.
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Uh, we knew they existed,
that they had this all-Black krewe
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and they gave coconuts.
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And we imagined
that if we got to see them,
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that they would see us
and throw us all their shit, right?
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[crowd cheering]
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♪ Hey, pocky a-way... ♪
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[man 2] It is as synonymous
with New Orleans
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as is gumbo,
the streetcar, and the French Quarter.
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I mean, Zulu is New Orleans.
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So, I don't remember
when I was much younger,
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but I do remember bein' out there,
shaving them coconuts.
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♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
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♪ Hey, pocky a-way... ♪
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It was all of our family and friends,
everybody outside, barbecuing.
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Early in the mornin'.
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I didn't know why we were barbecuin'
at 5:00 and 6:00 in the mornin'.
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But we were waitin' on Zulu to come,
which would never come on time.
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Which would be late.
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[crowd chanting]
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[man] ♪ Yeah, early in the mornin'
'Bout a quarter to three... ♪
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And then when Zulu began to pass,
I remember runnin' down to Orleans Avenue.
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[crowd chanting]
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[man] ♪ A fine place with fine wine... ♪
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[man 1] We have a hot,
funky, rip-roarin' good time.
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But we also work hard and do a lot.
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And I think that helps to solidify
the love that this community has.
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We give away hundreds of bikes
every Christmas.
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Uh, uh... thousands of dollars'
worth of, uh...
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- [man 2] Food.
- Of food and scholarships.
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It's our city, man.
And what better thing to do
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with your funds or your time
than to give back to the people
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who stand out there on Mardi Gras mornin'
to see us go down the street?
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What I experience when I come here
is being able to be my authentic self
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and that be okay.
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I don't have to code switch.
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You can come here and talk
to an elected official that's on high,
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or talk to a person
that is a public service worker
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that keeps our streets clean.
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But we're all equal here.
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And I think there's power in erasing
socioeconomic status and title
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and comin' together as Black men.
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[man 3] Zulu was originally
a second line organization.
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'Kay? You know, the first line
is the family and et cetera.
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What these guys got together,
the social... we socialized.
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Aid is when a family couldn't pay
for a person to be buried,
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like benevolent.
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So this is what we did.
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So we help each other,
in the community, supporting.
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You couldn't pay your bills
you ain't had something to eat,
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you couldn't bury your friend,
all these brothers was considered
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as a social aid and pleasure club.
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[band playing solemn funeral march]
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[woman] Social aid and pleasure clubs
were groups that provided insurance
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{\an8}because the white folks wouldn't bury us.
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{\an8}And so this was how,
um, we buried one another.
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[brass band playing solemn, rhythmic tune]
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[man 4] Our mission
was to take care of one another,
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{\an8}take care of the sick, take care of the...
our bereaved family at the time of death.
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So when a member passes away,
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we give them a proper burial,
proper closure,
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and we call that a jazz funeral.
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[drumline playing]
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[Rodney Jr.] And then second linin',
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dancin', celebratin' that brother
to the cemetery
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and layin' 'em to rest.
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[band playing high-energy jazz music]
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[Terrence] Every member looks forward
to the jazz funeral when they pass.
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{\an8}And... and I think that's funny.
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{\an8}You know you're gonna be taken care of
when you close your eyes.
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[boisterous jazz music playing]
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Over time, the act of the second line
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has been separated
from the act of the funeral
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and to become its own thing
and just, you know,
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a way of callin' up the joy
whenever you want to,
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you know, even if there's not
a particular life that you are honoring.
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You're honoring all of life.
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[lively jazz music continues]
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{\an8}This is a culture that dates
all the way back, as we know, to slavery.
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{\an8}- [interviewer] Yeah.
- Congo Square.
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Sundays was our day off,
so we'd get in our best rags,
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our best clothing,
and we'd come out and we'd, what?
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We celebrate what we do. This is us.
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[playing along with drumline]
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[up-tempo music fades out]
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[Terrence] Growin' up in Louisiana,
you're constantly reminded of the past.
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That's a plantation.
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I... I am a sixth-generation New Orleanian.
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I can trace my...
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my mother's family lineage
back to slavery.
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At one point in my life, I looked
at being the descendant of a slave
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as something negative,
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whereas today I'm proud
to say that I'm a descendant.
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That... that's one of the main reasons
I joined Zulu, to experience the culture,
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learn about the culture,
and... and embrace it.
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- Wait, how to start it?
- [man] Up. Look to your left.
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{\an8}- Yeah, right here.
- Go up to your left.
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{\an8}- Right here. All right.
- Yeah. Uh-huh.
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[projector whirring]
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- [Charles] That's Christmas.
- [Terrence] Yeah, that's Christmas.
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[Charles] So...
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That's Ms. Evelyn, Riley's wife.
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Vernon, Ms. Joyce.
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- Joyce, Vernon's wife?
- [both] Uh-huh.
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[Charles] Yeah, that was Terrence.
Right there.
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- Mm.
- I... I was preschool right then.
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So I'm four years old.
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And although that party was goin' on,
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me and all my cousins
and friends was in another room.
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[Barbara] Right.
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00:13:33,771 --> 00:13:36,773
- We weren't allowed to mingle with adults.
- To socialize. That's right.
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00:13:36,774 --> 00:13:41,946
And if adults was having a conversation,
children wasn't allowed to be in the room.
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What I liked about back then,
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everybody was dressed to the nine,
their shoes was shined.
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But that's the beauty
of growing up in New Orleans, man.
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We always celebrating. We enjoy life.
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And back then,
Black people were catchin' hell.
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But yet, they found a way
to enjoy themselves.
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00:14:02,633 --> 00:14:05,677
- ["Ooh Poo Pah Doo" playing]
- ♪ Ooh, yeah! ♪
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00:14:05,678 --> 00:14:09,514
♪ Ooh, yeah! ♪
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00:14:09,515 --> 00:14:12,810
♪ I wanna tell you 'bout ooh poo pah doo ♪
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♪ Baby, call me the most ♪
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00:14:17,731 --> 00:14:19,733
♪ Ooh poo pah doo ♪
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00:14:20,943 --> 00:14:23,195
♪ Baby, call me the most ♪
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00:14:25,447 --> 00:14:27,156
♪ And I won't stop tryin' ♪
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00:14:27,157 --> 00:14:30,452
♪ Till I create disturbance in your mind ♪
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00:14:31,579 --> 00:14:33,873
♪ Oh, ooh poo pah doo ♪
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00:14:35,541 --> 00:14:37,835
♪ Baby, call me the most ♪
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♪ Ah, yeah, right now! ♪
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- [Terrence] I think that's nursery school.
- [Barbara] Yeah.
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00:14:46,969 --> 00:14:50,681
[Terrence] They used to have a pageant.
You'd get to be the King of Zulu.
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00:14:51,515 --> 00:14:52,599
You know, when I grew up,
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00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,436
it was Disney characters
that had kings and princesses.
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00:14:56,437 --> 00:15:01,734
And Zulu, to me, allowed
a Black man an opportunity to be a king.
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00:15:03,903 --> 00:15:09,116
'Bout 19... I think that's probably, like,
1968 when we first moved in this house.
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00:15:10,367 --> 00:15:15,288
[Charles] Well, then the neighborhood was...
predominantly white when we moved in.
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00:15:15,289 --> 00:15:16,289
[Terrence] Yeah.
232
00:15:16,290 --> 00:15:20,878
And we was the second Black family
to move into this neighborhood.
233
00:15:21,921 --> 00:15:25,673
And... that's how they got to go
to that particular school
234
00:15:25,674 --> 00:15:28,510
because it was a neighborhood school.
235
00:15:32,014 --> 00:15:35,976
Their principal wanted to tell me
they could not attend that school.
236
00:15:36,477 --> 00:15:39,395
And I told her,
"I tell you what, if they won't attend,
237
00:15:39,396 --> 00:15:41,689
you won't be a principal either."
238
00:15:41,690 --> 00:15:42,857
And I stayed there.
239
00:15:42,858 --> 00:15:46,320
I said, "And you're gonna register them,
and I'm not leavin'."
240
00:15:49,365 --> 00:15:50,616
[projector switch clicks]
241
00:15:51,784 --> 00:15:53,743
And she said, "My daddy is a judge."
242
00:15:53,744 --> 00:15:57,790
I said, "Mine is a longshoreman.
And I'll be right here."
243
00:15:58,499 --> 00:16:00,959
And I said, "Let me tell you something.
I know you."
244
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,712
I said, "Your husband is
the part owner of the grocery store,
245
00:16:04,713 --> 00:16:09,009
right in front of the place
where I grew up."
246
00:16:10,010 --> 00:16:13,430
I said, "And I know
he was a racist just like you."
247
00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:19,394
I said, "And I'm not gonna allow you
to do that to my child
248
00:16:19,395 --> 00:16:24,107
because if I allow you to do it to mine,
that will hurt the other ones."
249
00:16:24,108 --> 00:16:25,483
[gentle music playing]
250
00:16:25,484 --> 00:16:28,404
I said, "My mama was born in 1920."
251
00:16:29,113 --> 00:16:31,365
"And I was born in 1941."
252
00:16:31,865 --> 00:16:34,117
"Her father wanted better for her."
253
00:16:34,118 --> 00:16:36,912
"And I sure in hell
want better for my children."
254
00:16:37,496 --> 00:16:40,331
And that's how my kids got in that school.
255
00:16:40,332 --> 00:16:43,168
[reflective music playing]
256
00:16:54,346 --> 00:16:57,932
[Barbara] The first time
I went to Zulu, at that time,
257
00:16:57,933 --> 00:17:02,729
they was only allowed to be
at the foot of the Canal Street ferry.
258
00:17:02,730 --> 00:17:04,313
And when I saw the Zulu,
259
00:17:04,314 --> 00:17:08,152
with all of that black stuff
over their face, I cried.
260
00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:10,236
I couldn't believe it.
261
00:17:10,237 --> 00:17:13,448
- That's what she brought me to see.
- [interviewer] So why'd you cry?
262
00:17:13,449 --> 00:17:16,951
'Cause I thought I was gonna see
something pretty, and it was ugly.
263
00:17:16,952 --> 00:17:19,537
To me, all that black stuff on their face.
264
00:17:19,538 --> 00:17:20,955
It had...
265
00:17:20,956 --> 00:17:26,003
The nose was black, the white stuff
on either side of their eye.
266
00:17:27,421 --> 00:17:29,756
- [interviewer] What did it remind you of?
- Huh?
267
00:17:29,757 --> 00:17:33,552
- [interviewer] What did it remind you of?
- How they imitated Black people.
268
00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,018
{\an8}Back in the 1900s,
the rules are you have to mask.
269
00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:43,227
{\an8}That's what you have to do.
270
00:17:43,228 --> 00:17:46,732
{\an8}Every organization
wears a mask during Mardi Gras.
271
00:17:47,232 --> 00:17:50,151
But back in those days,
African-American men
272
00:17:50,152 --> 00:17:52,028
could not legally wear a mask.
273
00:17:52,029 --> 00:17:54,739
So that's where
we came up with the blackface,
274
00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:56,699
the white eye, and the white mouth.
275
00:17:56,700 --> 00:18:00,620
Some say that is a mockery,
but that is not what we're out here to do.
276
00:18:00,621 --> 00:18:04,499
We're here to...
to represent our organization and mask.
277
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:06,834
Who was that lady
I saw you with this afternoon?
278
00:18:06,835 --> 00:18:10,338
[laughs, in exaggerated accent]
That was no lady. That's my wife!
279
00:18:10,339 --> 00:18:11,882
[audience laughs]
280
00:18:13,175 --> 00:18:15,843
[man] Before we could even get out
to represent ourselves,
281
00:18:15,844 --> 00:18:19,097
{\an8}the white supremacist ruling class
were already doing it for us
282
00:18:19,098 --> 00:18:21,265
{\an8}and misrepresenting us through blackface,
283
00:18:21,266 --> 00:18:23,977
{\an8}through their own warped imaginations
of who we were.
284
00:18:24,853 --> 00:18:28,232
{\an8}Ostensibly, you could say
that Zulu were either satirizing
285
00:18:29,024 --> 00:18:32,193
{\an8}the white supremacist capitalist state
that made them have to wear blackface,
286
00:18:32,194 --> 00:18:36,405
or the flip side of it, that maybe
they were reaching and called themselves...
287
00:18:36,406 --> 00:18:39,952
you know, tryin' to connect
with their African roots and culture.
288
00:18:41,495 --> 00:18:44,622
It just speaks really deeply
to the tragedy of how
289
00:18:44,623 --> 00:18:46,958
Black folks have tried to navigate
290
00:18:46,959 --> 00:18:49,836
white supremacist oppression
here in the US.
291
00:18:49,837 --> 00:18:51,922
We have a Zulu King, Ma!
292
00:18:53,006 --> 00:18:56,009
That was a Zulu King
you hit on the head that time.
293
00:18:57,803 --> 00:19:02,474
[man] The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
was formed in 1909.
294
00:19:02,975 --> 00:19:05,977
It had to be some challenging times
295
00:19:05,978 --> 00:19:10,940
{\an8}um, for those men to form an organization
296
00:19:10,941 --> 00:19:14,735
{\an8}to do, um, what was largely disallowed,
297
00:19:14,736 --> 00:19:19,115
and that was Black folk parading through
the streets of the City of New Orleans.
298
00:19:19,116 --> 00:19:20,742
[tense music playing]
299
00:19:22,077 --> 00:19:26,081
Zulu was born
at a most perilous moment in time.
300
00:19:27,124 --> 00:19:30,752
[man] 1915 is considered the year
of the Confederate redemption.
301
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:33,880
Birth of a Nation was released.
302
00:19:33,881 --> 00:19:36,925
It was the beginning
of the resurgence of the Klan.
303
00:19:37,467 --> 00:19:41,429
Race riots in a half a dozen cities,
especially in New Orleans,
304
00:19:41,430 --> 00:19:46,018
began to slam
the integrated racial order that was...
305
00:19:47,728 --> 00:19:50,105
delicate and full of tension.
306
00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:56,069
Before Zulu, Carnival parades
in New Orleans
307
00:19:57,487 --> 00:20:00,407
were by and for white people.
