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Downloaded from
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Official YIFY movies site:
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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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- You gotta pay to play.
- Oh Lord!
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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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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!"
- How much you had to drink?
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- Huh?
- How much you had to drink?
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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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Right.
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- That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
- Wait, no.
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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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{\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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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...
...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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Ooh, yeah.
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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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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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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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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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Hey, pocky a-way...
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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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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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A fine place with fine wine...
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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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- 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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{\an8}This is a culture that dates
all the way back, as we know, to slavery.
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{\an8}- 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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Growin' up in Louisiana,
you're constantly reminded of the past.
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That's a plantation.
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00:12:11,605 --> 00:12:15,693
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?
- 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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- That's Christmas.
- Yeah, that's Christmas.
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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?
- Uh-huh.
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00:13:18,923 --> 00:13:21,383
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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Right.
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- We weren't allowed to mingle with adults.
- To socialize. That's right.
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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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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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Baby, call me the most
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And I won't stop tryin'
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Till I create disturbance in your mind
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Oh, ooh poo pah doo
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Baby, call me the most
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Ah, yeah, right now!
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00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:46,468
- I think that's nursery school.
- Yeah.
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00:14:46,969 --> 00:14:50,681
They used to have a pageant.
You'd get to be the King of Zulu.
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You know, when I grew up,
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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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'Bout 19... I think that's probably, like,
1968 when we first moved in this house.
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Well, then the neighborhood was...
predominantly white when we moved in.
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00:15:15,289 --> 00:15:16,289
Yeah.
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00:15:16,290 --> 00:15:20,878
And we was the second Black family
to move into this neighborhood.
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00:15:21,921 --> 00:15:25,673
And... that's how they got to go
to that particular school
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00:15:25,674 --> 00:15:28,510
because it was a neighborhood school.
202
00:15:32,014 --> 00:15:35,976
Their principal wanted to tell me
they could not attend that school.
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00:15:36,477 --> 00:15:39,395
And I told her,
"I tell you what, if they won't attend,
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00:15:39,396 --> 00:15:41,689
you won't be a principal either."
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00:15:41,690 --> 00:15:42,857
And I stayed there.
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00:15:42,858 --> 00:15:46,320
I said, "And you're gonna register them,
and I'm not leavin'."
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00:15:51,784 --> 00:15:53,743
And she said, "My daddy is a judge."
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00:15:53,744 --> 00:15:57,790
I said, "Mine is a longshoreman.
And I'll be right here."
209
00:15:58,499 --> 00:16:00,959
And I said, "Let me tell you something.
I know you."
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00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,712
I said, "Your husband is
the part owner of the grocery store,
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00:16:04,713 --> 00:16:09,009
right in front of the place
where I grew up."
212
00:16:10,010 --> 00:16:13,430
I said, "And I know
he was a racist just like you."
213
00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:19,394
I said, "And I'm not gonna allow you
to do that to my child
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00:16:19,395 --> 00:16:24,108
because if I allow you to do it to mine,
that will hurt the other ones."
215
00:16:25,567 --> 00:16:28,404
I said, "My mama was born in 1920."
216
00:16:29,113 --> 00:16:31,365
"And I was born in 1941."
217
00:16:31,865 --> 00:16:34,117
"Her father wanted better for her."
218
00:16:34,118 --> 00:16:36,912
"And I sure in hell
want better for my children."
219
00:16:37,496 --> 00:16:40,332
And that's how my kids got in that school.
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00:16:54,346 --> 00:16:57,932
The first time
I went to Zulu, at that time,
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00:16:57,933 --> 00:17:02,729
they was only allowed to be
at the foot of the Canal Street ferry.
222
00:17:02,730 --> 00:17:04,313
And when I saw the Zulu,
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00:17:04,314 --> 00:17:08,152
with all of that black stuff
over their face, I cried.
224
00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:10,236
I couldn't believe it.
225
00:17:10,237 --> 00:17:13,448
- That's what she brought me to see.
- So why'd you cry?
226
00:17:13,449 --> 00:17:16,951
'Cause I thought I was gonna see
something pretty, and it was ugly.
227
00:17:16,952 --> 00:17:19,537
To me, all that black stuff on their face.
228
00:17:19,538 --> 00:17:20,955
It had...
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00:17:20,956 --> 00:17:26,003
The nose was black, the white stuff
on either side of their eye.
230
00:17:27,421 --> 00:17:29,756
- What did it remind you of?
- Huh?
231
00:17:29,757 --> 00:17:33,552
- What did it remind you of?
- How they imitated Black people.
232
00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,018
{\an8}Back in the 1900s,
the rules are you have to mask.
233
00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:43,227
{\an8}That's what you have to do.
234
00:17:43,228 --> 00:17:46,732
{\an8}Every organization
wears a mask during Mardi Gras.
235
00:17:47,232 --> 00:17:50,151
But back in those days,
African-American men
236
00:17:50,152 --> 00:17:52,028
could not legally wear a mask.
237
00:17:52,029 --> 00:17:54,739
So that's where
we came up with the blackface,
238
00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:56,699
the white eye, and the white mouth.
239
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.
240
00:18:00,621 --> 00:18:04,499
We're here to...
to represent our organization and mask.
241
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:06,834
Who was that lady
I saw you with this afternoon?
242
00:18:06,835 --> 00:18:10,339
That was no lady. That's my wife!
243
00:18:13,175 --> 00:18:15,843
Before we could even get out
to represent ourselves,
244
00:18:15,844 --> 00:18:19,097
{\an8}the white supremacist ruling class
were already doing it for us
245
00:18:19,098 --> 00:18:21,265
{\an8}and misrepresenting us through blackface,
246
00:18:21,266 --> 00:18:23,977
{\an8}through their own warped imaginations
of who we were.
247
00:18:24,853 --> 00:18:28,232
{\an8}Ostensibly, you could say
that Zulu were either satirizing
248
00:18:29,024 --> 00:18:32,193
{\an8}the white supremacist capitalist state
that made them have to wear blackface,
249
00:18:32,194 --> 00:18:36,405
or the flip side of it, that maybe
they were reaching and called themselves...
250
00:18:36,406 --> 00:18:39,952
you know, tryin' to connect
with their African roots and culture.
251
00:18:41,495 --> 00:18:44,622
It just speaks really deeply
to the tragedy of how
252
00:18:44,623 --> 00:18:46,958
Black folks have tried to navigate
253
00:18:46,959 --> 00:18:49,836
white supremacist oppression
here in the US.
254
00:18:49,837 --> 00:18:51,922
We have a Zulu King, Ma!
255
00:18:53,006 --> 00:18:56,009
That was a Zulu King
you hit on the head that time.
256
00:18:57,803 --> 00:19:02,474
The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
was formed in 1909.
257
00:19:02,975 --> 00:19:05,977
It had to be some challenging times
258
00:19:05,978 --> 00:19:10,940
{\an8}um, for those men to form an organization
259
00:19:10,941 --> 00:19:14,735
{\an8}to do, um, what was largely disallowed,
260
00:19:14,736 --> 00:19:19,116
and that was Black folk parading through
the streets of the City of New Orleans.
261
00:19:22,077 --> 00:19:26,081
Zulu was born
at a most perilous moment in time.
262
00:19:27,124 --> 00:19:30,752
1915 is considered the year
of the Confederate redemption.
263
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:33,880
Birth of a Nation was released.
264
00:19:33,881 --> 00:19:36,925
It was the beginning
of the resurgence of the Klan.
265
00:19:37,467 --> 00:19:41,429
Race riots in a half a dozen cities,
especially in New Orleans,
266
00:19:41,430 --> 00:19:46,018
began to slam
the integrated racial order that was...
267
00:19:47,728 --> 00:19:50,105
delicate and full of tension.
268
00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:56,069
Before Zulu, Carnival parades
in New Orleans
269
00:19:57,487 --> 00:20:00,407
were by and for white people.
270
00:20:10,250 --> 00:20:13,921
The white krewes were
basically fake aristocracy.
271
00:20:14,421 --> 00:20:19,717
They created these phony kings and queens
and all of this to validate themselves
272
00:20:19,718 --> 00:20:23,138
in response to the Confederacy's loss
in the Civil War.
273
00:20:34,316 --> 00:20:38,904
They had to restore
some sense of superiority.
274
00:20:39,696 --> 00:20:43,742
The parades and the balls
all reflected that.
275
00:20:46,662 --> 00:20:50,874
Blacks did participate
in the white Mardi Gras parades,
276
00:20:51,875 --> 00:20:53,835
but as flambeau carriers,
277
00:20:55,087 --> 00:21:00,467
to carry a ten-gallon can of kerosene
with a flame on top, on a stick,
278
00:21:01,051 --> 00:21:03,303
as attendants to the horses and mules,
279
00:21:04,179 --> 00:21:08,100
and, of course, to clean up
after the white folks had a good time.
280
00:21:15,857 --> 00:21:19,151
Everything that whitey did,
and he wouldn't let us do it,
281
00:21:19,152 --> 00:21:21,446
we found a way to do it our own way.
282
00:21:24,658 --> 00:21:26,410
They were parading.
283
00:21:27,452 --> 00:21:30,663
And they didn't have no place,
284
00:21:30,664 --> 00:21:34,251
during those times,
for the Afro-Americans.
285
00:21:36,586 --> 00:21:39,130
They formed their own parade.
286
00:21:39,131 --> 00:21:41,300
Hail King Zulu!
287
00:21:46,305 --> 00:21:48,515
We feel great to have this opportunity.
288
00:21:49,016 --> 00:21:50,976
To the great City of New Orleans,
289
00:21:51,476 --> 00:21:55,021
and so proud to see the congregation
out and present today,
290
00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:57,565
and so proud to have this representation.
291
00:21:57,566 --> 00:22:01,694
Hail to the King of the Zulus of 1929,
292
00:22:01,695 --> 00:22:03,363
Sir Wurry Watson!
293
00:22:06,158 --> 00:22:09,368
Zulu was more
than just a social aid and pleasure club.
294
00:22:09,369 --> 00:22:11,996
Zulu was an historical statement
295
00:22:11,997 --> 00:22:14,790
to mock racism
296
00:22:14,791 --> 00:22:17,251
{\an8}during one of the world's largest,
297
00:22:17,252 --> 00:22:20,964
{\an8}most historic cultural celebrations,
Mardi Gras,
298
00:22:21,465 --> 00:22:27,387
{\an8}and to tell the oppressor that...
299
00:22:28,513 --> 00:22:29,890
"Still I ride."
300
00:22:32,184 --> 00:22:34,894
- Okay, what's up? How you doin'?
- Come on, bro.
301
00:22:34,895 --> 00:22:36,438
Y'all save that for the...
302
00:22:40,275 --> 00:22:43,070
You got a little tension on.
You got a little tension on.
303
00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:48,115
I was raised a Zulu. My father was a Zulu.