308
00:20:00,949 --> 00:20:04,827
[Mozart's "Piano Concerto No. 21" playing]
309
00:20:04,828 --> 00:20:06,914
[crowd cheering]
310
00:20:07,706 --> 00:20:10,166
[elegant concerto continues]
311
00:20:10,167 --> 00:20:13,921
[Jacques] The white krewes were
basically fake aristocracy.
312
00:20:14,421 --> 00:20:19,717
They created these phony kings and queens
and all of this to validate themselves
313
00:20:19,718 --> 00:20:23,138
in response to the Confederacy's loss
in the Civil War.
314
00:20:34,316 --> 00:20:38,904
They had to restore
some sense of superiority.
315
00:20:39,696 --> 00:20:43,742
The parades and the balls
all reflected that.
316
00:20:46,662 --> 00:20:50,874
Blacks did participate
in the white Mardi Gras parades,
317
00:20:51,875 --> 00:20:53,835
but as flambeau carriers,
318
00:20:55,087 --> 00:21:00,467
to carry a ten-gallon can of kerosene
with a flame on top, on a stick,
319
00:21:01,051 --> 00:21:03,303
as attendants to the horses and mules,
320
00:21:04,179 --> 00:21:08,099
and, of course, to clean up
after the white folks had a good time.
321
00:21:08,100 --> 00:21:10,644
[brass band playing marching tune]
322
00:21:13,397 --> 00:21:14,731
[band music fades]
323
00:21:15,857 --> 00:21:19,151
Everything that whitey did,
and he wouldn't let us do it,
324
00:21:19,152 --> 00:21:21,446
we found a way to do it our own way.
325
00:21:24,658 --> 00:21:26,410
They were parading.
326
00:21:27,452 --> 00:21:30,663
And they didn't have no place,
327
00:21:30,664 --> 00:21:34,251
during those times,
for the Afro-Americans.
328
00:21:36,586 --> 00:21:39,130
They formed their own parade.
329
00:21:39,131 --> 00:21:41,300
Hail King Zulu!
330
00:21:42,342 --> 00:21:45,262
[brass band playing rhythmic march]
331
00:21:46,305 --> 00:21:48,515
We feel great to have this opportunity.
332
00:21:49,016 --> 00:21:50,976
To the great City of New Orleans,
333
00:21:51,476 --> 00:21:55,021
and so proud to see the congregation
out and present today,
334
00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:57,565
and so proud to have this representation.
335
00:21:57,566 --> 00:22:01,694
Hail to the King of the Zulus of 1929,
336
00:22:01,695 --> 00:22:03,362
Sir Wurry Watson!
337
00:22:03,363 --> 00:22:06,073
[crowd cheers]
338
00:22:06,074 --> 00:22:09,368
[man] Zulu was more
than just a social aid and pleasure club.
339
00:22:09,369 --> 00:22:11,996
Zulu was an historical statement
340
00:22:11,997 --> 00:22:14,790
to mock racism
341
00:22:14,791 --> 00:22:17,251
{\an8}during one of the world's largest,
342
00:22:17,252 --> 00:22:20,964
{\an8}most historic cultural celebrations,
Mardi Gras,
343
00:22:21,465 --> 00:22:27,387
{\an8}and to tell the oppressor that...
344
00:22:28,513 --> 00:22:29,889
"Still I ride."
345
00:22:29,890 --> 00:22:32,099
[excited chatter]
346
00:22:32,100 --> 00:22:34,894
- [man 1] Okay, what's up? How you doin'?
- [man 2] Come on, bro.
347
00:22:34,895 --> 00:22:36,437
Y'all save that for the...
348
00:22:36,438 --> 00:22:38,315
[indistinct chatter]
349
00:22:40,275 --> 00:22:43,070
You got a little tension on.
You got a little tension on.
350
00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:48,115
I was raised a Zulu. My father was a Zulu.
351
00:22:48,116 --> 00:22:51,036
My father was a Zulu
when I was in high school,
352
00:22:51,536 --> 00:22:57,250
and I graduated from high school in 1965,
and he was a Zulu before that.
353
00:22:57,918 --> 00:23:03,924
And it's always a pleasure for me
to be amongst... Black men of the city.
354
00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:08,052
At one time, we didn't have
this organization like this.
355
00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:11,639
We used to go on the backstreets.
Now we're on the main street.
356
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,182
Now we are in the main.
357
00:23:13,183 --> 00:23:15,434
[man 3] Don't let me score
that 150 points.
358
00:23:15,435 --> 00:23:16,394
[excited chatter]
359
00:23:16,395 --> 00:23:21,066
Don't let me score this 150 points.
Y'all gotta close the club down, for sure.
360
00:23:22,025 --> 00:23:25,694
Well, during Katrina,
my home was totally destroyed, okay?
361
00:23:25,695 --> 00:23:29,156
Had six feet of water...
in the neighborhood.
362
00:23:29,157 --> 00:23:32,577
The club here was totally underwater.
363
00:23:33,078 --> 00:23:37,290
We had, uh, people working on the club,
and we had a barbecue pit outside.
364
00:23:37,791 --> 00:23:40,876
The only light on Broad Street
was the Zulu Club.
365
00:23:40,877 --> 00:23:46,257
And the first Mardi Gras parade...
will live forever in my mind.
366
00:23:46,258 --> 00:23:49,301
- Mine too, yeah.
- That was... that was the Zulu's finest.
367
00:23:49,302 --> 00:23:51,595
- That was memorable.
- [Oliver] It was a parade.
368
00:23:51,596 --> 00:23:53,931
{\an8}'Cause I remember,
they didn't want us to have it.
369
00:23:53,932 --> 00:23:56,809
{\an8}I think it was an argument, huh, Jerome?
About us paradin'.
370
00:23:56,810 --> 00:23:58,602
- About us parading.
- About us paradin'.
371
00:23:58,603 --> 00:24:00,479
And then they were mad
we went through with it,
372
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,356
and it was... I'm glad we did it.
373
00:24:02,357 --> 00:24:05,568
- It was outstanding.
- I hope we never do that again.
374
00:24:05,569 --> 00:24:07,403
- It was nice. Yeah.
- Breathtaking.
375
00:24:07,404 --> 00:24:09,780
It was really, really breathtaking.
376
00:24:09,781 --> 00:24:12,659
[somber piano music playing]
377
00:24:17,914 --> 00:24:20,584
[man] Well, nobody be going
in there for a minute.
378
00:24:21,334 --> 00:24:22,711
It's pretty bad.
379
00:24:35,098 --> 00:24:39,227
I purchased my home
in New Orleans East, and, um,
380
00:24:39,811 --> 00:24:41,938
as a result of the storm, I lost it.
381
00:24:45,817 --> 00:24:48,486
About 80%, 90% of the city was underwater.
382
00:24:48,487 --> 00:24:52,114
The majority of our members are...
uh, was in Orleans Parish
383
00:24:52,115 --> 00:24:56,661
and was affected by it,
so we all went our separate ways.
384
00:24:58,538 --> 00:25:01,832
There was a call sent out
to all the officers and members
385
00:25:01,833 --> 00:25:04,878
to come back to the city
for an emergency meeting.
386
00:25:07,005 --> 00:25:10,549
{\an8}And I was in that meeting,
man, over in West Baton Rouge,
387
00:25:10,550 --> 00:25:14,178
{\an8}uh, when there was a battle within Zulu
388
00:25:14,179 --> 00:25:16,722
{\an8}about whether we were gonna have
a carnival or not,
389
00:25:16,723 --> 00:25:19,600
about whether Zulu would march or not,
and what it would mean.
390
00:25:19,601 --> 00:25:23,729
There were questions then about whether
New Orleans would be New Orleans.
391
00:25:23,730 --> 00:25:27,149
And the men and the brothers in Zulu said,
392
00:25:27,150 --> 00:25:30,236
"We got to make a statement,
uh, not just about Katrina."
393
00:25:30,237 --> 00:25:32,697
"We gotta make a statement to the world."
394
00:25:40,497 --> 00:25:44,583
{\an8}Just thinking about some of the members
who had perished during that
395
00:25:44,584 --> 00:25:48,963
{\an8}will kind of make you misty-eyed
thinking about it right now.
396
00:25:48,964 --> 00:25:51,966
- [man 1] This is for us.
- [man 2] For us. For New Orleans, baby.
397
00:25:51,967 --> 00:25:54,134
{\an8}This is a part of the healing
from Katrina,
398
00:25:54,135 --> 00:25:56,762
{\an8}and we are going to have a fabulous,
fabulous ride today.
399
00:25:56,763 --> 00:25:58,723
{\an8}- It's how we do.
- This is what we do.
400
00:25:59,516 --> 00:26:02,810
{\an8}Many people believe now,
and historians are writing that,
401
00:26:02,811 --> 00:26:06,814
{\an8}that decision probably saved
the face of the City of New Orleans
402
00:26:06,815 --> 00:26:09,276
{\an8}and the State of Louisiana as we know it.
403
00:26:11,528 --> 00:26:14,197
From the time we started
on Jackson Avenue,
404
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:16,575
I never sat down.
405
00:26:17,075 --> 00:26:17,992
I stood.
406
00:26:17,993 --> 00:26:21,704
And... and when you turn that corner
on Claiborne and Jackson,
407
00:26:21,705 --> 00:26:25,165
man, and that crowd hollerin',
"King Zulu, King Zulu,"
408
00:26:25,166 --> 00:26:27,251
it just takes you away.
409
00:26:27,252 --> 00:26:29,838
Then finally, it's my turn to speak,
and I just,
410
00:26:30,505 --> 00:26:33,341
I looked over the crowd,
and I just said, um,
411
00:26:34,092 --> 00:26:36,552
"Everyone in New Orleans
should come down here
412
00:26:36,553 --> 00:26:38,971
and just enjoy Mardi Gras Day,
413
00:26:38,972 --> 00:26:42,349
nothin' better than being in
and seeing the Zulu parade."
414
00:26:42,350 --> 00:26:46,103
Um, and the crowd just went, "Oh!"
415
00:26:46,104 --> 00:26:48,814
You know, and... [laughs]
416
00:26:48,815 --> 00:26:52,444
So the mayor says,
"That's my kind of king." [laughs]
417
00:26:53,278 --> 00:26:55,529
This is what this is about, right here.
418
00:26:55,530 --> 00:26:59,158
Talkin' about the Zulu ring,
and talkin' about the Zulu King.
419
00:26:59,159 --> 00:27:01,952
[laughs]
420
00:27:01,953 --> 00:27:04,163
- One ring, one ring.
- One ring, one ring.
421
00:27:04,164 --> 00:27:06,707
That's the Super Bowl ring, all right?
422
00:27:06,708 --> 00:27:08,667
- [laughing]
- [man 1] He got one.
423
00:27:08,668 --> 00:27:10,336
- I got one.
- [man 2] Mm.
424
00:27:10,337 --> 00:27:12,963
Got a couple of guys
in the past here, they got that.
425
00:27:12,964 --> 00:27:16,091
But see that old Cowboys-Steelers shit?
That's some bullshit.
426
00:27:16,092 --> 00:27:17,761
That's the ring that matters.
427
00:27:18,345 --> 00:27:22,307
Barack Obama could be the president,
but he can't be King Zulu.
428
00:27:22,807 --> 00:27:24,099
There's only one a year.
429
00:27:24,100 --> 00:27:26,268
- [interviewer] He is an honorary member?
- One a year.
430
00:27:26,269 --> 00:27:30,773
He's an honorary member,
but he can't be king.
431
00:27:30,774 --> 00:27:34,193
We do a fair election,
and, uh, you know, we accept the results.
432
00:27:34,194 --> 00:27:36,529
You have to be able to
433
00:27:38,114 --> 00:27:41,368
campaign, make friends,
434
00:27:42,077 --> 00:27:44,703
buy chicken, buy whiskey.
435
00:27:44,704 --> 00:27:49,376
And it's make-believe, but it...
you have to pay for that make-believe.
436
00:27:50,085 --> 00:27:53,004
It is make-believe,
but in a lot of ways it ain't.
437
00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:58,175
Because the King of Zulu
is something that people really revere
438
00:27:58,176 --> 00:27:59,928
throughout this community.
439
00:28:02,514 --> 00:28:04,349
[announcer] It is now official.
440
00:28:04,974 --> 00:28:10,522
He's been crowned by our reigning king,
Brother George V. Rainey.
441
00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:16,819
Ladies and gentlemen,
I present to you King Zulu 2020,
442
00:28:16,820 --> 00:28:19,864
Brother Brian M. Sims.
443
00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:25,703
[Brian] When you step out as king,
you wanna make sure you're gonna be able
444
00:28:25,704 --> 00:28:28,415
to represent yourself,
as well as this organization.
445
00:28:28,998 --> 00:28:32,418
Not only to the community of New Orleans
but to the world,
446
00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:35,004
because you're being seen by the world.
447
00:28:36,631 --> 00:28:38,633
{\an8}[excited chatter]
448
00:28:44,889 --> 00:28:46,932
[man 1] This not your first time riding, right?
449
00:28:46,933 --> 00:28:48,100
- Yes.
- [man 1] Oh, it is?
450
00:28:48,101 --> 00:28:49,518
- Mm-hmm.
- [man 2] You're a virgin.
451
00:28:49,519 --> 00:28:50,979
- Yeah.
- [man 1] Aw, shit.
452
00:28:51,813 --> 00:28:55,275
[velvety blues song playing]
453
00:29:24,471 --> 00:29:25,554
Check this out.
454
00:29:25,555 --> 00:29:31,019
- Whose house?
- [group] Tramps' house!
455
00:29:31,519 --> 00:29:34,813
- [men] Tramps!
- Ta-da!
456
00:29:34,814 --> 00:29:37,191
- See, my wife made my costume.
- [interviewer] All right.
457
00:29:37,192 --> 00:29:39,777
Damn! Ooh!
458
00:29:39,778 --> 00:29:42,155
Ooh!
459
00:29:43,239 --> 00:29:46,326
Back in the day,
they used to make 'em from palm trees.
460
00:29:46,826 --> 00:29:48,453
They were handmade.
461
00:29:51,456 --> 00:29:53,082
Good old bush wig.
462
00:29:54,334 --> 00:29:56,044
[laughs]
463
00:29:57,086 --> 00:29:59,047
- [man 3] There you go.
- [chuckles]
464
00:30:00,423 --> 00:30:01,799
We ready to rumble.
465
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,427
[drumline playing rousing cadence]
466
00:30:18,024 --> 00:30:19,734
[blowing whistle]
467
00:30:38,169 --> 00:30:39,379
Happy Mardi Gras!
468
00:30:40,004 --> 00:30:41,589
[siren wails]
469
00:30:45,635 --> 00:30:46,677
[crowd cheers]
470
00:30:46,678 --> 00:30:48,387
Aw, yeah, baby! Zulu!
471
00:30:48,388 --> 00:30:49,806
[man 1] Happy Mardi Gras!
472
00:30:55,186 --> 00:30:58,939
- [man 2] King Zulu!
- [woman] Zulu, Brian Sims!
473
00:30:58,940 --> 00:31:00,691
- [man 3] Hail Zulu.
- [man 4] Hail Zulu!
474
00:31:00,692 --> 00:31:02,651
[announcer] Thank you
to the Zulu organization
475
00:31:02,652 --> 00:31:06,655
for all that you do year-round
for our city and our community.
476
00:31:06,656 --> 00:31:07,781
Hail Zulu!
477
00:31:07,782 --> 00:31:09,658
[crowd cheers]
478
00:31:09,659 --> 00:31:11,994
Happy Mardi Gras.
Thank you all so much for coming.
479
00:31:11,995 --> 00:31:13,496
Thank you all.
480
00:31:13,997 --> 00:31:15,123
Happy Mardi Gras.
481
00:31:17,041 --> 00:31:19,043
[sirens wailing in distance]
482
00:31:31,806 --> 00:31:34,683
[woman] March 9th
was our first COVID-19 case
483
00:31:34,684 --> 00:31:36,852
in the State of Louisiana.
484
00:31:36,853 --> 00:31:39,272
Two weeks prior to that was Mardi Gras.
485
00:31:42,233 --> 00:31:45,777
[reporter 1] Across Louisiana,
the numbers are simply staggering.
486
00:31:45,778 --> 00:31:47,446
[reporter 2] ...zone that is New Orleans,
487
00:31:47,447 --> 00:31:50,407
the city with the highest death rate
in the country.
488
00:31:50,408 --> 00:31:52,534
[reporter 3] ...epicenters
of the global pandemic.
489
00:31:52,535 --> 00:31:55,078
[reporter 4] Almost four times
that of New York.
490
00:31:55,079 --> 00:31:58,165
{\an8}[Bel Edwards] Slightly more
than 70% of all of our deaths
491
00:31:58,166 --> 00:32:00,292
{\an8}are among African Americans.
492
00:32:00,293 --> 00:32:02,461
{\an8}So, obviously, this is a big disparity,
493
00:32:02,462 --> 00:32:05,881
and we're gonna try
to figure out what we can do about that
494
00:32:05,882 --> 00:32:07,216
as quickly as possible.
495
00:32:12,055 --> 00:32:15,642
We started seeing more and more people,
African-American men,
496
00:32:16,267 --> 00:32:18,727
predominantly, coming into the hospital,
497
00:32:18,728 --> 00:32:21,731
getting dropped off,
two weeks later, dying.
498
00:32:22,398 --> 00:32:24,734
And a lot of 'em were Zulu members.
499
00:32:29,113 --> 00:32:33,200
The Friday before Mardi Gras
is, um, one of the largest balls,
500
00:32:33,201 --> 00:32:34,785
24,000 people strong.
501
00:32:34,786 --> 00:32:38,748
Everyone comes from all over the world
to see the King of Zulu.
502
00:32:42,001 --> 00:32:46,213
[Takeisha] Zulu Club is the center
of our Mardi Gras parties.
503
00:32:46,214 --> 00:32:48,966
And that's where everybody hung out.
504
00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:51,052
Everybody went to the Zulu ball.
505
00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:56,807
[man] Individuals that I knew,
506
00:32:56,808 --> 00:33:00,687
partied with, went to school with,
went to church with.
507
00:33:01,437 --> 00:33:05,817
I went from none to three
within a couple of hours.
508
00:33:06,401 --> 00:33:09,695
That is frickin' surreal.
It's like, "What the hell?"
509
00:33:09,696 --> 00:33:12,240
And then after that, it just...
it kept goin'.
510
00:33:31,676 --> 00:33:33,343
{\an8}[Terrence] There's an old adage,
511
00:33:33,344 --> 00:33:35,680
{\an8}"You never miss something
until it's gone."
512
00:33:37,598 --> 00:33:40,935
I truly miss, uh, hangin' out here.
513
00:33:47,817 --> 00:33:49,693
{\an8}See that black flag up there?
514
00:33:49,694 --> 00:33:52,320
{\an8}Whenever the black flag
is flying over the club,
515
00:33:52,321 --> 00:33:54,532
that means a member has passed away.
516
00:33:58,244 --> 00:33:59,412
[horn beeps]
517
00:34:00,538 --> 00:34:02,122
[Terrence] What's happening, man?
518
00:34:02,123 --> 00:34:03,206
What's up?
519
00:34:03,207 --> 00:34:05,625
[man] I heard we lost 15 brothers
to COVID.
520
00:34:05,626 --> 00:34:08,253
[Terrence] I thought it was 11.
I didn't know we got to 15.
521
00:34:08,254 --> 00:34:11,299
{\an8}- I stopped countin'.
- If I'm not mistaken, it's 15.
522
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:12,716
[Terrence] It hurts.
523
00:34:12,717 --> 00:34:15,844
I've never been around
this much death before in my life.
524
00:34:15,845 --> 00:34:16,804
[Terrence] Yeah.
525
00:34:23,478 --> 00:34:25,938
[somber music playing]
526
00:34:28,024 --> 00:34:30,650
[Terrence] This my first time
coming in here
527
00:34:30,651 --> 00:34:33,613
since probably the week after the ball.
528
00:34:34,530 --> 00:34:40,244
It's... it's kind of... heartbreaking
'cause it's always so full of life.
529
00:34:44,290 --> 00:34:47,667
The last time the club
was closed this long was Katrina,
530
00:34:47,668 --> 00:34:50,088
and I never thought it'd happen again.
531
00:34:50,630 --> 00:34:54,467
[Rodney Jr.] As of now, we don't have
an idea when it's going to reopen.
532
00:34:58,137 --> 00:35:00,098
[Terrence] That's the Wall of Kings.
533
00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:04,393
[Rodney Jr.] You the highlight
of Mardi Gras, that Mardi Gras celebrity.
534
00:35:04,894 --> 00:35:08,230
[Terrence] Larry Hammond was a big,
big personality.
535
00:35:08,231 --> 00:35:10,274
He was the king during Katrina.
536
00:35:11,484 --> 00:35:13,653
It hit me like a bag of rocks.
537
00:35:14,153 --> 00:35:15,821
Really, I didn't believe it
538
00:35:15,822 --> 00:35:20,033
because he was an older guy,
but he was in pretty good shape.
539
00:35:20,034 --> 00:35:23,537
You know, I...
I didn't think it would take him out.
540
00:35:23,538 --> 00:35:26,582
So, you know, it was shocking to me,
to be honest.
541
00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:32,087
Good morning. My name is Larry Hammond.
542
00:35:32,088 --> 00:35:34,423
Larry A. Hammond, to be exact.
543
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,802
[crowd cheering]
544
00:35:40,221 --> 00:35:43,224
I've been a Zulu King, honorary member,
545
00:35:44,183 --> 00:35:48,146
then life member,
and then you sit on the porch.
546
00:35:48,729 --> 00:35:50,982
[laughing]
547
00:35:52,567 --> 00:35:54,152
He was a hell of a guy.
548
00:36:01,826 --> 00:36:03,952
I cried for two hours.
549
00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:08,748
- ["Nobody but You" by Shirley Caesar]
- ♪ Nobody but you, Lord ♪
550
00:36:08,749 --> 00:36:13,253
♪ Nobody but you ♪
551
00:36:13,254 --> 00:36:15,922
- ♪ Nobody but you ♪
- [horns honking]
552
00:36:15,923 --> 00:36:18,091
♪ Lord, yeah ♪
553
00:36:18,092 --> 00:36:20,135
[Terrence] You know,
it's kind of disheartening.
554
00:36:20,136 --> 00:36:23,723
We can't really reach out to the family
that way we want to.
555
00:36:24,223 --> 00:36:27,727
As a benevolent society,
we ensure the proper burial.
556
00:36:28,436 --> 00:36:31,104
It's really depressing
that we just can't do
557
00:36:31,105 --> 00:36:34,525
what the organization
was originally set up for.
558
00:36:37,987 --> 00:36:41,239
[Michael] Preexisting conditions
are not just medical ones.
559
00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:43,284
You know? They're socioeconomic.
560
00:36:43,993 --> 00:36:47,329
{\an8}You don't have access to good health care,
to the things you need.
561
00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:50,332
When a pandemic hits, it's gonna hit you
a lot quicker and harder.
562
00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:51,583
[sirens wail]
563
00:36:51,584 --> 00:36:55,962
[Takeisha] In New Orleans, depending on
where you live, work, and play,
564
00:36:55,963 --> 00:37:02,093
{\an8}you can die at the age of 55 or 80.
565
00:37:02,094 --> 00:37:04,012
It's utterly unacceptable.
566
00:37:04,013 --> 00:37:06,223
And it has everything to do with
567
00:37:06,224 --> 00:37:10,352
the way we devalue
the people who live in the communities
568
00:37:10,353 --> 00:37:13,356
that actually make New Orleans what it is.
569
00:37:23,157 --> 00:37:26,868
[Terrence] I... I live in a place
called Destrehan, Louisiana,
570
00:37:26,869 --> 00:37:31,749
which is approximately 22 miles
from downtown New Orleans.
571
00:37:33,459 --> 00:37:39,173
Two miles from my house,
I have three major chemical plants.
572
00:37:40,883 --> 00:37:46,137
Before I purchased my house, I knew that,
and I decided to live in this area
573
00:37:46,138 --> 00:37:49,892
because of the great school system.
574
00:37:51,060 --> 00:37:53,144
Because of the chemical plants,
575
00:37:53,145 --> 00:37:56,398
we were able to get a lot of taxes
for the school.
576
00:37:56,399 --> 00:37:59,902
People were able to get,
uh, great-paying jobs.
577
00:38:00,611 --> 00:38:03,488
You know, it's a sacrifice
we're all making.
578
00:38:03,489 --> 00:38:05,950
Nobody wants to get cancer, but
579
00:38:06,826 --> 00:38:09,828
everybody's gonna die
from something, right?
580
00:38:09,829 --> 00:38:13,248
So, it's just a conscious decision I made
581
00:38:13,249 --> 00:38:17,294
that, to me,
it was worth... uh, living in Destrehan
582
00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:22,466
because it created the lifestyle
that I always envisioned for myself,
583
00:38:23,342 --> 00:38:25,177
minus the chemical plants.
584
00:38:31,767 --> 00:38:33,769
[gentle music playing]
585
00:38:46,949 --> 00:38:49,034
This corner is, uh, very special to me
586
00:38:49,035 --> 00:38:52,078
because my father grew up
less than a block from here.
587
00:38:52,079 --> 00:38:55,957
This entire street, uh, was
a Black business district of New Orleans.
588
00:38:55,958 --> 00:38:59,336
{\an8}Just on this corner,
there was a restaurant here,
589
00:38:59,337 --> 00:39:01,005
{\an8}a finance company here,
590
00:39:01,589 --> 00:39:03,590
{\an8}uh, an auto repair shop here.
591
00:39:03,591 --> 00:39:06,344
And, um, it stretched from here,
592
00:39:07,386 --> 00:39:11,140
in this direction, 20 blocks,
all the way to Canal Street.
593
00:39:11,849 --> 00:39:13,851
[bluesy song playing]
594
00:39:23,527 --> 00:39:26,029
♪ Here come Moses ♪
595
00:39:26,030 --> 00:39:27,906
♪ Knockin' on my door ♪
596
00:39:27,907 --> 00:39:30,367
♪ Says it's time to go ♪
597
00:39:30,368 --> 00:39:32,703
♪ Can't stay no more... ♪
598
00:39:33,371 --> 00:39:36,039
[Asali] In 1966,
599
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,418
{\an8}when the interstate was announced
to come through New Orleans,
600
00:39:40,419 --> 00:39:42,504
{\an8}it was supposed to go along the river.
601
00:39:42,505 --> 00:39:45,256
Um, and the French Quarter residents, um,
602
00:39:45,257 --> 00:39:49,094
who were, you know,
politically well-connected and wealthy...
603
00:39:49,095 --> 00:39:51,472
Um, you know, "Not in my backyard."
604
00:39:53,641 --> 00:39:57,478
So, "not in their backyard" meant
through our commercial thoroughfare.
605
00:39:58,062 --> 00:40:00,105
{\an8}That was a very busy street
606
00:40:00,106 --> 00:40:04,025
{\an8}because people from St. Bernard Parish
had to travel that route
607
00:40:04,026 --> 00:40:07,695
to get... get into New Orleans.
608
00:40:07,696 --> 00:40:13,285
But by... when the high-rise came,
a lot of business were... was lost.
609
00:40:14,829 --> 00:40:16,246
[Asali] Through eminent domain,
610
00:40:16,247 --> 00:40:19,374
the federal government,
state, and city collaborated
611
00:40:19,375 --> 00:40:23,837
to destroy 326 Black-owned businesses
on Claiborne Avenue.
612
00:40:23,838 --> 00:40:27,590
Three-hundred and twenty-six
Black-owned businesses, right?
613
00:40:27,591 --> 00:40:30,176
So that is a huge transfer of wealth.
614
00:40:30,177 --> 00:40:35,348
No stroke of genius, no magic
will suddenly produce roads
615
00:40:35,349 --> 00:40:38,059
commensurate with cars.
616
00:40:38,060 --> 00:40:40,895
♪ Four hundred years in the desert ♪
617
00:40:40,896 --> 00:40:43,398
♪ Still, I roam ♪
618
00:40:43,399 --> 00:40:47,820
♪ Someday, people, I'll build my own ♪
619
00:40:48,654 --> 00:40:52,825
♪ Best get movin', time's gettin' on ♪
620
00:40:53,325 --> 00:40:55,452
♪ Mm-hmm... ♪
621
00:40:55,453 --> 00:40:57,662
[Jacques] First,
it bisected the neighborhood.