304
00:22:48,116 --> 00:22:51,036
My father was a Zulu
when I was in high school,
305
00:22:51,536 --> 00:22:57,250
and I graduated from high school in 1965,
and he was a Zulu before that.
306
00:22:57,918 --> 00:23:03,924
And it's always a pleasure for me
to be amongst... Black men of the city.
307
00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:08,052
At one time, we didn't have
this organization like this.
308
00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:11,639
We used to go on the backstreets.
Now we're on the main street.
309
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,182
Now we are in the main.
310
00:23:13,183 --> 00:23:15,435
Don't let me score that 150 points.
311
00:23:16,478 --> 00:23:21,066
Don't let me score this 150 points.
Y'all gotta close the club down, for sure.
312
00:23:22,025 --> 00:23:25,694
Well, during Katrina,
my home was totally destroyed, okay?
313
00:23:25,695 --> 00:23:29,156
Had six feet of water...
in the neighborhood.
314
00:23:29,157 --> 00:23:32,577
The club here was totally underwater.
315
00:23:33,078 --> 00:23:37,290
We had, uh, people working on the club,
and we had a barbecue pit outside.
316
00:23:37,791 --> 00:23:40,876
The only light on Broad Street
was the Zulu Club.
317
00:23:40,877 --> 00:23:46,257
And the first Mardi Gras parade...
will live forever in my mind.
318
00:23:46,258 --> 00:23:49,301
- Mine too, yeah.
- That was... that was the Zulu's finest.
319
00:23:49,302 --> 00:23:51,595
- That was memorable.
- It was a parade.
320
00:23:51,596 --> 00:23:53,931
{\an8}'Cause I remember,
they didn't want us to have it.
321
00:23:53,932 --> 00:23:56,809
{\an8}I think it was an argument, huh, Jerome?
About us paradin'.
322
00:23:56,810 --> 00:23:58,602
- About us parading.
- About us paradin'.
323
00:23:58,603 --> 00:24:00,479
And then they were mad
we went through with it,
324
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,356
and it was... I'm glad we did it.
325
00:24:02,357 --> 00:24:05,568
- It was outstanding.
- I hope we never do that again.
326
00:24:05,569 --> 00:24:07,403
- It was nice. Yeah.
- Breathtaking.
327
00:24:07,404 --> 00:24:09,781
It was really, really breathtaking.
328
00:24:17,914 --> 00:24:20,584
Well, nobody be going
in there for a minute.
329
00:24:21,334 --> 00:24:22,711
It's pretty bad.
330
00:24:35,098 --> 00:24:39,227
I purchased my home
in New Orleans East, and, um,
331
00:24:39,811 --> 00:24:41,938
as a result of the storm, I lost it.
332
00:24:45,817 --> 00:24:48,486
About 80%, 90% of the city was underwater.
333
00:24:48,487 --> 00:24:52,114
The majority of our members are...
uh, was in Orleans Parish
334
00:24:52,115 --> 00:24:56,661
and was affected by it,
so we all went our separate ways.
335
00:24:58,538 --> 00:25:01,832
There was a call sent out
to all the officers and members
336
00:25:01,833 --> 00:25:04,878
to come back to the city
for an emergency meeting.
337
00:25:07,005 --> 00:25:10,549
{\an8}And I was in that meeting,
man, over in West Baton Rouge,
338
00:25:10,550 --> 00:25:14,178
{\an8}uh, when there was a battle within Zulu
339
00:25:14,179 --> 00:25:16,722
{\an8}about whether we were gonna have
a carnival or not,
340
00:25:16,723 --> 00:25:19,600
about whether Zulu would march or not,
and what it would mean.
341
00:25:19,601 --> 00:25:23,729
There were questions then about whether
New Orleans would be New Orleans.
342
00:25:23,730 --> 00:25:27,149
And the men and the brothers in Zulu said,
343
00:25:27,150 --> 00:25:30,236
"We got to make a statement,
uh, not just about Katrina."
344
00:25:30,237 --> 00:25:32,697
"We gotta make a statement to the world."
345
00:25:40,497 --> 00:25:44,583
{\an8}Just thinking about some of the members
who had perished during that
346
00:25:44,584 --> 00:25:48,963
{\an8}will kind of make you misty-eyed
thinking about it right now.
347
00:25:48,964 --> 00:25:51,966
- This is for us.
- For us. For New Orleans, baby.
348
00:25:51,967 --> 00:25:54,134
{\an8}This is a part of the healing
from Katrina,
349
00:25:54,135 --> 00:25:56,762
{\an8}and we are going to have a fabulous,
fabulous ride today.
350
00:25:56,763 --> 00:25:58,723
{\an8}- It's how we do.
- This is what we do.
351
00:25:59,516 --> 00:26:02,810
{\an8}Many people believe now,
and historians are writing that,
352
00:26:02,811 --> 00:26:06,814
{\an8}that decision probably saved
the face of the City of New Orleans
353
00:26:06,815 --> 00:26:09,276
{\an8}and the State of Louisiana as we know it.
354
00:26:11,528 --> 00:26:14,197
From the time we started
on Jackson Avenue,
355
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:16,575
I never sat down.
356
00:26:17,075 --> 00:26:17,992
I stood.
357
00:26:17,993 --> 00:26:21,704
And... and when you turn that corner
on Claiborne and Jackson,
358
00:26:21,705 --> 00:26:25,165
man, and that crowd hollerin',
"King Zulu, King Zulu,"
359
00:26:25,166 --> 00:26:27,251
it just takes you away.
360
00:26:27,252 --> 00:26:29,838
Then finally, it's my turn to speak,
and I just,
361
00:26:30,505 --> 00:26:33,341
I looked over the crowd,
and I just said, um,
362
00:26:34,092 --> 00:26:36,552
"Everyone in New Orleans
should come down here
363
00:26:36,553 --> 00:26:38,971
and just enjoy Mardi Gras Day,
364
00:26:38,972 --> 00:26:42,349
nothin' better than being in
and seeing the Zulu parade."
365
00:26:42,350 --> 00:26:46,103
Um, and the crowd just went, "Oh!"
366
00:26:46,104 --> 00:26:48,814
You know, and...
367
00:26:48,815 --> 00:26:52,444
So the mayor says,
"That's my kind of king."
368
00:26:53,278 --> 00:26:55,529
This is what this is about, right here.
369
00:26:55,530 --> 00:26:59,159
Talkin' about the Zulu ring,
and talkin' about the Zulu King.
370
00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:04,163
- One ring, one ring.
- One ring, one ring.
371
00:27:04,164 --> 00:27:06,707
That's the Super Bowl ring, all right?
372
00:27:06,708 --> 00:27:08,667
He got one.
373
00:27:08,668 --> 00:27:10,336
- I got one.
- Mm.
374
00:27:10,337 --> 00:27:12,963
Got a couple of guys
in the past here, they got that.
375
00:27:12,964 --> 00:27:16,091
But see that old Cowboys-Steelers shit?
That's some bullshit.
376
00:27:16,092 --> 00:27:17,761
That's the ring that matters.
377
00:27:18,345 --> 00:27:22,307
Barack Obama could be the president,
but he can't be King Zulu.
378
00:27:22,807 --> 00:27:24,099
There's only one a year.
379
00:27:24,100 --> 00:27:26,268
- He is an honorary member?
- One a year.
380
00:27:26,269 --> 00:27:30,773
He's an honorary member,
but he can't be king.
381
00:27:30,774 --> 00:27:34,193
We do a fair election,
and, uh, you know, we accept the results.
382
00:27:34,194 --> 00:27:36,529
You have to be able to
383
00:27:38,114 --> 00:27:41,368
campaign, make friends,
384
00:27:42,077 --> 00:27:44,703
buy chicken, buy whiskey.
385
00:27:44,704 --> 00:27:49,376
And it's make-believe, but it...
you have to pay for that make-believe.
386
00:27:50,085 --> 00:27:53,004
It is make-believe,
but in a lot of ways it ain't.
387
00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:58,175
Because the King of Zulu
is something that people really revere
388
00:27:58,176 --> 00:27:59,928
throughout this community.
389
00:28:02,514 --> 00:28:04,349
It is now official.
390
00:28:04,974 --> 00:28:10,522
He's been crowned by our reigning king,
Brother George V. Rainey.
391
00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:16,819
Ladies and gentlemen,
I present to you King Zulu 2020,
392
00:28:16,820 --> 00:28:19,864
Brother Brian M. Sims.
393
00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:25,703
When you step out as king,
you wanna make sure you're gonna be able
394
00:28:25,704 --> 00:28:28,415
to represent yourself,
as well as this organization.
395
00:28:28,998 --> 00:28:32,418
Not only to the community of New Orleans
but to the world,
396
00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:35,004
because you're being seen by the world.
397
00:28:44,889 --> 00:28:46,932
This not your first time riding, right?
398
00:28:46,933 --> 00:28:48,100
- Yes.
- Oh, it is?
399
00:28:48,101 --> 00:28:49,518
- Mm-hmm.
- You're a virgin.
400
00:28:49,519 --> 00:28:50,979
- Yeah.
- Aw, shit.
401
00:29:24,471 --> 00:29:25,554
Check this out.
402
00:29:25,555 --> 00:29:31,019
- Whose house?
- Tramps' house!
403
00:29:31,519 --> 00:29:34,813
- Tramps!
- Ta-da!
404
00:29:34,814 --> 00:29:37,191
- See, my wife made my costume.
- All right.
405
00:29:37,192 --> 00:29:39,777
Damn! Ooh!
406
00:29:39,778 --> 00:29:42,155
Ooh!
407
00:29:43,239 --> 00:29:46,326
Back in the day,
they used to make 'em from palm trees.
408
00:29:46,826 --> 00:29:48,453
They were handmade.
409
00:29:51,456 --> 00:29:53,082
Good old bush wig.
410
00:29:57,086 --> 00:29:59,047
There you go.
411
00:30:00,423 --> 00:30:01,800
We ready to rumble.
412
00:30:38,169 --> 00:30:39,379
Happy Mardi Gras!
413
00:30:46,761 --> 00:30:48,387
Aw, yeah, baby! Zulu!
414
00:30:48,388 --> 00:30:49,806
Happy Mardi Gras!
415
00:30:55,186 --> 00:30:58,939
- King Zulu!
- Zulu, Brian Sims!
416
00:30:58,940 --> 00:31:00,691
- Hail Zulu.
- Hail Zulu!
417
00:31:00,692 --> 00:31:02,651
Thank you to the Zulu organization
418
00:31:02,652 --> 00:31:06,655
for all that you do year-round
for our city and our community.
419
00:31:06,656 --> 00:31:07,782
Hail Zulu!
420
00:31:09,742 --> 00:31:11,994
Happy Mardi Gras.
Thank you all so much for coming.
421
00:31:11,995 --> 00:31:13,496
Thank you all.
422
00:31:13,997 --> 00:31:15,123
Happy Mardi Gras.
423
00:31:31,806 --> 00:31:34,683
March 9th was our first COVID-19 case
424
00:31:34,684 --> 00:31:36,852
in the State of Louisiana.
425
00:31:36,853 --> 00:31:39,272
Two weeks prior to that was Mardi Gras.
426
00:31:42,233 --> 00:31:45,777
Across Louisiana,
the numbers are simply staggering.
427
00:31:45,778 --> 00:31:47,446
...zone that is New Orleans,
428
00:31:47,447 --> 00:31:50,407
the city with the highest death rate
in the country.
429
00:31:50,408 --> 00:31:52,534
...epicenters of the global pandemic.
430
00:31:52,535 --> 00:31:55,078
Almost four times that of New York.
431
00:31:55,079 --> 00:31:58,165
{\an8}Slightly more
than 70% of all of our deaths
432
00:31:58,166 --> 00:32:00,292
{\an8}are among African Americans.
433
00:32:00,293 --> 00:32:02,461
{\an8}So, obviously, this is a big disparity,
434
00:32:02,462 --> 00:32:05,881
and we're gonna try
to figure out what we can do about that
435
00:32:05,882 --> 00:32:07,216
as quickly as possible.
436
00:32:12,055 --> 00:32:15,642
We started seeing more and more people,
African-American men,
437
00:32:16,267 --> 00:32:18,727
predominantly, coming into the hospital,
438
00:32:18,728 --> 00:32:21,731
getting dropped off,
two weeks later, dying.
439
00:32:22,398 --> 00:32:24,734
And a lot of 'em were Zulu members.
440
00:32:29,113 --> 00:32:33,200
The Friday before Mardi Gras
is, um, one of the largest balls,
441
00:32:33,201 --> 00:32:34,785
24,000 people strong.
442
00:32:34,786 --> 00:32:38,748
Everyone comes from all over the world
to see the King of Zulu.
443
00:32:42,001 --> 00:32:46,213
Zulu Club is the center
of our Mardi Gras parties.
444
00:32:46,214 --> 00:32:48,966
And that's where everybody hung out.
445
00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:51,052
Everybody went to the Zulu ball.
446
00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:56,807
Individuals that I knew,
447
00:32:56,808 --> 00:33:00,687
partied with, went to school with,
went to church with.
448
00:33:01,437 --> 00:33:05,817
I went from none to three
within a couple of hours.
449
00:33:06,401 --> 00:33:09,695
That is frickin' surreal.
It's like, "What the hell?"
450
00:33:09,696 --> 00:33:12,240
And then after that, it just...
it kept goin'.
451
00:33:31,676 --> 00:33:33,343
{\an8}There's an old adage,
452
00:33:33,344 --> 00:33:35,680
{\an8}"You never miss something
until it's gone."
453
00:33:37,598 --> 00:33:40,935
I truly miss, uh, hangin' out here.
454
00:33:47,817 --> 00:33:49,693
{\an8}See that black flag up there?
455
00:33:49,694 --> 00:33:52,320
{\an8}Whenever the black flag
is flying over the club,
456
00:33:52,321 --> 00:33:54,532
that means a member has passed away.
457
00:34:00,538 --> 00:34:02,122
What's happening, man?
458
00:34:02,123 --> 00:34:03,206
What's up?
459
00:34:03,207 --> 00:34:05,625
I heard we lost 15 brothers to COVID.
460
00:34:05,626 --> 00:34:08,253
I thought it was 11.
I didn't know we got to 15.
461
00:34:08,254 --> 00:34:11,299
{\an8}- I stopped countin'.
- If I'm not mistaken, it's 15.
462
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:12,716
It hurts.
463
00:34:12,717 --> 00:34:15,844
I've never been around
this much death before in my life.
464
00:34:15,845 --> 00:34:16,804
Yeah.
465
00:34:28,024 --> 00:34:30,650
This my first time coming in here
466
00:34:30,651 --> 00:34:33,613
since probably the week after the ball.
467
00:34:34,530 --> 00:34:40,244
It's... it's kind of... heartbreaking
'cause it's always so full of life.
468
00:34:44,290 --> 00:34:47,667
The last time the club
was closed this long was Katrina,
469
00:34:47,668 --> 00:34:50,088
and I never thought it'd happen again.
470
00:34:50,630 --> 00:34:54,467
As of now, we don't have
an idea when it's going to reopen.
471
00:34:58,137 --> 00:35:00,098
That's the Wall of Kings.
472
00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:04,393
You the highlight
of Mardi Gras, that Mardi Gras celebrity.
473
00:35:04,894 --> 00:35:08,230
Larry Hammond was a big, big personality.
474
00:35:08,231 --> 00:35:10,274
He was the king during Katrina.
475
00:35:11,484 --> 00:35:13,653
It hit me like a bag of rocks.
476
00:35:14,153 --> 00:35:15,821
Really, I didn't believe it
477
00:35:15,822 --> 00:35:20,033
because he was an older guy,
but he was in pretty good shape.
478
00:35:20,034 --> 00:35:23,537
You know, I...
I didn't think it would take him out.
479
00:35:23,538 --> 00:35:26,582
So, you know, it was shocking to me,
to be honest.
480
00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:32,087
Good morning. My name is Larry Hammond.
481
00:35:32,088 --> 00:35:34,423
Larry A. Hammond, to be exact.
482
00:35:40,221 --> 00:35:43,224
I've been a Zulu King, honorary member,
483
00:35:44,183 --> 00:35:48,146
then life member,
and then you sit on the porch.
484
00:35:52,567 --> 00:35:54,152
He was a hell of a guy.
485
00:36:01,826 --> 00:36:03,952
I cried for two hours.
486
00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:08,748
Nobody but you, Lord
487
00:36:08,749 --> 00:36:15,922
Nobody but you
488
00:36:15,923 --> 00:36:18,091
Lord, yeah
489
00:36:18,092 --> 00:36:20,135
You know, it's kind of disheartening.
490
00:36:20,136 --> 00:36:23,723
We can't really reach out to the family
that way we want to.
491
00:36:24,223 --> 00:36:27,727
As a benevolent society,
we ensure the proper burial.
492
00:36:28,436 --> 00:36:31,104
It's really depressing
that we just can't do
493
00:36:31,105 --> 00:36:34,525
what the organization
was originally set up for.
494
00:36:37,987 --> 00:36:41,239
Preexisting conditions
are not just medical ones.
495
00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:43,284
You know? They're socioeconomic.
496
00:36:43,993 --> 00:36:47,329
{\an8}You don't have access to good health care,
to the things you need.
497
00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:50,333
When a pandemic hits, it's gonna hit you
a lot quicker and harder.
498
00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:55,962
In New Orleans, depending on
where you live, work, and play,
499
00:36:55,963 --> 00:37:02,093
{\an8}you can die at the age of 55 or 80.
500
00:37:02,094 --> 00:37:04,012
It's utterly unacceptable.
501
00:37:04,013 --> 00:37:06,223
And it has everything to do with
502
00:37:06,224 --> 00:37:10,352
the way we devalue
the people who live in the communities
503
00:37:10,353 --> 00:37:13,356
that actually make New Orleans what it is.
504
00:37:23,157 --> 00:37:26,868
I... I live in a place
called Destrehan, Louisiana,
505
00:37:26,869 --> 00:37:31,749
which is approximately 22 miles
from downtown New Orleans.
506
00:37:33,459 --> 00:37:39,173
Two miles from my house,
I have three major chemical plants.
507
00:37:40,883 --> 00:37:46,137
Before I purchased my house, I knew that,
and I decided to live in this area
508
00:37:46,138 --> 00:37:49,892
because of the great school system.
509
00:37:51,060 --> 00:37:53,144
Because of the chemical plants,
510
00:37:53,145 --> 00:37:56,398
we were able to get a lot of taxes
for the school.
511
00:37:56,399 --> 00:37:59,902
People were able to get,
uh, great-paying jobs.
512
00:38:00,611 --> 00:38:03,488
You know, it's a sacrifice
we're all making.
513
00:38:03,489 --> 00:38:05,950
Nobody wants to get cancer, but
514
00:38:06,826 --> 00:38:09,828
everybody's gonna die
from something, right?
515
00:38:09,829 --> 00:38:13,248
So, it's just a conscious decision I made
516
00:38:13,249 --> 00:38:17,294
that, to me,
it was worth... uh, living in Destrehan
517
00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:22,466
because it created the lifestyle
that I always envisioned for myself,
518
00:38:23,342 --> 00:38:25,177
minus the chemical plants.
519
00:38:46,949 --> 00:38:49,034
This corner is, uh, very special to me
520
00:38:49,035 --> 00:38:52,078
because my father grew up
less than a block from here.
521
00:38:52,079 --> 00:38:55,957
This entire street, uh, was
a Black business district of New Orleans.
522
00:38:55,958 --> 00:38:59,336
{\an8}Just on this corner,
there was a restaurant here,
523
00:38:59,337 --> 00:39:01,005
{\an8}a finance company here,
524
00:39:01,589 --> 00:39:03,590
{\an8}uh, an auto repair shop here.
525
00:39:03,591 --> 00:39:06,344
And, um, it stretched from here,
526
00:39:07,386 --> 00:39:11,140
in this direction, 20 blocks,
all the way to Canal Street.
527
00:39:23,527 --> 00:39:26,029
Here come Moses
528
00:39:26,030 --> 00:39:27,906
Knockin' on my door
529
00:39:27,907 --> 00:39:30,367
Says it's time to go
530
00:39:30,368 --> 00:39:32,703
Can't stay no more...
531
00:39:33,371 --> 00:39:36,039
In 1966,
532
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,418
{\an8}when the interstate was announced
to come through New Orleans,
533
00:39:40,419 --> 00:39:42,504
{\an8}it was supposed to go along the river.
534
00:39:42,505 --> 00:39:45,256
Um, and the French Quarter residents, um,
535
00:39:45,257 --> 00:39:49,094
who were, you know,
politically well-connected and wealthy...
536
00:39:49,095 --> 00:39:51,472
Um, you know, "Not in my backyard."
537
00:39:53,641 --> 00:39:57,478
So, "not in their backyard" meant
through our commercial thoroughfare.
538
00:39:58,062 --> 00:40:00,105
{\an8}That was a very busy street
539
00:40:00,106 --> 00:40:04,025
{\an8}because people from St. Bernard Parish
had to travel that route
540
00:40:04,026 --> 00:40:07,695
to get... get into New Orleans.
541
00:40:07,696 --> 00:40:13,285
But by... when the high-rise came,
a lot of business were... was lost.
542
00:40:14,829 --> 00:40:16,246
Through eminent domain,
543
00:40:16,247 --> 00:40:19,374
the federal government,
state, and city collaborated
544
00:40:19,375 --> 00:40:23,837
to destroy 326 Black-owned businesses
on Claiborne Avenue.