622
00:40:57,663 --> 00:41:00,248
then it decreased
the value of their homes.
623
00:41:00,249 --> 00:41:02,750
They were robbed of
the equity in their homes.
624
00:41:02,751 --> 00:41:07,173
This neighborhood was expendable...
because it was a Black neighborhood.
625
00:41:11,635 --> 00:41:13,178
[Asali] There's 13 Black neighborhoods
626
00:41:13,179 --> 00:41:15,847
directly impacted
by the building of the interstate.
627
00:41:15,848 --> 00:41:22,438
In those communities,
the median income is $18,500. Today.
628
00:41:23,439 --> 00:41:26,609
44% of folks don't have
access to vehicles.
629
00:41:27,485 --> 00:41:30,653
Less than 10% of students
live within a mile of their school,
630
00:41:30,654 --> 00:41:32,363
within a mile of a library.
631
00:41:32,364 --> 00:41:35,617
Levels of incarceration,
non-education attainment,
632
00:41:35,618 --> 00:41:37,160
and all of those things equate
633
00:41:37,161 --> 00:41:39,622
to a 25-year difference
in life expectancy.
634
00:41:42,958 --> 00:41:46,211
Just by virtue of me deciding
to raise my five children
635
00:41:46,212 --> 00:41:49,714
in the neighborhood where they could be
by their grandmother and cousins,
636
00:41:49,715 --> 00:41:54,261
I'm giving them less of chances in life
and I am cutting their life short.
637
00:41:55,137 --> 00:41:57,640
If I want them to live long, I gotta move.
638
00:41:58,891 --> 00:42:00,267
That ain't fair.
639
00:42:06,690 --> 00:42:10,319
[Jacques] Zulu's route on Mardi Gras Day
640
00:42:11,195 --> 00:42:15,616
{\an8}always included Claiborne Avenue,
always included Orleans Avenue.
641
00:42:17,493 --> 00:42:20,370
And to this day,
Zulu is the only parading organization
642
00:42:20,371 --> 00:42:23,289
that parades on Claiborne Avenue,
643
00:42:23,290 --> 00:42:27,962
Orleans Avenue, or really anywhere
on the downtown side of Canal Street.
644
00:42:30,965 --> 00:42:36,177
[Oliver] Zulu's connection to the soul
of our community was so powerful
645
00:42:36,178 --> 00:42:40,723
{\an8}that what happened there under the bridge
is still part of that tradition.
646
00:42:40,724 --> 00:42:43,726
{\an8}So I think it was even
the club's way of saying,
647
00:42:43,727 --> 00:42:48,691
"Hey, look, nothing's gonna change us
from our spiritual route."
648
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:51,402
{\an8}[excited chatter]
649
00:42:52,194 --> 00:42:53,737
[man] Check. One, two.
650
00:42:54,363 --> 00:42:55,989
[drummer] Here we go! One more time!
651
00:42:55,990 --> 00:42:58,241
[band playing upbeat tune]
652
00:42:58,242 --> 00:43:01,411
♪ Look, uh, 400 years
Blood, sweat, and tears ♪
653
00:43:01,412 --> 00:43:03,913
♪ 2020, I see the same thing here ♪
654
00:43:03,914 --> 00:43:06,874
♪ How it is every day, waking up
Realizing it's a blessing ♪
655
00:43:06,875 --> 00:43:09,794
♪ But I realize that we all still
Stuck under this oppression ♪
656
00:43:09,795 --> 00:43:11,713
♪ You gotta know it
You know that it's true ♪
657
00:43:11,714 --> 00:43:14,382
♪ They sayin' Black Lives Matter
But shit don't matter to you ♪
658
00:43:14,383 --> 00:43:17,010
♪ You got to feel it when I'm bringing it
Trust my spirit ♪
659
00:43:17,011 --> 00:43:19,512
♪ I hope this is for answers
And I hope that you can hear it ♪
660
00:43:19,513 --> 00:43:20,513
♪ Uh! ♪
661
00:43:20,514 --> 00:43:22,683
[playing jazzy solo]
662
00:43:35,279 --> 00:43:36,613
♪ These ain't words, man ♪
663
00:43:36,614 --> 00:43:37,822
♪ Call it commandments ♪
664
00:43:37,823 --> 00:43:39,824
♪ Bring out the freaking guys
You know it is due ♪
665
00:43:39,825 --> 00:43:42,785
♪ I'm Black and proud I hope
You feelin' the same way too, get up ♪
666
00:43:42,786 --> 00:43:44,747
[bluesy flute solo continues]
667
00:43:53,255 --> 00:43:55,257
[song ends]
668
00:43:58,177 --> 00:44:00,179
[ominous music playing]
669
00:44:02,848 --> 00:44:06,601
[reporter 1] The City of New Orleans
says no to any parades in 2021.
670
00:44:06,602 --> 00:44:09,312
[reporter 2] The news about canceling
2021Carnival parades
671
00:44:09,313 --> 00:44:11,272
spread like wildfire Tuesday.
672
00:44:11,273 --> 00:44:14,233
[reporter 3] ...was posted
on the city's website, saying, quote,
673
00:44:14,234 --> 00:44:17,446
"Parades of any kind
will not be permitted this year."
674
00:44:20,616 --> 00:44:22,660
[keypad beeping]
675
00:44:34,546 --> 00:44:37,507
[Elroy] COVID-19 really took a toll
on this organization
676
00:44:37,508 --> 00:44:41,094
beyond what's printed
and known about in the media.
677
00:44:41,095 --> 00:44:45,890
And so while I regret not being able
to ride in Mardi Gras 2021,
678
00:44:45,891 --> 00:44:49,644
{\an8}there was so much uncertainty,
that numbers were still high,
679
00:44:49,645 --> 00:44:52,480
{\an8}the death rate
across the country was high.
680
00:44:52,481 --> 00:44:56,026
{\an8}And there was no indication that
we were coming out of it anytime soon.
681
00:44:57,277 --> 00:44:59,779
- [Jay] One more time.
- [man] Let me know when you're ready.
682
00:44:59,780 --> 00:45:02,491
All right, on three. One, two, three.
683
00:45:03,158 --> 00:45:06,327
My name is Jay H. Banks,
and I am the councilman of District B,
684
00:45:06,328 --> 00:45:07,954
here in the City of New Orleans.
685
00:45:07,955 --> 00:45:10,039
The fact that you cannot be here
686
00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:12,917
truly disappoints us,
but I am looking forward to the day
687
00:45:12,918 --> 00:45:15,670
when you all can come
and physically be in New Orleans.
688
00:45:15,671 --> 00:45:18,923
New Orleans has more to offer
than any other city on the planet,
689
00:45:18,924 --> 00:45:21,134
and I will strongly encourage you to come
690
00:45:21,135 --> 00:45:23,679
as soon as you can
and enjoy all that we have.
691
00:45:25,389 --> 00:45:27,598
- [man] Perfect, best one yet.
- All right, that's right.
692
00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:29,142
- [man] Good job, boss.
- 30 seconds?
693
00:45:29,143 --> 00:45:32,312
- [man] That is about 40 seconds.
- No, that's fine. That's even more better.
694
00:45:35,482 --> 00:45:37,735
This is just Zulu stuff on this wall.
695
00:45:38,652 --> 00:45:41,363
That one is an election day
right after I won.
696
00:45:42,114 --> 00:45:45,617
It was just a totally phenomenal day.
697
00:45:46,243 --> 00:45:50,538
{\an8}To be a part of this New Orleans history,
698
00:45:50,539 --> 00:45:53,083
uh, your... your life changes.
699
00:45:53,667 --> 00:45:56,295
You go from being, um...
700
00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,799
just a person to somebody that's gonna be
in a history book forever.
701
00:46:01,508 --> 00:46:03,010
That's Louis Armstrong.
702
00:46:04,052 --> 00:46:06,429
And the second one, black-and-white one,
703
00:46:06,430 --> 00:46:09,348
is Bo Berry,
and then that's Charlie Hamilton.
704
00:46:09,349 --> 00:46:13,186
That's the three kings
that I think influence me the most.
705
00:46:13,187 --> 00:46:16,647
["West End Blues"
by Louis Armstrong playing]
706
00:46:16,648 --> 00:46:20,610
[Jay] Louis Armstrong...
on the cover of Time magazine.
707
00:46:20,611 --> 00:46:23,988
Man, look, that took us from here
all the way up there.
708
00:46:23,989 --> 00:46:27,326
[soulful blues-influenced jazz continues]
709
00:46:29,703 --> 00:46:31,329
[Armstrong] This is the thrill of my life.
710
00:46:31,330 --> 00:46:34,332
I've always wanted to be
the King of the Zulu.
711
00:46:34,333 --> 00:46:36,000
I've been a member all my life.
712
00:46:36,001 --> 00:46:38,628
[interviewer] I noticed you said
in your interview with Time
713
00:46:38,629 --> 00:46:40,963
that you had one great ambition in life,
714
00:46:40,964 --> 00:46:44,342
and that was to be King of Zulu,
and after that, you could die.
715
00:46:44,343 --> 00:46:48,262
[Armstrong] Yes, well, I don't want
the Lord to take me literally, but it is...
716
00:46:48,263 --> 00:46:50,640
[laughter]
717
00:46:50,641 --> 00:46:55,813
Armstrong grew up
during the era that Zulu was born.
718
00:46:56,605 --> 00:47:01,359
So the idea of a...
Black parade with floats,
719
00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:05,571
uh, costumes, and throws and such
720
00:47:05,572 --> 00:47:07,157
was something new.
721
00:47:08,242 --> 00:47:13,580
A Black man couldn't be mayor,
governor, sheriff,
722
00:47:14,623 --> 00:47:18,085
or even dogcatcher,
but he could be King of Zulu.
723
00:47:22,047 --> 00:47:25,968
The photographs of Armstrong
appearing in blackface
724
00:47:26,468 --> 00:47:30,264
did not serve his reputation well
outside of New Orleans.
725
00:47:31,098 --> 00:47:33,641
And, um, I think some
of the struggles he faced
726
00:47:33,642 --> 00:47:35,769
in the late '50s and early '60s
727
00:47:37,020 --> 00:47:38,397
could be tied to that.
728
00:47:44,486 --> 00:47:45,653
[DJ] Good morning, everybody.
729
00:47:45,654 --> 00:47:48,030
This your P-Town Prince,
your 17th Ward Troubadour.
730
00:47:48,031 --> 00:47:50,700
Uptown Renaissance man.
731
00:47:50,701 --> 00:47:55,413
Comin' at you live and direct
from the WBOK Studios in chilly Gentilly.
732
00:47:55,414 --> 00:47:58,332
And you know what?
I got a hot one for you today.
733
00:47:58,333 --> 00:48:00,459
Today's topic...
734
00:48:00,460 --> 00:48:05,382
Is it time for Zulu
to take off the blackface?
735
00:48:07,050 --> 00:48:12,388
{\an8}I think I rode in a Zulu parade at least
four times, and enjoyed every single ride.
736
00:48:12,389 --> 00:48:14,557
{\an8}And there was one ride in particular.
737
00:48:14,558 --> 00:48:19,103
It was like one of the...
one of the funnest days of my life.
738
00:48:19,104 --> 00:48:21,981
I enjoyed every second of it.
739
00:48:21,982 --> 00:48:23,482
When it was over, if they say,
740
00:48:23,483 --> 00:48:26,986
"Hey, how many people down
to do this one more time right now?"
741
00:48:26,987 --> 00:48:29,572
I would have been like,
"Let's go. I'm with it."
742
00:48:29,573 --> 00:48:33,660
The next day,
I come to this very coffee shop.
743
00:48:34,453 --> 00:48:35,995
I'm tired and hungover.
744
00:48:35,996 --> 00:48:37,997
I get a cup of coffee, and I get my paper,
745
00:48:37,998 --> 00:48:41,667
and I'm sittin' down,
and I look at the front page of the paper,
746
00:48:41,668 --> 00:48:45,087
and... and I see a guy
from Zulu on the front page,
747
00:48:45,088 --> 00:48:46,924
and the first thing I say is,
748
00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:51,427
"Now, that guy look like
he's havin' a good time." [laughs]
749
00:48:51,428 --> 00:48:55,307
And then I realize that was me
on the front page of the paper,
750
00:48:55,974 --> 00:48:56,974
in blackface!
751
00:48:56,975 --> 00:49:02,021
{\an8}["What Did I Do to Be So Black
and Blue" by Jack Teagarden playing]
752
00:49:02,022 --> 00:49:03,940
{\an8}[Chuck] Somehow in my own head,
753
00:49:03,941 --> 00:49:06,108
I was willing to live
with the cognitive dissonance,
754
00:49:06,109 --> 00:49:11,405
and... and to sorta say,
"Look, because I know these guys,
755
00:49:11,406 --> 00:49:13,658
I know that it isn't what you believe."
756
00:49:13,659 --> 00:49:15,744
[expressive jazz continues]
757
00:49:16,578 --> 00:49:17,828
[Chuck] Like Louis Armstrong,
758
00:49:17,829 --> 00:49:21,582
I think he kind of suffered
from the exact same thing.
759
00:49:21,583 --> 00:49:27,505
He was givin' a nod to his homies,
to the... to the people he came up with
760
00:49:27,506 --> 00:49:29,424
'cause he loved those people.
761
00:49:29,925 --> 00:49:32,551
But now when he end up in blackface,
762
00:49:32,552 --> 00:49:37,348
in... in Time and Life magazine,
and you got people all over the country
763
00:49:37,349 --> 00:49:41,060
who's seeing this picture,
and they can't put it in any context.
764
00:49:41,061 --> 00:49:44,105
The only thing they know
is what they know about minstrels
765
00:49:44,106 --> 00:49:47,233
and all the other bad shit
that comes along with it.
766
00:49:47,234 --> 00:49:51,237
You know, they... it forced them to see
Louis Armstrong in a different way,
767
00:49:51,238 --> 00:49:54,031
and I think, um,
Billie Holiday was quoted as saying
768
00:49:54,032 --> 00:49:56,702
that Louis Armstrong
was a Tom to his heart.