545
00:40:23,838 --> 00:40:27,590
Three-hundred and twenty-six
Black-owned businesses, right?
546
00:40:27,591 --> 00:40:30,176
So that is a huge transfer of wealth.
547
00:40:30,177 --> 00:40:35,348
No stroke of genius, no magic
will suddenly produce roads
548
00:40:35,349 --> 00:40:38,059
commensurate with cars.
549
00:40:38,060 --> 00:40:40,895
Four hundred years in the desert
550
00:40:40,896 --> 00:40:43,398
Still, I roam
551
00:40:43,399 --> 00:40:47,820
Someday, people, I'll build my own
552
00:40:48,654 --> 00:40:52,825
Best get movin', time's gettin' on
553
00:40:53,325 --> 00:40:55,452
Mm-hmm...
554
00:40:55,453 --> 00:40:57,662
First, it bisected the neighborhood.
555
00:40:57,663 --> 00:41:00,248
then it decreased
the value of their homes.
556
00:41:00,249 --> 00:41:02,750
They were robbed of
the equity in their homes.
557
00:41:02,751 --> 00:41:07,173
This neighborhood was expendable...
because it was a Black neighborhood.
558
00:41:11,635 --> 00:41:13,178
There's 13 Black neighborhoods
559
00:41:13,179 --> 00:41:15,847
directly impacted
by the building of the interstate.
560
00:41:15,848 --> 00:41:22,438
In those communities,
the median income is $18,500. Today.
561
00:41:23,439 --> 00:41:26,609
44% of folks don't have
access to vehicles.
562
00:41:27,485 --> 00:41:30,653
Less than 10% of students
live within a mile of their school,
563
00:41:30,654 --> 00:41:32,363
within a mile of a library.
564
00:41:32,364 --> 00:41:35,617
Levels of incarceration,
non-education attainment,
565
00:41:35,618 --> 00:41:37,160
and all of those things equate
566
00:41:37,161 --> 00:41:39,622
to a 25-year difference
in life expectancy.
567
00:41:42,958 --> 00:41:46,211
Just by virtue of me deciding
to raise my five children
568
00:41:46,212 --> 00:41:49,714
in the neighborhood where they could be
by their grandmother and cousins,
569
00:41:49,715 --> 00:41:54,261
I'm giving them less of chances in life
and I am cutting their life short.
570
00:41:55,137 --> 00:41:57,640
If I want them to live long, I gotta move.
571
00:41:58,891 --> 00:42:00,267
That ain't fair.
572
00:42:06,690 --> 00:42:10,319
Zulu's route on Mardi Gras Day
573
00:42:11,195 --> 00:42:15,616
{\an8}always included Claiborne Avenue,
always included Orleans Avenue.
574
00:42:17,493 --> 00:42:20,370
And to this day,
Zulu is the only parading organization
575
00:42:20,371 --> 00:42:23,289
that parades on Claiborne Avenue,
576
00:42:23,290 --> 00:42:27,962
Orleans Avenue, or really anywhere
on the downtown side of Canal Street.
577
00:42:30,965 --> 00:42:36,177
Zulu's connection to the soul
of our community was so powerful
578
00:42:36,178 --> 00:42:40,723
{\an8}that what happened there under the bridge
is still part of that tradition.
579
00:42:40,724 --> 00:42:43,726
{\an8}So I think it was even
the club's way of saying,
580
00:42:43,727 --> 00:42:48,691
"Hey, look, nothing's gonna change us
from our spiritual route."
581
00:42:52,194 --> 00:42:53,737
Check. One, two.
582
00:42:54,363 --> 00:42:55,990
Here we go! One more time!
583
00:42:58,325 --> 00:43:01,411
Look, uh, 400 years
Blood, sweat, and tears
584
00:43:01,412 --> 00:43:03,913
2020, I see the same thing here
585
00:43:03,914 --> 00:43:06,874
How it is every day, waking up
Realizing it's a blessing
586
00:43:06,875 --> 00:43:09,794
But I realize that we all still
Stuck under this oppression
587
00:43:09,795 --> 00:43:11,713
You gotta know it
You know that it's true
588
00:43:11,714 --> 00:43:14,382
They sayin' Black Lives Matter
But shit don't matter to you
589
00:43:14,383 --> 00:43:17,010
You got to feel it when I'm bringing it
Trust my spirit
590
00:43:17,011 --> 00:43:19,512
I hope this is for answers
And I hope that you can hear it
591
00:43:19,513 --> 00:43:20,514
Uh!
592
00:43:35,279 --> 00:43:36,613
These ain't words, man
593
00:43:36,614 --> 00:43:37,822
Call it commandments
594
00:43:37,823 --> 00:43:39,824
Bring out the freaking guys
You know it is due
595
00:43:39,825 --> 00:43:42,786
I'm Black and proud I hope
You feelin' the same way too, get up
596
00:44:02,848 --> 00:44:06,601
The City of New Orleans
says no to any parades in 2021.
597
00:44:06,602 --> 00:44:09,312
The news about canceling
2021Carnival parades
598
00:44:09,313 --> 00:44:11,272
spread like wildfire Tuesday.
599
00:44:11,273 --> 00:44:14,233
...was posted
on the city's website, saying, quote,
600
00:44:14,234 --> 00:44:17,446
"Parades of any kind
will not be permitted this year."
601
00:44:34,546 --> 00:44:37,507
COVID-19 really took a toll
on this organization
602
00:44:37,508 --> 00:44:41,094
beyond what's printed
and known about in the media.
603
00:44:41,095 --> 00:44:45,890
And so while I regret not being able
to ride in Mardi Gras 2021,
604
00:44:45,891 --> 00:44:49,644
{\an8}there was so much uncertainty,
that numbers were still high,
605
00:44:49,645 --> 00:44:52,480
{\an8}the death rate
across the country was high.
606
00:44:52,481 --> 00:44:56,026
{\an8}And there was no indication that
we were coming out of it anytime soon.
607
00:44:57,277 --> 00:44:59,779
- One more time.
- Let me know when you're ready.
608
00:44:59,780 --> 00:45:02,491
All right, on three. One, two, three.
609
00:45:03,158 --> 00:45:06,327
My name is Jay H. Banks,
and I am the councilman of District B,
610
00:45:06,328 --> 00:45:07,954
here in the City of New Orleans.
611
00:45:07,955 --> 00:45:10,039
The fact that you cannot be here
612
00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:12,917
truly disappoints us,
but I am looking forward to the day
613
00:45:12,918 --> 00:45:15,670
when you all can come
and physically be in New Orleans.
614
00:45:15,671 --> 00:45:18,923
New Orleans has more to offer
than any other city on the planet,
615
00:45:18,924 --> 00:45:21,134
and I will strongly encourage you to come
616
00:45:21,135 --> 00:45:23,679
as soon as you can
and enjoy all that we have.
617
00:45:25,389 --> 00:45:27,598
- Perfect, best one yet.
- All right, that's right.
618
00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:29,142
- Good job, boss.
- 30 seconds?
619
00:45:29,143 --> 00:45:32,312
- That is about 40 seconds.
- No, that's fine. That's even more better.
620
00:45:35,482 --> 00:45:37,735
This is just Zulu stuff on this wall.
621
00:45:38,652 --> 00:45:41,363
That one is an election day
right after I won.
622
00:45:42,114 --> 00:45:45,617
It was just a totally phenomenal day.
623
00:45:46,243 --> 00:45:50,538
{\an8}To be a part of this New Orleans history,
624
00:45:50,539 --> 00:45:53,083
uh, your... your life changes.
625
00:45:53,667 --> 00:45:56,295
You go from being, um...
626
00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,799
just a person to somebody that's gonna be
in a history book forever.
627
00:46:01,508 --> 00:46:03,010
That's Louis Armstrong.
628
00:46:04,052 --> 00:46:06,429
And the second one, black-and-white one,
629
00:46:06,430 --> 00:46:09,348
is Bo Berry,
and then that's Charlie Hamilton.
630
00:46:09,349 --> 00:46:13,187
That's the three kings
that I think influence me the most.
631
00:46:16,732 --> 00:46:20,610
Louis Armstrong...
on the cover of Time magazine.
632
00:46:20,611 --> 00:46:23,989
Man, look, that took us from here
all the way up there.
633
00:46:29,703 --> 00:46:31,329
This is the thrill of my life.
634
00:46:31,330 --> 00:46:34,332
I've always wanted to be
the King of the Zulu.
635
00:46:34,333 --> 00:46:36,000
I've been a member all my life.
636
00:46:36,001 --> 00:46:38,628
I noticed you said
in your interview with Time
637
00:46:38,629 --> 00:46:40,963
that you had one great ambition in life,
638
00:46:40,964 --> 00:46:44,342
and that was to be King of Zulu,
and after that, you could die.
639
00:46:44,343 --> 00:46:48,263
Yes, well, I don't want
the Lord to take me literally, but it is...
640
00:46:50,724 --> 00:46:55,813
Armstrong grew up
during the era that Zulu was born.
641
00:46:56,605 --> 00:47:01,359
So the idea of a...
Black parade with floats,
642
00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:05,571
uh, costumes, and throws and such
643
00:47:05,572 --> 00:47:07,157
was something new.
644
00:47:08,242 --> 00:47:13,580
A Black man couldn't be mayor,
governor, sheriff,
645
00:47:14,623 --> 00:47:18,085
or even dogcatcher,
but he could be King of Zulu.
646
00:47:22,047 --> 00:47:25,968
The photographs of Armstrong
appearing in blackface
647
00:47:26,468 --> 00:47:30,264
did not serve his reputation well
outside of New Orleans.
648
00:47:31,098 --> 00:47:33,641
And, um, I think some
of the struggles he faced
649
00:47:33,642 --> 00:47:35,769
in the late '50s and early '60s
650
00:47:37,020 --> 00:47:38,397
could be tied to that.
651
00:47:44,486 --> 00:47:45,653
Good morning, everybody.
652
00:47:45,654 --> 00:47:48,030
This your P-Town Prince,
your 17th Ward Troubadour.
653
00:47:48,031 --> 00:47:50,700
Uptown Renaissance man.
654
00:47:50,701 --> 00:47:55,413
Comin' at you live and direct
from the WBOK Studios in chilly Gentilly.
655
00:47:55,414 --> 00:47:58,332
And you know what?
I got a hot one for you today.
656
00:47:58,333 --> 00:48:00,459
Today's topic...
657
00:48:00,460 --> 00:48:05,382
Is it time for Zulu
to take off the blackface?
658
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.
659
00:48:12,389 --> 00:48:14,557
{\an8}And there was one ride in particular.
660
00:48:14,558 --> 00:48:19,103
It was like one of the...
one of the funnest days of my life.
661
00:48:19,104 --> 00:48:21,981
I enjoyed every second of it.
662
00:48:21,982 --> 00:48:23,482
When it was over, if they say,
663
00:48:23,483 --> 00:48:26,986
"Hey, how many people down
to do this one more time right now?"
664
00:48:26,987 --> 00:48:29,572
I would have been like,
"Let's go. I'm with it."
665
00:48:29,573 --> 00:48:33,660
The next day,
I come to this very coffee shop.
666
00:48:34,453 --> 00:48:35,995
I'm tired and hungover.
667
00:48:35,996 --> 00:48:37,997
I get a cup of coffee, and I get my paper,
668
00:48:37,998 --> 00:48:41,667
and I'm sittin' down,
and I look at the front page of the paper,
669
00:48:41,668 --> 00:48:45,087
and... and I see a guy
from Zulu on the front page,
670
00:48:45,088 --> 00:48:46,924
and the first thing I say is,
671
00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:51,427
"Now, that guy look like
he's havin' a good time."
672
00:48:51,428 --> 00:48:55,307
And then I realize that was me
on the front page of the paper,
673
00:48:55,974 --> 00:48:56,975
in blackface!
674
00:49:02,105 --> 00:49:03,940
{\an8}Somehow in my own head,
675
00:49:03,941 --> 00:49:06,108
I was willing to live
with the cognitive dissonance,
676
00:49:06,109 --> 00:49:11,405
and... and to sorta say,
"Look, because I know these guys,
677
00:49:11,406 --> 00:49:13,659
I know that it isn't what you believe."
678
00:49:16,578 --> 00:49:17,828
Like Louis Armstrong,
679
00:49:17,829 --> 00:49:21,582
I think he kind of suffered
from the exact same thing.
680
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
681
00:49:27,506 --> 00:49:29,424
'cause he loved those people.
682
00:49:29,925 --> 00:49:32,551
But now when he end up in blackface,
683
00:49:32,552 --> 00:49:37,348
in... in Time and Life magazine,
and you got people all over the country
684
00:49:37,349 --> 00:49:41,060
who's seeing this picture,
and they can't put it in any context.
685
00:49:41,061 --> 00:49:44,105
The only thing they know
is what they know about minstrels
686
00:49:44,106 --> 00:49:47,233
and all the other bad shit
that comes along with it.
687
00:49:47,234 --> 00:49:51,237
You know, they... it forced them to see
Louis Armstrong in a different way,
688
00:49:51,238 --> 00:49:54,031
and I think, um,
Billie Holiday was quoted as saying
689
00:49:54,032 --> 00:49:56,702
that Louis Armstrong
was a Tom to his heart.
690
00:49:57,369 --> 00:49:59,955
My only sin
691
00:50:00,789 --> 00:50:03,125
Is in my skin
692
00:50:04,626 --> 00:50:06,962
What did I do
693
00:50:07,796 --> 00:50:14,261
To be so black and blue?
694
00:50:16,430 --> 00:50:19,932
You know, I've always been
against blackface,
695
00:50:19,933 --> 00:50:22,352
but think about what it means to Zulu.
696
00:50:25,022 --> 00:50:28,692
Before they became Zulu, um, the name
of the organization was the Tramps.
697
00:50:30,777 --> 00:50:36,366
And they went to see a play
about Shaka Zulu at the Pythian Theater.
698
00:50:39,661 --> 00:50:41,370
The title of the skit was
699
00:50:41,371 --> 00:50:45,876
There Never Was
and Never Will be a King Like Me.
700
00:50:47,753 --> 00:50:48,754
Think about that.
701
00:50:49,421 --> 00:50:54,216
There Never Was
and Never Will be a King Like Me.
702
00:50:54,217 --> 00:50:57,511
So in lonely Africa
703
00:50:57,512 --> 00:51:02,141
Among the jungle and the vines
704
00:51:02,142 --> 00:51:06,187
There lived a Zulu maid, so fine...
705
00:51:06,188 --> 00:51:09,231
They were so impressed
that they decided to change their name
706
00:51:09,232 --> 00:51:11,234
from the Tramps to the Zulus.
707
00:51:11,943 --> 00:51:14,904
And from that day forward,
took on the iconography
708
00:51:14,905 --> 00:51:18,699
of the warriors, of the shields,
and the spears, and all of those things,
709
00:51:18,700 --> 00:51:20,576
and also of the blackface.
710
00:51:20,577 --> 00:51:23,622
Zulu
711
00:51:25,415 --> 00:51:27,500
Hi, everybody. Welcome to Vagabond.
712
00:51:27,501 --> 00:51:28,876
I'm Bill Burrud.
713
00:51:28,877 --> 00:51:32,088
Now, this mask is symbolic
of one of the really great events
714
00:51:32,089 --> 00:51:34,466
in our country every year,
Mardi Gras time.
715
00:51:36,510 --> 00:51:39,053
I'm pretty sure that,
in the conception of this organization,
716
00:51:39,054 --> 00:51:42,348
{\an8}if we were allowed to wear masks,
like the white folks were,
717
00:51:42,349 --> 00:51:44,600
{\an8}we probably would have had on masks.
718
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.
719
00:51:48,063 --> 00:51:50,898
{\an8}And now... you've changed the game.
720
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.
721
00:51:54,611 --> 00:51:57,364
But for those that want
to have a problem with it,
722
00:51:58,115 --> 00:52:00,700
I encourage you to have your problem.
It is America.
723
00:52:01,368 --> 00:52:04,286
So where the conversation at?
When you gonna talk to your people?
724
00:52:04,287 --> 00:52:06,705
Let them know, like...
you got to make that next step?
725
00:52:06,706 --> 00:52:09,416
- You know what I'm saying?
- I get mixed emotions.
726
00:52:09,417 --> 00:52:13,921
The blackface is part of a festive event.
727
00:52:13,922 --> 00:52:15,548
It's nothing but a mask to me.
728
00:52:15,549 --> 00:52:17,591
This is not stuff that come from Africa.
729
00:52:17,592 --> 00:52:20,928
It come from white people's version
or vision of what Africa is.
730
00:52:20,929 --> 00:52:24,306
Now, to me, that blackface
is throwin' it back at 'em
731
00:52:24,307 --> 00:52:25,724
like the N-word.
732
00:52:25,725 --> 00:52:28,269
"I could use it, but you can't use it."
733
00:52:28,270 --> 00:52:32,106
And it's our way of saying
we took something negative
734
00:52:32,107 --> 00:52:34,567
and made it a positive to us.
735
00:52:34,568 --> 00:52:35,526
To y'all.
736
00:52:35,527 --> 00:52:36,694
- To us.
- To y'all.
737
00:52:36,695 --> 00:52:39,446
- And that's what matters.
- That's not all that matters.
738
00:52:39,447 --> 00:52:42,575
You still got millions
of Black people in this country
739
00:52:42,576 --> 00:52:44,869
that are affected by what y'all project.
740
00:52:44,870 --> 00:52:48,038
Whether y'all interpret it one way,
most people gonna interpret it as
741
00:52:48,039 --> 00:52:50,374
this is a symbol of oppression
for Black folks.
742
00:52:50,375 --> 00:52:53,669
But on Mardi Gras Day,
it's make-believe land.
743
00:52:53,670 --> 00:52:56,755
Why do I need to mask
when my brown skin is beautiful enough?
744
00:52:56,756 --> 00:52:59,133
- We don't need help being Black.
- Absolutely not.
745
00:52:59,134 --> 00:53:01,427
We don't need help shining this melanin.
746
00:53:01,428 --> 00:53:04,514
- Absolutely not.
- Why not be naturally beautifully Black?
747
00:53:08,393 --> 00:53:12,354
During Mardi Gras,
blackface was a popular fad.
748
00:53:12,355 --> 00:53:15,691
It's all about trying to become
something you're not for a few days.
749
00:53:15,692 --> 00:53:18,402
And so, a lot of white people'd dress up
and be the Black people
750
00:53:18,403 --> 00:53:20,237
they couldn't be the rest of the year.
751
00:53:20,238 --> 00:53:24,116
They could oppress, beat, and exploit
however they wanted all through the year.
752
00:53:24,117 --> 00:53:26,494
But for Mardi Gras,
why not act like you are them?
753
00:53:31,458 --> 00:53:38,173
I live in a city where we have been
besieged by symbols of white supremacy.
754
00:53:38,673 --> 00:53:42,134
We say, "Well, okay.
There's some movement in the country."
755
00:53:42,135 --> 00:53:46,890
- Take 'em down!
- Take 'em down!
756
00:53:48,099 --> 00:53:50,809
Removal of these statues
sends a clear message,
757
00:53:50,810 --> 00:53:54,313
{\an8}an unequivocal message
to the people of New Orleans,
758
00:53:54,314 --> 00:53:58,525
and to the people of our nation
that New Orleans celebrates our diversity.
759
00:53:58,526 --> 00:54:00,653
We can't have our cake and eat it too.
760
00:54:00,654 --> 00:54:02,196
We can't be willing to say,
761
00:54:02,197 --> 00:54:06,283
"Ah, all of these things right here
are symbols of white supremacy."
762
00:54:06,284 --> 00:54:09,495
"But I tell you what, um,
we're gonna take these down."
763
00:54:09,496 --> 00:54:12,414
"But, you know,
we kinda like these over here."
764
00:54:12,415 --> 00:54:15,335
"So, why don't y'all
just leave those alone?"
765
00:54:27,973 --> 00:54:31,309
{\an8}If you cannot fully embrace
766
00:54:32,269 --> 00:54:33,812
{\an8}the makeup requirement,
767
00:54:34,354 --> 00:54:37,982
don't let your position be
768
00:54:37,983 --> 00:54:43,654
that the organization
is not upholding the community.
769
00:54:43,655 --> 00:54:47,116
Because so much
of what we do throughout the year,
770
00:54:47,117 --> 00:54:50,036
not that one single day, counters that.
771
00:54:54,749 --> 00:54:59,211
I enjoy looking at the transition
772
00:54:59,212 --> 00:55:02,464
from 1909, 1920s, 1950s.
773
00:55:02,465 --> 00:55:06,468
And I like the aspect
that we all look the same.
774
00:55:06,469 --> 00:55:10,432
And I honestly believe
that's what it should look like.
775
00:55:18,606 --> 00:55:20,858
I never even thought about blackface.
776
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,
777
00:55:24,946 --> 00:55:27,740
and act like Clarence Thomas
or Candace Owens
778
00:55:27,741 --> 00:55:29,491
or Larry Elder or one of them.
779
00:55:29,492 --> 00:55:31,910
I just thought it was a part of a costume.
780
00:55:31,911 --> 00:55:34,621
{\an8}We do have to be mindful
of what that represents
781
00:55:34,622 --> 00:55:37,791
{\an8}to the outside world
and the community looking at it.
782
00:55:37,792 --> 00:55:39,626
{\an8}I think the symbolism of it
783
00:55:39,627 --> 00:55:43,464
represents so much hatred,
bigotry, racism.