769
00:49:57,369 --> 00:49:59,955
♪ My only sin ♪
770
00:50:00,789 --> 00:50:03,125
♪ Is in my skin ♪
771
00:50:04,626 --> 00:50:06,962
♪ What did I do ♪
772
00:50:07,796 --> 00:50:14,260
♪ To be so black and blue? ♪
773
00:50:14,261 --> 00:50:16,345
[brassy jazz tune ends]
774
00:50:16,346 --> 00:50:19,932
You know, I've always been
against blackface,
775
00:50:19,933 --> 00:50:22,351
but think about what it means to Zulu.
776
00:50:22,352 --> 00:50:24,937
[calming music playing]
777
00:50:24,938 --> 00:50:28,692
Before they became Zulu, um, the name
of the organization was the Tramps.
778
00:50:30,777 --> 00:50:36,365
And they went to see a play
about Shaka Zulu at the Pythian Theater.
779
00:50:36,366 --> 00:50:39,577
[piano music playing]
780
00:50:39,578 --> 00:50:41,370
[Jacques] The title of the skit was
781
00:50:41,371 --> 00:50:45,876
There Never Was
and Never Will be a King Like Me.
782
00:50:47,753 --> 00:50:48,754
Think about that.
783
00:50:49,421 --> 00:50:54,216
There Never Was
and Never Will be a King Like Me.
784
00:50:54,217 --> 00:50:57,511
♪ So in lonely Africa ♪
785
00:50:57,512 --> 00:51:02,141
♪ Among the jungle and the vines ♪
786
00:51:02,142 --> 00:51:06,187
♪ There lived a Zulu maid, so fine... ♪
787
00:51:06,188 --> 00:51:09,231
[Asali] They were so impressed
that they decided to change their name
788
00:51:09,232 --> 00:51:11,234
from the Tramps to the Zulus.
789
00:51:11,943 --> 00:51:14,904
And from that day forward,
took on the iconography
790
00:51:14,905 --> 00:51:18,699
of the warriors, of the shields,
and the spears, and all of those things,
791
00:51:18,700 --> 00:51:20,576
and also of the blackface.
792
00:51:20,577 --> 00:51:23,622
- ♪ Zulu ♪
- [recording fades]
793
00:51:25,415 --> 00:51:27,500
Hi, everybody. Welcome to Vagabond.
794
00:51:27,501 --> 00:51:28,876
I'm Bill Burrud.
795
00:51:28,877 --> 00:51:32,088
Now, this mask is symbolic
of one of the really great events
796
00:51:32,089 --> 00:51:34,465
in our country every year,
Mardi Gras time.
797
00:51:34,466 --> 00:51:36,425
[marching band music playing]
798
00:51:36,426 --> 00:51:39,053
[Jay] I'm pretty sure that,
in the conception of this organization,
799
00:51:39,054 --> 00:51:42,348
{\an8}if we were allowed to wear masks,
like the white folks were,
800
00:51:42,349 --> 00:51:44,600
{\an8}we probably would have had on masks.
801
00:51:44,601 --> 00:51:48,062
{\an8}But since we weren't allowed to do that,
we wore what we were allowed to.
802
00:51:48,063 --> 00:51:50,898
{\an8}And now... you've changed the game.
803
00:51:50,899 --> 00:51:54,610
{\an8}Well, I'mma wear what I've been wearing
'cause that's what I had to wear.
804
00:51:54,611 --> 00:51:57,364
But for those that want
to have a problem with it,
805
00:51:58,115 --> 00:52:00,700
I encourage you to have your problem.
It is America.
806
00:52:01,368 --> 00:52:04,286
[Michael] So where the conversation at?
When you gonna talk to your people?
807
00:52:04,287 --> 00:52:06,705
Let them know, like...
you got to make that next step?
808
00:52:06,706 --> 00:52:09,416
- You know what I'm saying?
- [Terrence] I get mixed emotions.
809
00:52:09,417 --> 00:52:13,921
The blackface is part of a festive event.
810
00:52:13,922 --> 00:52:15,548
It's nothing but a mask to me.
811
00:52:15,549 --> 00:52:17,591
[Michael] This is not stuff
that come from Africa.
812
00:52:17,592 --> 00:52:20,928
It come from white people's version
or vision of what Africa is.
813
00:52:20,929 --> 00:52:24,306
[Terrence] Now, to me, that blackface
is throwin' it back at 'em
814
00:52:24,307 --> 00:52:25,724
like the N-word.
815
00:52:25,725 --> 00:52:28,269
"I could use it, but you can't use it."
816
00:52:28,270 --> 00:52:32,106
And it's our way of saying
we took something negative
817
00:52:32,107 --> 00:52:34,567
and made it a positive to us.
818
00:52:34,568 --> 00:52:35,526
[Michale] To y'all.
819
00:52:35,527 --> 00:52:36,694
- [Terrence] To us.
- To y'all.
820
00:52:36,695 --> 00:52:39,446
- [Terrence] And that's what matters.
- That's not all that matters.
821
00:52:39,447 --> 00:52:42,575
You still got millions
of Black people in this country
822
00:52:42,576 --> 00:52:44,869
that are affected by what y'all project.
823
00:52:44,870 --> 00:52:48,038
Whether y'all interpret it one way,
most people gonna interpret it as
824
00:52:48,039 --> 00:52:50,374
this is a symbol of oppression
for Black folks.
825
00:52:50,375 --> 00:52:53,669
[Terrence] But on Mardi Gras Day,
it's make-believe land.
826
00:52:53,670 --> 00:52:56,755
[Michael] Why do I need to mask
when my brown skin is beautiful enough?
827
00:52:56,756 --> 00:52:59,133
- We don't need help being Black.
- [Terrence] Absolutely not.
828
00:52:59,134 --> 00:53:01,427
[Michael] We don't need help
shining this melanin.
829
00:53:01,428 --> 00:53:04,513
- [Terrence] Absolutely not.
- Why not be naturally beautifully Black?
830
00:53:04,514 --> 00:53:06,391
[tense music playing]
831
00:53:08,393 --> 00:53:12,354
[Michael] During Mardi Gras,
blackface was a popular fad.
832
00:53:12,355 --> 00:53:15,691
It's all about trying to become
something you're not for a few days.
833
00:53:15,692 --> 00:53:18,402
And so, a lot of white people'd dress up
and be the Black people
834
00:53:18,403 --> 00:53:20,237
they couldn't be the rest of the year.
835
00:53:20,238 --> 00:53:24,116
They could oppress, beat, and exploit
however they wanted all through the year.
836
00:53:24,117 --> 00:53:26,494
But for Mardi Gras,
why not act like you are them?
837
00:53:31,458 --> 00:53:38,173
I live in a city where we have been
besieged by symbols of white supremacy.
838
00:53:38,673 --> 00:53:42,134
We say, "Well, okay.
There's some movement in the country."
839
00:53:42,135 --> 00:53:43,928
- [woman] Take 'em down!
- Take 'em down!
840
00:53:43,929 --> 00:53:46,890
- [woman] Take 'em down!
- [crowd] Take 'em down!
841
00:53:48,099 --> 00:53:50,809
[man] Removal of these statues
sends a clear message,
842
00:53:50,810 --> 00:53:54,313
{\an8}an unequivocal message
to the people of New Orleans,
843
00:53:54,314 --> 00:53:58,525
and to the people of our nation
that New Orleans celebrates our diversity.
844
00:53:58,526 --> 00:54:00,653
[Michael] We can't have our cake
and eat it too.
845
00:54:00,654 --> 00:54:02,196
We can't be willing to say,
846
00:54:02,197 --> 00:54:06,283
"Ah, all of these things right here
are symbols of white supremacy."
847
00:54:06,284 --> 00:54:09,495
"But I tell you what, um,
we're gonna take these down."
848
00:54:09,496 --> 00:54:12,414
"But, you know,
we kinda like these over here."
849
00:54:12,415 --> 00:54:15,334
"So, why don't y'all
just leave those alone?"
850
00:54:15,335 --> 00:54:17,545
[tense, rhythmic music playing]
851
00:54:27,973 --> 00:54:31,309
{\an8}[Elroy] If you cannot fully embrace
852
00:54:32,269 --> 00:54:33,812
{\an8}the makeup requirement,
853
00:54:34,354 --> 00:54:37,982
don't let your position be
854
00:54:37,983 --> 00:54:43,654
that the organization
is not upholding the community.
855
00:54:43,655 --> 00:54:47,116
Because so much
of what we do throughout the year,
856
00:54:47,117 --> 00:54:50,036
not that one single day, counters that.
857
00:54:54,749 --> 00:54:59,211
I enjoy looking at the transition
858
00:54:59,212 --> 00:55:02,464
from 1909, 1920s, 1950s.
859
00:55:02,465 --> 00:55:06,468
And I like the aspect
that we all look the same.
860
00:55:06,469 --> 00:55:10,432
And I honestly believe
that's what it should look like.
861
00:55:14,269 --> 00:55:16,271
[intense music fades]
862
00:55:18,606 --> 00:55:20,858
[Terrence] I never even thought
about blackface.
863
00:55:20,859 --> 00:55:24,945
I never looked at it that I'm putting on
this stuff to go out and coon,
864
00:55:24,946 --> 00:55:27,740
and act like Clarence Thomas
or Candace Owens
865
00:55:27,741 --> 00:55:29,491
or Larry Elder or one of them.
866
00:55:29,492 --> 00:55:31,910
I just thought it was a part of a costume.
867
00:55:31,911 --> 00:55:34,621
{\an8}We do have to be mindful
of what that represents
868
00:55:34,622 --> 00:55:37,791
{\an8}to the outside world
and the community looking at it.
869
00:55:37,792 --> 00:55:39,626
{\an8}I think the symbolism of it
870
00:55:39,627 --> 00:55:43,464
represents so much hatred,
bigotry, racism.
871
00:55:43,465 --> 00:55:45,591
So people are offended by that.
872
00:55:45,592 --> 00:55:48,469
So I think at some point,
I don't know if it's now,
873
00:55:48,470 --> 00:55:52,014
but in the near future,
we're gonna have to really look at this
874
00:55:52,015 --> 00:55:54,141
and reexamine how we move forward with it
875
00:55:54,142 --> 00:55:56,894
'cause the argument
and the issues are not gonna stop.
876
00:55:56,895 --> 00:55:57,811
[man 1] Right.
877
00:55:57,812 --> 00:56:01,607
[man 2] I gave an interview,
and this same question came up
878
00:56:01,608 --> 00:56:04,860
about the blackface
and the minstrel situation
879
00:56:04,861 --> 00:56:07,696
and how we went to the play
and all of that.
880
00:56:07,697 --> 00:56:11,200
{\an8}And at the time,
I felt that it was an honor
881
00:56:11,201 --> 00:56:13,243
{\an8}to put that black stuff on my face,
882
00:56:13,244 --> 00:56:15,829
{\an8}to honor the minstrels
and the people that died
883
00:56:15,830 --> 00:56:18,582
and... and the guys that had talent.
884
00:56:18,583 --> 00:56:22,669
Some of the greatest musicians
in the world could not perform
885
00:56:22,670 --> 00:56:24,880
unless they put that on their face.
886
00:56:24,881 --> 00:56:26,549
And I still feel that way.
887
00:56:27,300 --> 00:56:31,262
We, as Black people,
we have the right to define ourselves.
888
00:56:31,846 --> 00:56:32,971
I know who I am.
889
00:56:32,972 --> 00:56:34,640
I know what I represent.
890
00:56:34,641 --> 00:56:38,102
Now, will I put on that black makeup
and walk down the street?
891
00:56:38,103 --> 00:56:39,812
- No.
- [Terrence] Absolutely not.
892
00:56:39,813 --> 00:56:41,355
But in 1909,
893
00:56:41,356 --> 00:56:44,400
that's a tradition they started,
and I respect it.
894
00:56:44,401 --> 00:56:47,111
[Rodney Jr.] I agree with you, Terrence.
I'm a traditionalist.
895
00:56:47,112 --> 00:56:50,280
{\an8}I believe in Zulu tradition.
I will stand firm on this.
896
00:56:50,281 --> 00:56:53,992
{\an8}And it will never be changed
as my membership exists.
897
00:56:53,993 --> 00:56:56,496
- We always gonna wear black makeup.
- [man 3] Yeah.
898
00:56:56,996 --> 00:57:02,251
{\an8}I... I think all our shared goal is
to keep this thing rolling
899
00:57:02,252 --> 00:57:04,503
{\an8}for future generations.
900
00:57:04,504 --> 00:57:07,256
Man, I think this is
the most wonderful thing
901
00:57:07,257 --> 00:57:11,301
for a Black man in America
to join an organization
902
00:57:11,302 --> 00:57:12,761
and he can become king!
903
00:57:12,762 --> 00:57:13,762
[man 4] Mm-hmm.
904
00:57:13,763 --> 00:57:17,224
That's awesome when you think about that.
905
00:57:17,225 --> 00:57:19,643
You can become king, all right?
906
00:57:19,644 --> 00:57:23,565
I... I have to always go back
to Harry Pitman.
907
00:57:24,691 --> 00:57:27,235
Harry Pitman, by trade, was a mechanic.
908
00:57:28,361 --> 00:57:32,072
But he became a chairman of the committee.
He started carrying a briefcase.
909
00:57:32,073 --> 00:57:33,240
[laughing]
910
00:57:33,241 --> 00:57:36,452
But when he opened up the briefcase,
it had nothing in it.
911
00:57:36,453 --> 00:57:37,744
You know what I mean?
912
00:57:37,745 --> 00:57:41,583
But it made him feel important, man.
913
00:57:42,542 --> 00:57:46,587
That's what this organization does
914
00:57:46,588 --> 00:57:50,966
for a Black man in America
who may be beat down on their job
915
00:57:50,967 --> 00:57:52,718
because of racism,
916
00:57:52,719 --> 00:57:57,056
but they can come to the Zulu Club
and feel like a man.
917
00:57:57,974 --> 00:58:03,479
Without Zulu and Mardi Gras,
Black people would be a guest.
918
00:58:03,480 --> 00:58:05,648
They wouldn't be able to take part.
919
00:58:06,608 --> 00:58:09,318
I think our legacy is a shared one.