784
00:55:43,465 --> 00:55:45,591
So people are offended by that.
785
00:55:45,592 --> 00:55:48,469
So I think at some point,
I don't know if it's now,
786
00:55:48,470 --> 00:55:52,014
but in the near future,
we're gonna have to really look at this
787
00:55:52,015 --> 00:55:54,141
and reexamine how we move forward with it
788
00:55:54,142 --> 00:55:56,894
'cause the argument
and the issues are not gonna stop.
789
00:55:56,895 --> 00:55:57,811
Right.
790
00:55:57,812 --> 00:56:01,607
I gave an interview,
and this same question came up
791
00:56:01,608 --> 00:56:04,860
about the blackface
and the minstrel situation
792
00:56:04,861 --> 00:56:07,696
and how we went to the play
and all of that.
793
00:56:07,697 --> 00:56:11,200
{\an8}And at the time,
I felt that it was an honor
794
00:56:11,201 --> 00:56:13,243
{\an8}to put that black stuff on my face,
795
00:56:13,244 --> 00:56:15,829
{\an8}to honor the minstrels
and the people that died
796
00:56:15,830 --> 00:56:18,582
and... and the guys that had talent.
797
00:56:18,583 --> 00:56:22,669
Some of the greatest musicians
in the world could not perform
798
00:56:22,670 --> 00:56:24,880
unless they put that on their face.
799
00:56:24,881 --> 00:56:26,549
And I still feel that way.
800
00:56:27,300 --> 00:56:31,262
We, as Black people,
we have the right to define ourselves.
801
00:56:31,846 --> 00:56:32,971
I know who I am.
802
00:56:32,972 --> 00:56:34,640
I know what I represent.
803
00:56:34,641 --> 00:56:38,102
Now, will I put on that black makeup
and walk down the street?
804
00:56:38,103 --> 00:56:39,812
- No.
- Absolutely not.
805
00:56:39,813 --> 00:56:41,355
But in 1909,
806
00:56:41,356 --> 00:56:44,400
that's a tradition they started,
and I respect it.
807
00:56:44,401 --> 00:56:47,111
I agree with you, Terrence.
I'm a traditionalist.
808
00:56:47,112 --> 00:56:50,280
{\an8}I believe in Zulu tradition.
I will stand firm on this.
809
00:56:50,281 --> 00:56:53,992
{\an8}And it will never be changed
as my membership exists.
810
00:56:53,993 --> 00:56:56,496
- We always gonna wear black makeup.
- Yeah.
811
00:56:56,996 --> 00:57:02,251
{\an8}I... I think all our shared goal is
to keep this thing rolling
812
00:57:02,252 --> 00:57:04,503
{\an8}for future generations.
813
00:57:04,504 --> 00:57:07,256
Man, I think this is
the most wonderful thing
814
00:57:07,257 --> 00:57:11,301
for a Black man in America
to join an organization
815
00:57:11,302 --> 00:57:12,761
and he can become king!
816
00:57:12,762 --> 00:57:13,762
Mm-hmm.
817
00:57:13,763 --> 00:57:17,224
That's awesome when you think about that.
818
00:57:17,225 --> 00:57:19,643
You can become king, all right?
819
00:57:19,644 --> 00:57:23,565
I... I have to always go back
to Harry Pitman.
820
00:57:24,691 --> 00:57:27,235
Harry Pitman, by trade, was a mechanic.
821
00:57:28,361 --> 00:57:32,073
But he became a chairman of the committee.
He started carrying a briefcase.
822
00:57:33,324 --> 00:57:36,452
But when he opened up the briefcase,
it had nothing in it.
823
00:57:36,453 --> 00:57:37,744
You know what I mean?
824
00:57:37,745 --> 00:57:41,583
But it made him feel important, man.
825
00:57:42,542 --> 00:57:46,587
That's what this organization does
826
00:57:46,588 --> 00:57:50,966
for a Black man in America
who may be beat down on their job
827
00:57:50,967 --> 00:57:52,718
because of racism,
828
00:57:52,719 --> 00:57:57,056
but they can come to the Zulu Club
and feel like a man.
829
00:57:57,974 --> 00:58:03,479
Without Zulu and Mardi Gras,
Black people would be a guest.
830
00:58:03,480 --> 00:58:05,648
They wouldn't be able to take part.
831
00:58:06,608 --> 00:58:09,318
I think our legacy is a shared one.
832
00:58:09,319 --> 00:58:12,529
I think it's...
it's a shared dream of our ancestors.
833
00:58:12,530 --> 00:58:16,533
We've accomplished and made everything
our ancestors hoped it could be.
834
00:58:16,534 --> 00:58:19,995
They couldn't be part of Mardi Gras.
They were trying to get in Mardi Gras.
835
00:58:19,996 --> 00:58:22,706
Now we became
the biggest part of the Mardi Gras.
836
00:58:22,707 --> 00:58:23,833
Absolutely.
837
00:59:21,182 --> 00:59:22,475
Happy Thursday!
838
00:59:23,101 --> 00:59:25,978
What felt most normal to me
is seeing all the old-timers.
839
00:59:25,979 --> 00:59:29,732
Yeah, they sitting in the same seats.
They wearing the same clothes.
840
00:59:31,859 --> 00:59:36,238
So, yeah, it gave me a sense of normalcy.
Honestly, I... I think I needed this.
841
00:59:36,239 --> 00:59:39,825
- It's just good being together.
- But, man...
842
00:59:39,826 --> 00:59:43,453
And a year ago, this shit was dead.
843
00:59:43,454 --> 00:59:44,746
- Literally.
- Dead.
844
00:59:44,747 --> 00:59:46,665
- Ghost town.
- I ain't gonna lie.
845
00:59:46,666 --> 00:59:49,960
I would have bet my motherfuckin' house
and every fucking thing I own.
846
00:59:49,961 --> 00:59:51,378
No way in the world, bro,
847
00:59:51,379 --> 00:59:55,716
I would have thought that we would
still be barely getting out of this shit
848
00:59:55,717 --> 00:59:58,844
in May of fucking 2021.
849
00:59:58,845 --> 01:00:01,513
I never would've thought that shit
in a million fuckin' years.
850
01:00:01,514 --> 01:00:04,558
It ain't what you get,
it's what you ask for.
851
01:00:04,559 --> 01:00:06,477
I'm retired at 50.
852
01:00:07,061 --> 01:00:08,478
Man, what you talking about?
853
01:00:08,479 --> 01:00:11,857
If you don't mind me asking, Playboy,
what you do for a living, man?
854
01:00:11,858 --> 01:00:12,816
I'm retired.
855
01:00:12,817 --> 01:00:14,526
- What you do?
- I'm a Marine.
856
01:00:14,527 --> 01:00:17,863
- I was in the Marine Corps too.
- And 30 years in the plant.
857
01:00:17,864 --> 01:00:20,907
I'm debt-free. I own my shit.
I don't work for nobody.
858
01:00:20,908 --> 01:00:23,911
What's some of the things you did
to become debt-free?
859
01:00:25,538 --> 01:00:27,789
Sat down and said, "I'm done."
860
01:00:27,790 --> 01:00:30,542
You gotta make a decision,
from drugs to debt.
861
01:00:30,543 --> 01:00:32,629
You gotta quit. You gotta say, "I'm done."
862
01:00:33,713 --> 01:00:36,882
You know what I'm saying?
I'm 35% Scandinavian.
863
01:00:36,883 --> 01:00:40,094
So how I deal with that?
I can't call white or Black.
864
01:00:42,138 --> 01:00:43,764
Well, I could call it for you.
865
01:00:43,765 --> 01:00:46,600
If you don't know what you are,
I could call it for you.
866
01:00:46,601 --> 01:00:50,228
When they pull your Black ass over,
they gonna beat your Black ass.
867
01:00:50,229 --> 01:00:53,148
- I'mma tell you what I am. I'm debt-free.
- Yeah, that's cool.
868
01:00:53,149 --> 01:00:56,068
- But I can tell you what you are.
- All my kids went to college.
869
01:00:56,069 --> 01:00:59,946
All my kids are college graduates!
I'm a United States Marine!
870
01:00:59,947 --> 01:01:02,866
I ain't talking about--
You said you're Scandinavian or Black.
871
01:01:02,867 --> 01:01:05,452
- I can tell you what you are.
- I'mma tell you what I am.
872
01:01:05,453 --> 01:01:07,871
- Let the cop pull you over.
- No, I'm both sides.
873
01:01:07,872 --> 01:01:10,290
Matter of fact, they don't pull me over.
You know why?
874
01:01:10,291 --> 01:01:13,377
'Cause I carry myself right.
I don't need to get pulled over.
875
01:01:13,378 --> 01:01:17,089
My truck don't smell like weed.
You ain't gotta pull me over.
876
01:01:17,090 --> 01:01:20,092
When they see me, they say,
"How you doing, mister?"
877
01:01:20,093 --> 01:01:21,301
Period.
878
01:01:21,302 --> 01:01:25,389
You gotta respect that. I heard that.
You gotta respect that because...
879
01:01:25,390 --> 01:01:27,599
- No, no, no.
- I understand both sides.
880
01:01:27,600 --> 01:01:31,144
But I'm gonna show you a point of sadness.
881
01:01:31,145 --> 01:01:34,272
He had to make the point
he was Scandinavian. Why?
882
01:01:34,273 --> 01:01:36,066
He said he 35% fucking Scandinavian.
883
01:01:36,067 --> 01:01:39,653
The point I'm trying to make,
he don't want to be associated with this.
884
01:01:39,654 --> 01:01:41,988
- What I'm trying to--
- To me, that's a travesty.
885
01:01:41,989 --> 01:01:43,323
But the point I'm trying to say,
886
01:01:43,324 --> 01:01:45,826
it don't make a difference
what the fuck he say he is.
887
01:01:45,827 --> 01:01:48,161
- Or think he is.
- That's what I tried to tell him.
888
01:01:48,162 --> 01:01:50,539
Because the only thing I see,
if you look like me,
889
01:01:50,540 --> 01:01:53,041
if you look like you,
if you look like him,
890
01:01:53,042 --> 01:01:55,168
and him a little bit, motherfucker...
891
01:01:55,169 --> 01:01:56,920
He might pass. He might pass.
892
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,
893
01:02:00,383 --> 01:02:02,843
he gotta pay
the fucking Black tax. Period.
894
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.
895
01:02:06,472 --> 01:02:09,433
"I'm part Indian.
I'm part this. I'm part that."
896
01:02:09,434 --> 01:02:13,019
I'm just good old-fashioned
African-American.
897
01:02:13,020 --> 01:02:16,565
Ah, nothin'... nothin' much to see here.
898
01:02:16,566 --> 01:02:20,110
I thank God my ancestors
endured what they endured
899
01:02:20,111 --> 01:02:22,612
to allow me to do what I'm doin' today.
900
01:02:22,613 --> 01:02:25,657
I ride on my ancestors' shoulders.
901
01:02:25,658 --> 01:02:28,034
And I'm proud. I ain't Scandinavian.
902
01:02:28,035 --> 01:02:32,956
I'm proud. I'm... I'm proud that my family
903
01:02:32,957 --> 01:02:35,375
got on the slave ship and made it here.
904
01:02:35,376 --> 01:02:38,837
And survived the Middle Passage.
And survived 400 years.
905
01:02:38,838 --> 01:02:41,214
- No, I'm dealing with psychologic--
- Terrence.
906
01:02:41,215 --> 01:02:43,967
The Scandi... The Scandinavian got me upset.
907
01:02:43,968 --> 01:02:45,719
I ain't Scandinavian.
908
01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:47,637
- You keep pointing.
- Not you.
909
01:02:47,638 --> 01:02:49,181
No, the point--
910
01:02:49,182 --> 01:02:52,267
The point I'm trying to make,
with Black people,
911
01:02:52,268 --> 01:02:54,853
instead of us running away from slavery,
912
01:02:54,854 --> 01:02:57,898
it's something I wear
like I badge of goddamn honor.
913
01:02:57,899 --> 01:03:01,568
Because think about what my people
endured, and I'm going...
914
01:03:01,569 --> 01:03:04,488
I want to verify something you said.
I wanna...
915
01:03:04,489 --> 01:03:08,158
- Terrence, I want to verify something.
- I'm gonna piss. Y'all verify all that.
916
01:03:08,159 --> 01:03:09,660
That's a good closer.
917
01:03:17,460 --> 01:03:21,505
You know, most of my life as a Black man,
I was taught to conform
918
01:03:21,506 --> 01:03:24,633
and try to speak the Queen's English.
919
01:03:24,634 --> 01:03:28,471
And if I did certain things,
I would get the American Dream.
920
01:03:29,430 --> 01:03:31,932
And I bought into that for a long time,
921
01:03:31,933 --> 01:03:34,769
almost to the point where I hated myself,
you know?
922
01:03:35,269 --> 01:03:37,938
Livin'... Livin', being Black in America,
923
01:03:37,939 --> 01:03:41,399
it's kind of hard
not to see yourself in a negative way
924
01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:44,152
because every time
you see yourself portrayed,
925
01:03:44,153 --> 01:03:45,737
it's in a negative light.
926
01:03:45,738 --> 01:03:47,989
I can show you documentation.
927
01:03:47,990 --> 01:03:50,701
My family been here since the 1700s.
928
01:03:51,202 --> 01:03:52,745
The 1700s!
929
01:03:53,246 --> 01:03:55,372
So who paid more than my family?
930
01:03:55,373 --> 01:03:57,542
Who's more American than my family?
931
01:03:58,417 --> 01:04:00,419
I spent my whole life
932
01:04:00,920 --> 01:04:03,797
doin' things that
I never was comfortable with,
933
01:04:03,798 --> 01:04:07,342
trying to be loved and accepted
by people who would never love me.
934
01:04:07,343 --> 01:04:11,304
It's like trying to get the attention
of a beautiful woman
935
01:04:11,305 --> 01:04:14,474
or date a woman that's above your class.
936
01:04:14,475 --> 01:04:18,186
So you put on good cologne,
and you put on beautiful clothes,
937
01:04:18,187 --> 01:04:22,774
and you do everything you can to try
to get this beautiful woman's attention.
938
01:04:22,775 --> 01:04:26,361
But no matter what I do,
America will never accept me.
939
01:04:26,362 --> 01:04:29,364
And that's a hard goddamn pill to swallow
940
01:04:29,365 --> 01:04:30,866
when you go to school,
941
01:04:30,867 --> 01:04:34,829
and you do everything
that you supposed to do...
942
01:04:35,746 --> 01:04:37,163
Man, I'm gettin' choked up.
943
01:04:37,164 --> 01:04:38,874
...to get the American Dream,
944
01:04:38,875 --> 01:04:42,544
and the motherfuckers step on you
every fuckin' day of your life.
945
01:04:42,545 --> 01:04:43,587
That's hard.
946
01:04:43,588 --> 01:04:47,424
That's a hard pill to swallow every day.
947
01:04:47,425 --> 01:04:48,593
It's hard.
948
01:04:49,176 --> 01:04:51,386
When you're tryin' to do everything right.
949
01:04:51,387 --> 01:04:52,930
That's fuckin' hard.
950
01:04:54,599 --> 01:04:55,766
That's hard.
951
01:05:15,703 --> 01:05:21,500
And they kept asking us
Why all our poems sounded the same
952
01:05:24,462 --> 01:05:26,964
Why all our words wrapped themselves
953
01:05:27,715 --> 01:05:30,259
Round race and gender
954
01:05:31,510 --> 01:05:34,013
Oppression, revolution
955
01:05:34,764 --> 01:05:36,557
Like there was nothing else
956
01:05:43,189 --> 01:05:45,523
Say, see 25,000 sinkholes in ten years
957
01:05:45,524 --> 01:05:48,860
See 27 purchased politicians
Dangling from dollar-sign nooses
958
01:05:48,861 --> 01:05:52,113
See the ground pummeled back
Into its source, the land
959
01:05:52,114 --> 01:05:54,032
A cracked jaw threatening
To swallow us whole
960
01:05:54,033 --> 01:05:57,452
Watch it sink like falling stock
Unemployment rates in a depression
961
01:05:57,453 --> 01:06:00,956
Watch sorrow fill the streets
Disguised as bravado
962
01:06:00,957 --> 01:06:05,210
Enraged as the sea rises like a people
Tired of the weight on their backs
963
01:06:05,211 --> 01:06:06,753
Their backs sprouting wings
964
01:06:06,754 --> 01:06:09,339
Feathered by the water
Protecting keepers of this land
965
01:06:09,340 --> 01:06:11,717
The world's on fire, they say
966
01:06:15,388 --> 01:06:17,515
Whispers beneath our feet say
967
01:06:18,349 --> 01:06:19,433
Don't worry
968
01:06:20,476 --> 01:06:21,894
The water's comin'
969
01:06:23,104 --> 01:06:24,438
The people too
970
01:06:27,650 --> 01:06:28,734
A'ight.
971
01:06:30,236 --> 01:06:31,696
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
972
01:06:45,584 --> 01:06:48,169
Man, today is an exciting day.
973
01:06:48,170 --> 01:06:51,464
The king election mean a lot
to every Zulu member,
974
01:06:51,465 --> 01:06:55,511
because if you a member of Zulu,
everybody wants to be the king.
975
01:06:56,429 --> 01:06:58,763
Although this is make-believe,
976
01:06:58,764 --> 01:07:02,434
you would be surprised
of the extremes we go through
977
01:07:02,435 --> 01:07:06,355
to have this election be accurate
and not fixed.
978
01:07:06,939 --> 01:07:09,316
Candidates and one representative!
979
01:07:09,900 --> 01:07:12,528
Candidates and one representative!
980
01:07:15,573 --> 01:07:18,408
- All right, gentlemen, good morning.
- Good morning.
981
01:07:18,409 --> 01:07:23,621
{\an8}It's a beautiful day.
It's election day for our king, 2022.
982
01:07:23,622 --> 01:07:26,249
We haven't had an election in two years,
983
01:07:26,250 --> 01:07:29,837
so most of all, I'm glad to see
you brothers are healthy and well.
984
01:07:30,463 --> 01:07:34,133
{\an8}We got the State of Louisiana
to assist us with our election today.
985
01:07:34,925 --> 01:07:38,386
If you go to a voting poll,
they have the same machines.
986
01:07:38,387 --> 01:07:42,141
As real as you would go and vote
for the president of the United States.
987
01:07:43,559 --> 01:07:45,226
Other krewes do it like this?
988
01:07:45,227 --> 01:07:48,856
Sorry, I can't attest for other krewes,
but this is the way Zulu do it.
989
01:07:49,398 --> 01:07:50,858
Election is now open!
990
01:07:57,907 --> 01:08:00,909
Within a membership as close
as this, everybody's your friend.
991
01:08:00,910 --> 01:08:02,285
I mean, we're all brothers.
992
01:08:02,286 --> 01:08:05,538
You know, any given day, you can vote
for any one of these guys, and so,
993
01:08:05,539 --> 01:08:08,291
{\an8}the elections with Zulu are more complex
994
01:08:08,292 --> 01:08:10,376
{\an8}than a congressional race, trust me.
995
01:08:10,377 --> 01:08:12,295
It is one and the same.
996
01:08:12,296 --> 01:08:16,717
{\an8}Oh, if you can make it in Zulu politics,
you can make it in any kind of politics.
997
01:08:18,844 --> 01:08:21,347
{\an8}All the politicians are gonna come out.
998
01:08:22,139 --> 01:08:26,851
{\an8}Potential congressional candidates,
the mayor, the governor.
999
01:08:26,852 --> 01:08:29,522
They know how important
this is to the city.
1000
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
1001
01:08:34,819 --> 01:08:37,154
to come to a character election.
1002
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.
1003
01:08:44,870 --> 01:08:47,580
It recognizes this is more
than just a Black thing.
1004
01:08:47,581 --> 01:08:50,166
It recognizes it's more
than just a New Orleans thing.
1005
01:08:50,167 --> 01:08:54,838
{\an8}It recognizes that this is something
that transcends all races,
1006
01:08:54,839 --> 01:08:57,174
all parties, all politics.
1007
01:09:00,469 --> 01:09:02,137
Good evening, everyone.
1008
01:09:02,138 --> 01:09:04,472
We have the mayor
of the City of New Orleans here.
1009
01:09:04,473 --> 01:09:07,976
I want to thank her
for her extraordinary leadership
1010
01:09:07,977 --> 01:09:09,687
through this historic pandemic.
1011
01:09:10,980 --> 01:09:14,942
And I've heard from her today that
we're gonna have Mardi Gras 2022.
1012
01:09:16,485 --> 01:09:20,613
And so, get ready
for a great Mardi Gras season.
1013
01:09:20,614 --> 01:09:24,702
The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
is planning, and we are ready.
1014
01:09:25,286 --> 01:09:27,872
For the moment we've all been waiting for...
1015
01:09:30,124 --> 01:09:33,501
King Zulu 2022,
1016
01:09:33,502 --> 01:09:35,838
Randolph "Rudy" Davis.
1017
01:09:49,643 --> 01:09:55,857
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
1018
01:09:55,858 --> 01:10:00,321
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
1019
01:10:38,692 --> 01:10:40,069
Eh, one more.
1020
01:10:42,238 --> 01:10:44,657
Yeah, that should be enough for starters.
1021
01:10:45,157 --> 01:10:47,326
- All right, thank you.
- You're welcome.