920
00:58:09,319 --> 00:58:12,529
I think it's...
it's a shared dream of our ancestors.
921
00:58:12,530 --> 00:58:16,533
We've accomplished and made everything
our ancestors hoped it could be.
922
00:58:16,534 --> 00:58:19,995
They couldn't be part of Mardi Gras.
They were trying to get in Mardi Gras.
923
00:58:19,996 --> 00:58:22,706
Now we became
the biggest part of the Mardi Gras.
924
00:58:22,707 --> 00:58:23,833
[Terrence] Absolutely.
925
00:58:24,959 --> 00:58:26,961
[pensive music playing]
926
00:58:31,716 --> 00:58:33,718
- [music fades]
- [ship horn blasts]
927
00:58:36,846 --> 00:58:38,347
[trumpet playing in distance]
928
00:58:38,348 --> 00:58:40,433
[indistinct, excited chatter]
929
00:58:46,356 --> 00:58:48,358
[sultry jazz playing]
930
00:59:17,136 --> 00:59:20,098
- [exciting jazz song ends]
- [patrons cheer]
931
00:59:21,182 --> 00:59:22,475
[man] Happy Thursday!
932
00:59:23,101 --> 00:59:25,978
What felt most normal to me
is seeing all the old-timers.
933
00:59:25,979 --> 00:59:29,731
Yeah, they sitting in the same seats.
They wearing the same clothes.
934
00:59:29,732 --> 00:59:31,775
[group laughs]
935
00:59:31,776 --> 00:59:36,238
So, yeah, it gave me a sense of normalcy.
Honestly, I... I think I needed this.
936
00:59:36,239 --> 00:59:39,825
- It's just good being together.
- But, man...
937
00:59:39,826 --> 00:59:43,453
And a year ago, this shit was dead.
938
00:59:43,454 --> 00:59:44,746
- Literally.
- [man 1] Dead.
939
00:59:44,747 --> 00:59:46,665
- Ghost town.
- [Chuck] I ain't gonna lie.
940
00:59:46,666 --> 00:59:49,960
I would have bet my motherfuckin' house
and every fucking thing I own.
941
00:59:49,961 --> 00:59:51,378
No way in the world, bro,
942
00:59:51,379 --> 00:59:55,716
I would have thought that we would
still be barely getting out of this shit
943
00:59:55,717 --> 00:59:58,844
in May of fucking 2021.
944
00:59:58,845 --> 01:00:01,513
I never would've thought that shit
in a million fuckin' years.
945
01:00:01,514 --> 01:00:04,558
It ain't what you get,
it's what you ask for.
946
01:00:04,559 --> 01:00:06,477
I'm retired at 50.
947
01:00:07,061 --> 01:00:08,478
Man, what you talking about?
948
01:00:08,479 --> 01:00:11,857
If you don't mind me asking, Playboy,
what you do for a living, man?
949
01:00:11,858 --> 01:00:12,816
[man 2] I'm retired.
950
01:00:12,817 --> 01:00:14,526
- What you do?
- I'm a Marine.
951
01:00:14,527 --> 01:00:17,863
- [Chuck] I was in the Marine Corps too.
- And 30 years in the plant.
952
01:00:17,864 --> 01:00:20,907
I'm debt-free. I own my shit.
I don't work for nobody.
953
01:00:20,908 --> 01:00:23,911
[man 1] What's some of the things you did
to become debt-free?
954
01:00:25,538 --> 01:00:27,789
- Sat down and said, "I'm done."
- [man 1 chuckles]
955
01:00:27,790 --> 01:00:30,542
You gotta make a decision,
from drugs to debt.
956
01:00:30,543 --> 01:00:32,629
You gotta quit. You gotta say, "I'm done."
957
01:00:33,713 --> 01:00:36,882
You know what I'm saying?
I'm 35% Scandinavian.
958
01:00:36,883 --> 01:00:40,094
So how I deal with that?
I can't call white or Black.
959
01:00:42,138 --> 01:00:43,764
[Terrence] Well, I could call it for you.
960
01:00:43,765 --> 01:00:46,600
If you don't know what you are,
I could call it for you.
961
01:00:46,601 --> 01:00:50,228
When they pull your Black ass over,
they gonna beat your Black ass.
962
01:00:50,229 --> 01:00:53,148
- I'mma tell you what I am. I'm debt-free.
- Yeah, that's cool.
963
01:00:53,149 --> 01:00:56,068
- But I can tell you what you are.
- All my kids went to college.
964
01:00:56,069 --> 01:00:59,946
All my kids are college graduates!
I'm a United States Marine!
965
01:00:59,947 --> 01:01:02,866
I ain't talking about--
You said you're Scandinavian or Black.
966
01:01:02,867 --> 01:01:05,452
- I can tell you what you are.
- [man 2] I'mma tell you what I am.
967
01:01:05,453 --> 01:01:07,871
- Let the cop pull you over.
- No, I'm both sides.
968
01:01:07,872 --> 01:01:10,290
Matter of fact, they don't pull me over.
You know why?
969
01:01:10,291 --> 01:01:13,377
'Cause I carry myself right.
I don't need to get pulled over.
970
01:01:13,378 --> 01:01:17,089
My truck don't smell like weed.
You ain't gotta pull me over.
971
01:01:17,090 --> 01:01:20,092
When they see me, they say,
"How you doing, mister?"
972
01:01:20,093 --> 01:01:21,301
Period.
973
01:01:21,302 --> 01:01:25,389
You gotta respect that. I heard that.
You gotta respect that because...
974
01:01:25,390 --> 01:01:27,599
- No, no, no.
- [man 1] I understand both sides.
975
01:01:27,600 --> 01:01:31,144
But I'm gonna show you a point of sadness.
976
01:01:31,145 --> 01:01:34,272
He had to make the point
he was Scandinavian. Why?
977
01:01:34,273 --> 01:01:36,066
He said he 35% fucking Scandinavian.
978
01:01:36,067 --> 01:01:39,653
The point I'm trying to make,
he don't want to be associated with this.
979
01:01:39,654 --> 01:01:41,988
- [Brian] What I'm trying to--
- To me, that's a travesty.
980
01:01:41,989 --> 01:01:43,323
But the point I'm trying to say,
981
01:01:43,324 --> 01:01:45,826
it don't make a difference
what the fuck he say he is.
982
01:01:45,827 --> 01:01:48,161
- Or think he is.
- That's what I tried to tell him.
983
01:01:48,162 --> 01:01:50,539
Because the only thing I see,
if you look like me,
984
01:01:50,540 --> 01:01:53,041
if you look like you,
if you look like him,
985
01:01:53,042 --> 01:01:55,168
and him a little bit, motherfucker...
986
01:01:55,169 --> 01:01:56,920
He might pass. He might pass.
987
01:01:56,921 --> 01:02:00,382
When it's time for him to go to the bank
and get a loan to do some shit,
988
01:02:00,383 --> 01:02:02,843
he gotta pay
the fucking Black tax. Period.
989
01:02:02,844 --> 01:02:06,471
That's one thing I love about New Or--
Never met a Black person in New Orleans.
990
01:02:06,472 --> 01:02:09,433
"I'm part Indian.
I'm part this. I'm part that."
991
01:02:09,434 --> 01:02:13,019
I'm just good old-fashioned
African-American.
992
01:02:13,020 --> 01:02:16,565
- Ah, nothin'... nothin' much to see here.
- [group laughs]
993
01:02:16,566 --> 01:02:20,110
I thank God my ancestors
endured what they endured
994
01:02:20,111 --> 01:02:22,612
to allow me to do what I'm doin' today.
995
01:02:22,613 --> 01:02:25,657
I ride on my ancestors' shoulders.
996
01:02:25,658 --> 01:02:28,034
And I'm proud. I ain't Scandinavian.
997
01:02:28,035 --> 01:02:32,956
I'm proud. I'm... I'm proud that my family
998
01:02:32,957 --> 01:02:35,375
got on the slave ship and made it here.
999
01:02:35,376 --> 01:02:38,837
And survived the Middle Passage.
And survived 400 years.
1000
01:02:38,838 --> 01:02:41,214
- No, I'm dealing with psychologic--
- Terrence.
1001
01:02:41,215 --> 01:02:43,967
The Scandi... The Scandinavian got me upset.
1002
01:02:43,968 --> 01:02:45,719
- [group laughs]
- I ain't Scandinavian.
1003
01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:47,637
- You keep pointing.
- Not you.
1004
01:02:47,638 --> 01:02:49,181
No, the point--
1005
01:02:49,182 --> 01:02:52,267
The point I'm trying to make,
with Black people,
1006
01:02:52,268 --> 01:02:54,853
instead of us running away from slavery,
1007
01:02:54,854 --> 01:02:57,898
it's something I wear
like I badge of goddamn honor.
1008
01:02:57,899 --> 01:03:01,568
Because think about what my people
endured, and I'm going...
1009
01:03:01,569 --> 01:03:04,488
I want to verify something you said.
I wanna...
1010
01:03:04,489 --> 01:03:08,158
- Terrence, I want to verify something.
- I'm gonna piss. Y'all verify all that.
1011
01:03:08,159 --> 01:03:09,659
[Chuck] That's a good closer.
1012
01:03:09,660 --> 01:03:12,455
- [chatter fades]
- [reflective music playing]
1013
01:03:17,460 --> 01:03:21,505
You know, most of my life as a Black man,
I was taught to conform
1014
01:03:21,506 --> 01:03:24,633
and try to speak the Queen's English.
1015
01:03:24,634 --> 01:03:28,471
And if I did certain things,
I would get the American Dream.
1016
01:03:29,430 --> 01:03:31,932
And I bought into that for a long time,
1017
01:03:31,933 --> 01:03:34,769
almost to the point where I hated myself,
you know?
1018
01:03:35,269 --> 01:03:37,938
Livin'... Livin', being Black in America,
1019
01:03:37,939 --> 01:03:41,399
it's kind of hard
not to see yourself in a negative way
1020
01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:44,152
because every time
you see yourself portrayed,
1021
01:03:44,153 --> 01:03:45,737
it's in a negative light.
1022
01:03:45,738 --> 01:03:47,989
I can show you documentation.
1023
01:03:47,990 --> 01:03:50,701
My family been here since the 1700s.
1024
01:03:51,202 --> 01:03:52,745
The 1700s!
1025
01:03:53,246 --> 01:03:55,372
So who paid more than my family?
1026
01:03:55,373 --> 01:03:57,542
Who's more American than my family?
1027
01:03:58,417 --> 01:04:00,419
I spent my whole life
1028
01:04:00,920 --> 01:04:03,797
doin' things that
I never was comfortable with,
1029
01:04:03,798 --> 01:04:07,342
trying to be loved and accepted
by people who would never love me.
1030
01:04:07,343 --> 01:04:11,304
It's like trying to get the attention
of a beautiful woman
1031
01:04:11,305 --> 01:04:14,474
or date a woman that's above your class.
1032
01:04:14,475 --> 01:04:18,186
So you put on good cologne,
and you put on beautiful clothes,
1033
01:04:18,187 --> 01:04:22,774
and you do everything you can to try
to get this beautiful woman's attention.
1034
01:04:22,775 --> 01:04:26,361
But no matter what I do,
America will never accept me.
1035
01:04:26,362 --> 01:04:29,364
And that's a hard goddamn pill to swallow
1036
01:04:29,365 --> 01:04:30,866
when you go to school,
1037
01:04:30,867 --> 01:04:34,829
and you do everything
that you supposed to do...
1038
01:04:35,746 --> 01:04:37,163
Man, I'm gettin' choked up.
1039
01:04:37,164 --> 01:04:38,874
...to get the American Dream,
1040
01:04:38,875 --> 01:04:42,544
and the motherfuckers step on you
every fuckin' day of your life.
1041
01:04:42,545 --> 01:04:43,587
That's hard.
1042
01:04:43,588 --> 01:04:47,424
[voice breaking] That's a hard pill
to swallow every day.
1043
01:04:47,425 --> 01:04:48,593
It's hard.
1044
01:04:49,176 --> 01:04:51,386
When you're tryin' to do everything right.
1045
01:04:51,387 --> 01:04:52,930
That's fuckin' hard.
1046
01:04:54,599 --> 01:04:55,766
That's hard.
1047
01:04:59,687 --> 01:05:02,231
[projector whirring]
1048
01:05:05,192 --> 01:05:07,194
[rhythmic, jazzy music playing]
1049
01:05:15,703 --> 01:05:21,500
And they kept asking us
Why all our poems sounded the same
1050
01:05:24,462 --> 01:05:26,964
Why all our words wrapped themselves
1051
01:05:27,715 --> 01:05:30,259
Round race and gender
1052
01:05:31,510 --> 01:05:34,013
Oppression, revolution
1053
01:05:34,764 --> 01:05:36,557
Like there was nothing else
1054
01:05:43,189 --> 01:05:45,523
Say, see 25,000 sinkholes in ten years
1055
01:05:45,524 --> 01:05:48,860
See 27 purchased politicians
Dangling from dollar-sign nooses
1056
01:05:48,861 --> 01:05:52,113
See the ground pummeled back
Into its source, the land
1057
01:05:52,114 --> 01:05:54,032
A cracked jaw threatening
To swallow us whole
1058
01:05:54,033 --> 01:05:57,452
Watch it sink like falling stock
Unemployment rates in a depression
1059
01:05:57,453 --> 01:06:00,956
Watch sorrow fill the streets
Disguised as bravado
1060
01:06:00,957 --> 01:06:05,210
Enraged as the sea rises like a people
Tired of the weight on their backs
1061
01:06:05,211 --> 01:06:06,753
Their backs sprouting wings
1062
01:06:06,754 --> 01:06:09,339
Feathered by the water
Protecting keepers of this land
1063
01:06:09,340 --> 01:06:11,717
The world's on fire, they say
1064
01:06:15,388 --> 01:06:17,515
Whispers beneath our feet say
1065
01:06:18,349 --> 01:06:19,433
Don't worry
1066
01:06:20,476 --> 01:06:21,894
The water's comin'
1067
01:06:23,104 --> 01:06:24,437
The people too
1068
01:06:24,438 --> 01:06:26,524
[crowd cheers]
1069
01:06:27,650 --> 01:06:28,733
[man 1] A'ight.
1070
01:06:28,734 --> 01:06:30,151
[jazz music fades]
1071
01:06:30,152 --> 01:06:31,696
[man 2] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1072
01:06:42,581 --> 01:06:44,458
[excited chatter]
1073
01:06:45,584 --> 01:06:48,169
[Terrence] Man, today is an exciting day.
1074
01:06:48,170 --> 01:06:51,464
The king election mean a lot
to every Zulu member,
1075
01:06:51,465 --> 01:06:55,511
because if you a member of Zulu,
everybody wants to be the king.
1076
01:06:56,429 --> 01:06:58,763
Although this is make-believe,
1077
01:06:58,764 --> 01:07:02,434
you would be surprised
of the extremes we go through
1078
01:07:02,435 --> 01:07:06,355
to have this election be accurate
and not fixed.
1079
01:07:06,939 --> 01:07:09,316
Candidates and one representative!
1080
01:07:09,900 --> 01:07:12,528
Candidates and one representative!
1081
01:07:15,573 --> 01:07:18,408
- All right, gentlemen, good morning.
- [group] Good morning.
1082
01:07:18,409 --> 01:07:23,621
{\an8}It's a beautiful day.
It's election day for our king, 2022.
1083
01:07:23,622 --> 01:07:26,249
We haven't had an election in two years,
1084
01:07:26,250 --> 01:07:29,837
so most of all, I'm glad to see
you brothers are healthy and well.
1085
01:07:30,463 --> 01:07:34,133
{\an8}We got the State of Louisiana
to assist us with our election today.
1086
01:07:34,925 --> 01:07:38,386
If you go to a voting poll,
they have the same machines.
1087
01:07:38,387 --> 01:07:42,141
As real as you would go and vote
for the president of the United States.
1088
01:07:43,559 --> 01:07:45,226
[interviewer] Other krewes do it
like this?
1089
01:07:45,227 --> 01:07:48,856
Sorry, I can't attest for other krewes,
but this is the way Zulu do it.
1090
01:07:49,398 --> 01:07:50,858
Election is now open!
1091
01:07:51,776 --> 01:07:53,069
[excited chatter]
1092
01:07:57,907 --> 01:08:00,909
[man] Within a membership as close
as this, everybody's your friend.
1093
01:08:00,910 --> 01:08:02,285
I mean, we're all brothers.
1094
01:08:02,286 --> 01:08:05,538
You know, any given day, you can vote
for any one of these guys, and so,
1095
01:08:05,539 --> 01:08:08,291
{\an8}the elections with Zulu are more complex
1096
01:08:08,292 --> 01:08:10,376
{\an8}than a congressional race, trust me.
1097
01:08:10,377 --> 01:08:12,295
[laughs] It is one and the same.
1098
01:08:12,296 --> 01:08:16,716
{\an8}Oh, if you can make it in Zulu politics,
you can make it in any kind of politics.
1099
01:08:16,717 --> 01:08:18,760
{\an8}[suspenseful music playing]
1100
01:08:18,761 --> 01:08:21,347
{\an8}[Terrence] All the politicians
are gonna come out.
1101
01:08:22,139 --> 01:08:26,851
{\an8}Potential congressional candidates,
the mayor, the governor.
1102
01:08:26,852 --> 01:08:29,522
They know how important
this is to the city.
1103
01:08:30,815 --> 01:08:34,818
{\an8}I think it's great that the governor
would take time out of his busy schedule
1104
01:08:34,819 --> 01:08:37,154
to come to a character election.
1105
01:08:38,531 --> 01:08:44,286
It's not very often that everyday citizens
get to dap him up, get to talk to him.
1106
01:08:44,870 --> 01:08:47,580
[Troy] It recognizes this is more
than just a Black thing.
1107
01:08:47,581 --> 01:08:50,166
It recognizes it's more
than just a New Orleans thing.
1108
01:08:50,167 --> 01:08:54,838
{\an8}It recognizes that this is something
that transcends all races,
1109
01:08:54,839 --> 01:08:57,174
all parties, all politics.
1110
01:09:00,469 --> 01:09:02,137
[man 1] Good evening, everyone.
1111
01:09:02,138 --> 01:09:04,472
We have the mayor
of the City of New Orleans here.
1112
01:09:04,473 --> 01:09:07,976
I want to thank her
for her extraordinary leadership
1113
01:09:07,977 --> 01:09:09,686
through this historic pandemic.
1114
01:09:09,687 --> 01:09:10,895
[crowd cheers]
1115
01:09:10,896 --> 01:09:14,941
And I've heard from her today that
we're gonna have Mardi Gras 2022.
1116
01:09:14,942 --> 01:09:16,401
[crowd cheers]
1117
01:09:16,402 --> 01:09:20,613
And so, get ready
for a great Mardi Gras season.
1118
01:09:20,614 --> 01:09:24,702
The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
is planning, and we are ready.
1119
01:09:25,286 --> 01:09:27,872
[Darryl] For the moment
we've all been waiting for...
1120
01:09:30,124 --> 01:09:33,501
King Zulu 2022,
1121
01:09:33,502 --> 01:09:35,837
Randolph "Rudy" Davis.
1122
01:09:35,838 --> 01:09:40,509
- [crowd cheering]
- [triumphant music playing]
1123
01:09:44,388 --> 01:09:45,681
[whistle blows]
1124
01:09:49,643 --> 01:09:55,857
[crowd cheering] Rudy!
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
1125
01:09:55,858 --> 01:10:00,320
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
1126
01:10:00,321 --> 01:10:05,659
[lively brass band music playing rendition
of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"]
1127
01:10:28,098 --> 01:10:30,100
[music fades out]
1128
01:10:34,355 --> 01:10:36,357
[whistling]
1129
01:10:38,692 --> 01:10:40,069
Eh, one more.
1130
01:10:42,238 --> 01:10:44,657
Yeah, that should be enough for starters.
1131
01:10:45,157 --> 01:10:47,326
- All right, thank you.
- [cashier] You're welcome.
1132
01:10:48,577 --> 01:10:50,788
[Terrence] Today is
coconut decorating day.
1133
01:10:51,288 --> 01:10:54,123
It's one of my favorite times of the year.
1134
01:10:54,124 --> 01:10:57,461
It lets me know Mardi Gras
is right around the corner.
1135
01:10:57,962 --> 01:11:01,924
I get my family members
to help me decorate 600 coconuts.
1136
01:11:02,424 --> 01:11:06,427
I trick 'em by inviting 'em over
to boil crabs or eat crawfish,
1137
01:11:06,428 --> 01:11:08,764
but actually, I'm runnin' a labor camp.
1138
01:11:09,682 --> 01:11:12,016
It's all about the free labor, man.
1139
01:11:12,017 --> 01:11:13,769
[laughs]
1140
01:11:14,520 --> 01:11:18,190
[jazzy brass band rendition
of "Iko Iko" playing]
1141
01:11:20,484 --> 01:11:21,442
How you feel, bro?
1142
01:11:21,443 --> 01:11:22,819
[Terrence] Oh, Lord!
1143
01:11:22,820 --> 01:11:24,321
[excited chatter]
1144
01:11:26,073 --> 01:11:28,534
[Terrence] This is
my favorite tasty treats.
1145
01:11:35,708 --> 01:11:39,085
[Terrence] After y'all eat,
we can get started on the coconuts,
1146
01:11:39,086 --> 01:11:40,796
so the labor camp is ready.
1147
01:11:49,930 --> 01:11:53,892
[Terrence] You know, I heard a couple
of different stories of why, in 1910,
1148
01:11:54,476 --> 01:11:57,396
Zulu members decided
to use coconuts as throws.
1149
01:12:00,858 --> 01:12:04,777
A lot of guys in the club
at that time probably were stevedores
1150
01:12:04,778 --> 01:12:07,155
or longshoremen like my grandfather,
1151
01:12:07,156 --> 01:12:11,617
and it probably was easy
to make a couple of bags or sacks
1152
01:12:11,618 --> 01:12:14,788
of those coconuts disappear
without anybody looking.
1153
01:12:16,081 --> 01:12:19,167
The Zulu coconut
really has become the stuff of legend.
1154
01:12:19,168 --> 01:12:23,881
I think the coconut is truly what makes
Zulu the premier krewe of Mardi Gras.
1155
01:12:26,383 --> 01:12:30,678
{\an8}Funny, the same people who
helping me decorate these coconuts
1156
01:12:30,679 --> 01:12:33,723
will be the same people
on the route begging for a coconut.
1157
01:12:33,724 --> 01:12:36,185
[crowd exclaiming]
1158
01:12:37,353 --> 01:12:39,355
{\an8}[upbeat tune ends]
1159
01:12:44,735 --> 01:12:47,112
[indistinct chatter]
1160
01:12:51,617 --> 01:12:54,536
[Jay] We're getting ready
to crown the new king.
1161
01:12:55,829 --> 01:12:57,748
He's about to get a king's ring,
1162
01:12:58,290 --> 01:13:03,670
which, once you get that,
it is when you've been to the mountaintop.
1163
01:13:04,505 --> 01:13:08,383
{\an8}It is the biggest black tie event
on the planet,
1164
01:13:08,384 --> 01:13:10,968
and I'm very happy
that it's a Black event.
1165
01:13:10,969 --> 01:13:16,557
You will see, again, 20,000 gowns
and tuxedos of folks that look like me.
1166
01:13:16,558 --> 01:13:20,229
And that's a fabulous thing to see, man.
It is so much fun.
1167
01:13:23,524 --> 01:13:25,942
[energetic music playing]
1168
01:13:25,943 --> 01:13:27,403
Pi-yah!
1169
01:13:34,493 --> 01:13:39,665
This is a culmination of a life's dream
for the gentleman it's about to happen to.
1170
01:13:40,666 --> 01:13:46,587
I am positive he is anxious,
frightened, excited
1171
01:13:46,588 --> 01:13:49,924
because he woke up this morning as Rudy.
1172
01:13:49,925 --> 01:13:52,052
Tomorrow he wakes up as King Zulu.
1173
01:13:56,056 --> 01:13:57,890
[energetic music dies down]
1174
01:13:57,891 --> 01:14:00,476
As an 11-year-old kid,
11, 12-year-old kid,
1175
01:14:00,477 --> 01:14:04,689
I stood on the corner
of Jackson and Claiborne and, um...
1176
01:14:04,690 --> 01:14:10,319
But my grandfather, I told my grandfather
my desire was to be King Zulu one day.
1177
01:14:10,320 --> 01:14:14,240
And his response was, "Son,
you can be whatever you desire to be."
1178
01:14:14,241 --> 01:14:17,076
And for that little kid
to now be 55 years old,
1179
01:14:17,077 --> 01:14:21,081
and his dream be manifested,
it's... it's unbelievable.
1180
01:14:23,459 --> 01:14:25,544
[overlapping conversations fade out]
1181
01:14:28,630 --> 01:14:30,965
[Terrence] I only wear these shoes,
like, twice a year,
1182
01:14:30,966 --> 01:14:32,801
and I bought 'em for one reason.
1183
01:14:33,469 --> 01:14:36,179
They allow you to walk
on the back of the heel.
1184
01:14:36,180 --> 01:14:40,809
[chuckles] So after standing up
for, like, eight hours at the ball,
1185
01:14:41,310 --> 01:14:43,270
you know, your feet kinda ache.
1186
01:14:44,229 --> 01:14:48,524
Every Zulu Ball is like
an anniversary for me because that's, uh...
1187
01:14:48,525 --> 01:14:50,611
I met my wife at a Zulu Ball.
1188
01:14:51,737 --> 01:14:53,989
I think it was 1998.
1189
01:14:54,907 --> 01:14:59,202
My best friend Russell Kelly said,
"Man, I got extra tickets to the ball."
1190
01:14:59,203 --> 01:15:04,749
I didn't have a tuxedo,
so Russell got one of his older tuxedos.
1191
01:15:04,750 --> 01:15:07,544
The pants were about three inches short.
1192
01:15:08,337 --> 01:15:12,174
So I was walking around, lookin'
like Steve Urkel with my socks showing.
1193
01:15:12,966 --> 01:15:16,887
And I saw my future wife,
just laughin' and jokin' with her friends.
1194
01:15:17,513 --> 01:15:19,013
{\an8}So the next thing I knew,
1195
01:15:19,014 --> 01:15:22,892
we ended up hanging out the entire night,
dancin' and partying.
1196
01:15:22,893 --> 01:15:25,436
{\an8}Uh, she claimed I had my hand
under her dress
1197
01:15:25,437 --> 01:15:26,896
{\an8}while we were dancin'.
1198
01:15:26,897 --> 01:15:28,899
{\an8}I probably did, I was so drunk.
1199
01:15:29,441 --> 01:15:30,901
And the rest is history.
1200
01:15:31,485 --> 01:15:33,862
[epic rhythmic music playing]
1201
01:15:58,595 --> 01:16:02,808
The ball is the epitome
of Black excellence.
1202
01:16:03,976 --> 01:16:04,851
Period.
1203
01:16:06,061 --> 01:16:10,231
And I've not been the king, man,
but I know it's bigger than people think.
1204
01:16:10,232 --> 01:16:12,359
You represent every soul,
1205
01:16:13,402 --> 01:16:17,155
especially Black soul,
that's ever come through this city.
1206
01:16:17,948 --> 01:16:19,824
- Good luck.
- One, two, three.
1207
01:16:19,825 --> 01:16:21,534
Get in there. Let's go. Get in.
1208
01:16:21,535 --> 01:16:23,661
Rudy, it's time for you to be king, man.
1209
01:16:23,662 --> 01:16:25,622
You got it. Your time.
1210
01:16:26,373 --> 01:16:29,418
[regal jazz music playing]
1211
01:16:52,816 --> 01:16:54,609
My wife, Toni.
1212
01:16:54,610 --> 01:16:56,695
[speaking indistinctly]
1213
01:17:08,040 --> 01:17:09,749
My little pumpkin.
1214
01:17:09,750 --> 01:17:12,168
I can't wait till you get on the stage.
1215
01:17:12,169 --> 01:17:14,295
Oh, stop it, my little cupcake.
1216
01:17:14,296 --> 01:17:17,089
- Stop it.
- Rudy! Oh...
1217
01:17:17,090 --> 01:17:18,382
[group laughs]
1218
01:17:18,383 --> 01:17:20,843
Rudy, how my king gonna get
that crown on you?
1219
01:17:20,844 --> 01:17:22,803
If Rudy does not bow tonight...
1220
01:17:22,804 --> 01:17:26,641
I'm gonna have the crown in my hand,
I'mma look up him, look at the ground.
1221
01:17:26,642 --> 01:17:27,850
I'mma look at y'all...
1222
01:17:27,851 --> 01:17:30,728
"You want this shit here?
You want this motherfucker?"
1223
01:17:30,729 --> 01:17:32,521
- [man] Come and get it.
- "Come get it."
1224
01:17:32,522 --> 01:17:33,689
[laughing]
1225
01:17:33,690 --> 01:17:37,444
[Mozart's "Piano Concerto No. 21" playing]
1226
01:17:40,447 --> 01:17:43,116
[elegant concerto continues]
1227
01:17:52,042 --> 01:17:54,627
[man] It is an honor
to represent this city
1228
01:17:54,628 --> 01:17:58,131
with every dignitary
who ever was and will be.
1229
01:17:59,007 --> 01:18:01,717
Hail King Zulu!
1230
01:18:01,718 --> 01:18:02,968
[crowd cheers]
1231
01:18:02,969 --> 01:18:04,304
[man] Hear, hear.
1232
01:18:20,404 --> 01:18:22,697
[excited chatter]
1233
01:18:22,698 --> 01:18:25,033
[smoky jazz music playing]
1234
01:18:32,249 --> 01:18:33,959
Hey, how you do a beard?
1235
01:18:34,835 --> 01:18:39,881
With a beard, what you do is,
you still just... mash it into his beard.
1236
01:18:42,759 --> 01:18:45,220
[man] Been waiting
for this for two years, man.
1237
01:18:47,097 --> 01:18:51,935
Get away from... uh,
dealing with COVID and that kind of stuff.
1238
01:18:54,104 --> 01:18:58,107
Deal with it every day
at... at the hospital I work at, you know.
1239
01:18:58,108 --> 01:19:00,901
I'm pumped up. I'm ready to put on a show.
1240
01:19:00,902 --> 01:19:02,404
That's why they call me...
1241
01:19:02,946 --> 01:19:04,363
- "Showtime."
- [interviewer] Showtime.
1242
01:19:04,364 --> 01:19:07,032
- Showtime!
- [laughs]
1243
01:19:07,033 --> 01:19:09,785
[expectant music playing]
1244
01:19:09,786 --> 01:19:14,374
[man] Father, once again, we humbly stand
before you this morning to say thank you.
1245
01:19:17,669 --> 01:19:21,131
We want to say thank you
for allowing us to assemble once again.
1246
01:19:22,841 --> 01:19:26,386
Father, it's been two years since we were
able to come together in your name.
1247
01:19:28,722 --> 01:19:30,724
We know we lost a lot of brothers,
1248
01:19:31,308 --> 01:19:34,894
so we just want to say thank you
for bringing us through COVID, Father.
1249
01:19:34,895 --> 01:19:37,104
We ask that you allow
all these wonderful men
1250
01:19:37,105 --> 01:19:39,648
to bring joy and fun
to the people of New Orleans.
1251
01:19:39,649 --> 01:19:40,776
[group] Amen.
1252
01:19:46,156 --> 01:19:48,657
Hey! Mardi Gras, party gras!
1253
01:19:48,658 --> 01:19:51,369
[excited chatter]
1254
01:19:55,123 --> 01:19:57,792
His Majesty, good morning.
1255
01:19:57,793 --> 01:19:59,543
- What's up, dawg?
- [man] What's up, T?
1256
01:19:59,544 --> 01:20:01,129
Man, we good, man.
1257
01:20:11,348 --> 01:20:13,974
[Chuck] So I wrote an op-ed piece
in the local newspaper,
1258
01:20:13,975 --> 01:20:18,437
you know, sayin' that I think it's time
for Zulu to take off the blackface.
1259
01:20:18,438 --> 01:20:20,856
Let's start moving to the Shell station.
1260
01:20:20,857 --> 01:20:22,983
[Chuck] The first call I got
was from my brother.
1261
01:20:22,984 --> 01:20:27,279
He was like, "Look, I fuckin' told you.
You ain't messing up our fucking fun."
1262
01:20:27,280 --> 01:20:29,281
"Get the fuck outta here
with your..." [laughs]
1263
01:20:29,282 --> 01:20:33,702
My own brother, 7:30 in the morning,
I can't even have a cup of coffee
1264
01:20:33,703 --> 01:20:36,705
before he already callin' me,
talkin' stupid shit, you know?
1265
01:20:36,706 --> 01:20:39,083
But, um, anyway, because of that,
1266
01:20:39,084 --> 01:20:42,586
um, I don't know that I'm welcome
in Zulu circles right now. [laughs]
1267
01:20:42,587 --> 01:20:45,840
Even though I gotta say this much,
a lot of them guys are my friends.
1268
01:20:45,841 --> 01:20:48,884
[man] That's what I'm talking 'bout!
Zulu, baby!
1269
01:20:48,885 --> 01:20:51,971
Good morning! Good morning, people!
Good morning!
1270
01:20:51,972 --> 01:20:53,473
Good morning!
1271
01:20:55,350 --> 01:20:57,686
[George] Blackface now. What's tomorrow?
1272
01:21:00,480 --> 01:21:02,357
I'm confused, myself.
1273
01:21:04,234 --> 01:21:07,112
And I wonder what will happen.
1274
01:21:08,905 --> 01:21:13,076
Don't you ever think
that we don't have it on our mind.
1275
01:21:13,577 --> 01:21:18,665
But you figure 100 years, 110 years,
1276
01:21:19,791 --> 01:21:23,420
everybody's been happy,
everybody's had fun.
1277
01:21:24,421 --> 01:21:26,631
And as far as I'm concerned,
1278
01:21:28,967 --> 01:21:33,179
I hope, and pray
that they don't change it.
1279
01:21:34,681 --> 01:21:37,559
But they've got people
who've been trying to do.
1280
01:21:38,560 --> 01:21:43,314
You open that can of worms just enough...
Hope they didn't send you here for that.
1281
01:21:43,315 --> 01:21:46,066
- [interviewer] No. [chuckles]
- [laughs]
1282
01:21:46,067 --> 01:21:47,234
[interviewer] No, man.
1283
01:21:47,235 --> 01:21:49,028
But you better handle this, man.
1284
01:21:49,029 --> 01:21:51,113
[group laughs]
1285
01:21:51,114 --> 01:21:54,075
["Colors" by Black Pumas playing]
1286
01:21:56,828 --> 01:22:00,707
♪ I woke up to the morning sky first ♪
1287
01:22:02,417 --> 01:22:05,587
♪ Baby blue, just like we rehearsed ♪
1288
01:22:07,464 --> 01:22:11,467
♪ When I get up off this ground
I shake leaves back down ♪
1289
01:22:11,468 --> 01:22:14,094
♪ To the brown, brown, brown, brown ♪
1290
01:22:14,095 --> 01:22:16,389
♪ Till I'm clean ♪
1291
01:22:18,558 --> 01:22:22,061
♪ With all my favorite colors... ♪
1292
01:22:22,062 --> 01:22:24,104
[crowd shouting and cheering]
1293
01:22:24,105 --> 01:22:27,150
[Terrence] All right, old man. Hey, mama.
1294
01:22:29,069 --> 01:22:32,905
♪ My sisters and my brothers
See 'em like no other... ♪
1295
01:22:32,906 --> 01:22:37,451
[Terrence] New Orleans is the only place
where the senseless makes sense.
1296
01:22:37,452 --> 01:22:40,454
You know, nothing about
my character is changed
1297
01:22:40,455 --> 01:22:43,707
when I put on black makeup
on Mardi Gras Day.
1298
01:22:43,708 --> 01:22:45,627
I'm still the same person.
1299
01:22:50,131 --> 01:22:52,716
♪ My sisters and my brothers... ♪
1300
01:22:52,717 --> 01:22:56,470
[Terrence] At the end of the day,
the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
1301
01:22:56,471 --> 01:23:00,224
is a reflection of the triumphs,
the ups, the downs,
1302
01:23:00,225 --> 01:23:03,060
and the resilience
of Black people in America.
1303
01:23:03,061 --> 01:23:06,064
- ♪ All my favorite colors... ♪
- Oh! [laughs]
1304
01:23:07,774 --> 01:23:09,442
All right. [laughs]
1305
01:23:11,861 --> 01:23:13,154
For my niece.
1306
01:23:13,822 --> 01:23:14,822
Thank you.
1307
01:23:14,823 --> 01:23:16,324
[Terrence] Love you. Love you.
1308
01:23:17,701 --> 01:23:19,368
In a hundred years from now,
1309
01:23:19,369 --> 01:23:21,453
with paint or without paint,
1310
01:23:21,454 --> 01:23:24,207
Zulu will still be the face of our people.
1311
01:23:40,098 --> 01:23:43,309
♪ All my favorite colors ♪
1312
01:23:45,103 --> 01:23:47,938
♪ All my favorite colors ♪
1313
01:23:47,939 --> 01:23:49,149
♪ Yes, ma'am ♪
1314
01:23:50,275 --> 01:23:53,277
♪ My sisters and my brothers ♪
1315
01:23:53,278 --> 01:23:57,448
♪ They see 'em like no other ♪
1316
01:23:57,449 --> 01:24:03,329
♪ All my favorite colors ♪
1317
01:24:10,336 --> 01:24:12,714
[jazzy tune fades]
1318
01:24:25,685 --> 01:24:27,687
["It's Good to be the King" playing]
1319
01:24:38,239 --> 01:24:40,449
♪ They can hoot and holler ♪
1320
01:24:40,450 --> 01:24:42,785
♪ I don't mind ♪
1321
01:24:42,786 --> 01:24:45,370
♪ They'd do you for a dollar, babe ♪
1322
01:24:45,371 --> 01:24:47,791
♪ Like they'd do me for a dime ♪
1323
01:24:48,374 --> 01:24:50,542
♪ Check one, baby, the whole night long ♪
1324
01:24:50,543 --> 01:24:53,378
♪ Knowin' it don't mean a thing ♪
1325
01:24:53,379 --> 01:24:55,964
♪ When I come up Claiborne Avenue ♪
1326
01:24:55,965 --> 01:24:58,051
♪ It's good to be the king ♪
1327
01:25:11,981 --> 01:25:14,900
{\an8}♪ Yeah, I told you all before
You would not believe ♪
1328
01:25:14,901 --> 01:25:17,569
{\an8}♪ They might've set you loose
They never set you free ♪
1329
01:25:17,570 --> 01:25:20,114
♪ If I'm still standin'
When judgment come ♪
1330
01:25:20,115 --> 01:25:22,616
♪ I may be a monk, I won't be the one ♪
1331
01:25:22,617 --> 01:25:23,910
♪ But hey ♪
1332
01:25:25,245 --> 01:25:26,329
♪ No, no ♪
1333
01:25:27,831 --> 01:25:28,915
♪ Uh-uh! ♪
1334
01:25:30,500 --> 01:25:31,543
♪ Ha, ha! ♪
1335
01:25:35,880 --> 01:25:38,298
♪ If all my worries was swept away ♪
1336
01:25:38,299 --> 01:25:41,051
♪ Oh, I'm not so black and blue ♪
1337
01:25:41,052 --> 01:25:43,720
♪ You'd count the lines on my face ♪
1338
01:25:43,721 --> 01:25:45,807
♪ Yeah, I'd be just like you ♪
1339
01:25:46,766 --> 01:25:49,059
♪ I know time goes marching on ♪
1340
01:25:49,060 --> 01:25:51,728
♪ Takes a million things ♪
1341
01:25:51,729 --> 01:25:54,773
♪ Watch the shine round your eye ♪
1342
01:25:54,774 --> 01:25:57,318
♪ It's good to be the king, yeah ♪
1343
01:26:20,925 --> 01:26:23,886
♪ Yeah, I told you all before
You would not believe ♪
1344
01:26:23,887 --> 01:26:26,471
♪ They might've set you loose
They never set you free ♪
1345
01:26:26,472 --> 01:26:29,183
♪ If I'm still standin'
When judgment come ♪
1346
01:26:29,184 --> 01:26:31,643
♪ I may be a monk, I won't be the one ♪
1347
01:26:31,644 --> 01:26:33,104
♪ Oh no ♪
1348
01:26:34,272 --> 01:26:35,565
♪ Hey, hey ♪
1349
01:26:36,941 --> 01:26:38,318
♪ Uh-uh! ♪
1350
01:26:42,280 --> 01:26:43,655
♪ Hey, hey ♪
1351
01:26:43,656 --> 01:26:44,741
♪ Uh-uh! ♪
1352
01:26:50,455 --> 01:26:52,456
[jazzy tune ends]
1353
01:26:52,457 --> 01:26:54,542
[bluesy tune playing]
1354
01:27:11,226 --> 01:27:13,602
♪ Here come Moses ♪
1355
01:27:13,603 --> 01:27:15,562
♪ Knockin' on my door ♪
1356
01:27:15,563 --> 01:27:18,065
♪ Says it's time to go ♪
1357
01:27:18,066 --> 01:27:20,525
♪ Can't stay no more ♪
1358
01:27:20,526 --> 01:27:23,111
♪ Well, I tell you good people ♪
1359
01:27:23,112 --> 01:27:25,322
♪ Better listen to me ♪
1360
01:27:25,323 --> 01:27:28,033
♪ You cannot satisfy a dollar ♪
1361
01:27:28,034 --> 01:27:30,620
♪ Best to let it be ♪
1362
01:28:21,296 --> 01:28:25,340
♪ Lord, I wonder, will I ever get home? ♪
1363
01:28:25,341 --> 01:28:28,510
♪ Four hundred years in the desert ♪
1364
01:28:28,511 --> 01:28:31,054
♪ Still I roam ♪
1365
01:28:31,055 --> 01:28:35,435
♪ Someday, people, I'll build my own ♪
1366
01:28:36,311 --> 01:28:40,440
♪ Best get movin', time's gettin' on ♪
1367
01:28:41,107 --> 01:28:43,109
[vocalizing]
1368
01:28:47,655 --> 01:28:49,240
[bluesy song fades]