1022
01:10:48,577 --> 01:10:50,788
Today is coconut decorating day.
1023
01:10:51,288 --> 01:10:54,123
It's one of my favorite times of the year.
1024
01:10:54,124 --> 01:10:57,461
It lets me know Mardi Gras
is right around the corner.
1025
01:10:57,962 --> 01:11:01,924
I get my family members
to help me decorate 600 coconuts.
1026
01:11:02,424 --> 01:11:06,427
I trick 'em by inviting 'em over
to boil crabs or eat crawfish,
1027
01:11:06,428 --> 01:11:08,764
but actually, I'm runnin' a labor camp.
1028
01:11:09,682 --> 01:11:12,017
It's all about the free labor, man.
1029
01:11:20,484 --> 01:11:21,442
How you feel, bro?
1030
01:11:21,443 --> 01:11:22,820
Oh, Lord!
1031
01:11:26,073 --> 01:11:28,534
This is my favorite tasty treats.
1032
01:11:35,708 --> 01:11:39,085
After y'all eat,
we can get started on the coconuts,
1033
01:11:39,086 --> 01:11:40,796
so the labor camp is ready.
1034
01:11:49,930 --> 01:11:53,892
You know, I heard a couple
of different stories of why, in 1910,
1035
01:11:54,476 --> 01:11:57,396
Zulu members decided
to use coconuts as throws.
1036
01:12:00,858 --> 01:12:04,777
A lot of guys in the club
at that time probably were stevedores
1037
01:12:04,778 --> 01:12:07,155
or longshoremen like my grandfather,
1038
01:12:07,156 --> 01:12:11,617
and it probably was easy
to make a couple of bags or sacks
1039
01:12:11,618 --> 01:12:14,788
of those coconuts disappear
without anybody looking.
1040
01:12:16,081 --> 01:12:19,167
The Zulu coconut
really has become the stuff of legend.
1041
01:12:19,168 --> 01:12:23,881
I think the coconut is truly what makes
Zulu the premier krewe of Mardi Gras.
1042
01:12:26,383 --> 01:12:30,678
{\an8}Funny, the same people who
helping me decorate these coconuts
1043
01:12:30,679 --> 01:12:33,724
will be the same people
on the route begging for a coconut.
1044
01:12:51,617 --> 01:12:54,536
We're getting ready to crown the new king.
1045
01:12:55,829 --> 01:12:57,748
He's about to get a king's ring,
1046
01:12:58,290 --> 01:13:03,670
which, once you get that,
it is when you've been to the mountaintop.
1047
01:13:04,505 --> 01:13:08,383
{\an8}It is the biggest black tie event
on the planet,
1048
01:13:08,384 --> 01:13:10,968
and I'm very happy
that it's a Black event.
1049
01:13:10,969 --> 01:13:16,557
You will see, again, 20,000 gowns
and tuxedos of folks that look like me.
1050
01:13:16,558 --> 01:13:20,229
And that's a fabulous thing to see, man.
It is so much fun.
1051
01:13:26,026 --> 01:13:27,403
Pi-yah!
1052
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.
1053
01:13:40,666 --> 01:13:46,587
I am positive he is anxious,
frightened, excited
1054
01:13:46,588 --> 01:13:49,924
because he woke up this morning as Rudy.
1055
01:13:49,925 --> 01:13:52,052
Tomorrow he wakes up as King Zulu.
1056
01:13:57,975 --> 01:14:00,476
As an 11-year-old kid,
11, 12-year-old kid,
1057
01:14:00,477 --> 01:14:04,689
I stood on the corner
of Jackson and Claiborne and, um...
1058
01:14:04,690 --> 01:14:10,319
But my grandfather, I told my grandfather
my desire was to be King Zulu one day.
1059
01:14:10,320 --> 01:14:14,240
And his response was, "Son,
you can be whatever you desire to be."
1060
01:14:14,241 --> 01:14:17,076
And for that little kid
to now be 55 years old,
1061
01:14:17,077 --> 01:14:21,081
and his dream be manifested,
it's... it's unbelievable.
1062
01:14:28,630 --> 01:14:30,965
I only wear these shoes,
like, twice a year,
1063
01:14:30,966 --> 01:14:32,801
and I bought 'em for one reason.
1064
01:14:33,469 --> 01:14:36,179
They allow you to walk
on the back of the heel.
1065
01:14:36,180 --> 01:14:40,809
So after standing up
for, like, eight hours at the ball,
1066
01:14:41,310 --> 01:14:43,270
you know, your feet kinda ache.
1067
01:14:44,229 --> 01:14:48,524
Every Zulu Ball is like
an anniversary for me because that's, uh...
1068
01:14:48,525 --> 01:14:50,611
I met my wife at a Zulu Ball.
1069
01:14:51,737 --> 01:14:53,989
I think it was 1998.
1070
01:14:54,907 --> 01:14:59,202
My best friend Russell Kelly said,
"Man, I got extra tickets to the ball."
1071
01:14:59,203 --> 01:15:04,749
I didn't have a tuxedo,
so Russell got one of his older tuxedos.
1072
01:15:04,750 --> 01:15:07,544
The pants were about three inches short.
1073
01:15:08,337 --> 01:15:12,174
So I was walking around, lookin'
like Steve Urkel with my socks showing.
1074
01:15:12,966 --> 01:15:16,887
And I saw my future wife,
just laughin' and jokin' with her friends.
1075
01:15:17,513 --> 01:15:19,013
{\an8}So the next thing I knew,
1076
01:15:19,014 --> 01:15:22,892
we ended up hanging out the entire night,
dancin' and partying.
1077
01:15:22,893 --> 01:15:25,436
{\an8}Uh, she claimed I had my hand
under her dress
1078
01:15:25,437 --> 01:15:26,896
{\an8}while we were dancin'.
1079
01:15:26,897 --> 01:15:28,899
{\an8}I probably did, I was so drunk.
1080
01:15:29,441 --> 01:15:30,901
And the rest is history.
1081
01:15:58,595 --> 01:16:02,808
The ball is the epitome
of Black excellence.
1082
01:16:03,976 --> 01:16:04,851
Period.
1083
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.
1084
01:16:10,232 --> 01:16:12,359
You represent every soul,
1085
01:16:13,402 --> 01:16:17,155
especially Black soul,
that's ever come through this city.
1086
01:16:17,948 --> 01:16:19,824
- Good luck.
- One, two, three.
1087
01:16:19,825 --> 01:16:21,534
Get in there. Let's go. Get in.
1088
01:16:21,535 --> 01:16:23,661
Rudy, it's time for you to be king, man.
1089
01:16:23,662 --> 01:16:25,622
You got it. Your time.
1090
01:16:52,816 --> 01:16:54,610
My wife, Toni.
1091
01:17:08,040 --> 01:17:09,749
My little pumpkin.
1092
01:17:09,750 --> 01:17:12,168
I can't wait till you get on the stage.
1093
01:17:12,169 --> 01:17:14,295
Oh, stop it, my little cupcake.
1094
01:17:14,296 --> 01:17:17,090
- Stop it.
- Rudy! Oh...
1095
01:17:18,467 --> 01:17:20,843
Rudy, how my king gonna get
that crown on you?
1096
01:17:20,844 --> 01:17:22,803
If Rudy does not bow tonight...
1097
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.
1098
01:17:26,642 --> 01:17:27,850
I'mma look at y'all...
1099
01:17:27,851 --> 01:17:30,728
"You want this shit here?
You want this motherfucker?"
1100
01:17:30,729 --> 01:17:32,522
- Come and get it.
- "Come get it."
1101
01:17:52,042 --> 01:17:54,627
It is an honor to represent this city
1102
01:17:54,628 --> 01:17:58,131
with every dignitary
who ever was and will be.
1103
01:17:59,007 --> 01:18:01,718
Hail King Zulu!
1104
01:18:03,053 --> 01:18:04,304
Hear, hear.
1105
01:18:32,249 --> 01:18:33,959
Hey, how you do a beard?
1106
01:18:34,835 --> 01:18:39,881
With a beard, what you do is,
you still just... mash it into his beard.
1107
01:18:42,759 --> 01:18:45,220
Been waiting for this for two years, man.
1108
01:18:47,097 --> 01:18:51,935
Get away from... uh,
dealing with COVID and that kind of stuff.
1109
01:18:54,104 --> 01:18:58,107
Deal with it every day
at... at the hospital I work at, you know.
1110
01:18:58,108 --> 01:19:00,901
I'm pumped up. I'm ready to put on a show.
1111
01:19:00,902 --> 01:19:02,404
That's why they call me...
1112
01:19:02,946 --> 01:19:04,363
- "Showtime."
- Showtime.
1113
01:19:04,364 --> 01:19:07,033
Showtime!
1114
01:19:09,870 --> 01:19:14,374
Father, once again, we humbly stand
before you this morning to say thank you.
1115
01:19:17,669 --> 01:19:21,131
We want to say thank you
for allowing us to assemble once again.
1116
01:19:22,841 --> 01:19:26,386
Father, it's been two years since we were
able to come together in your name.
1117
01:19:28,722 --> 01:19:30,724
We know we lost a lot of brothers,
1118
01:19:31,308 --> 01:19:34,894
so we just want to say thank you
for bringing us through COVID, Father.
1119
01:19:34,895 --> 01:19:37,104
We ask that you allow
all these wonderful men
1120
01:19:37,105 --> 01:19:39,648
to bring joy and fun
to the people of New Orleans.
1121
01:19:39,649 --> 01:19:40,776
Amen.
1122
01:19:46,156 --> 01:19:48,658
Hey! Mardi Gras, party gras!
1123
01:19:55,123 --> 01:19:57,792
His Majesty, good morning.
1124
01:19:57,793 --> 01:19:59,543
- What's up, dawg?
- What's up, T?
1125
01:19:59,544 --> 01:20:01,129
Man, we good, man.
1126
01:20:11,348 --> 01:20:13,974
So I wrote an op-ed piece
in the local newspaper,
1127
01:20:13,975 --> 01:20:18,437
you know, sayin' that I think it's time
for Zulu to take off the blackface.
1128
01:20:18,438 --> 01:20:20,856
Let's start moving to the Shell station.
1129
01:20:20,857 --> 01:20:22,983
The first call I got was from my brother.
1130
01:20:22,984 --> 01:20:27,279
He was like, "Look, I fuckin' told you.
You ain't messing up our fucking fun."
1131
01:20:27,280 --> 01:20:29,281
"Get the fuck outta here with your..."
1132
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
1133
01:20:33,703 --> 01:20:36,705
before he already callin' me,
talkin' stupid shit, you know?
1134
01:20:36,706 --> 01:20:39,083
But, um, anyway, because of that,
1135
01:20:39,084 --> 01:20:42,586
um, I don't know that I'm welcome
in Zulu circles right now.
1136
01:20:42,587 --> 01:20:45,840
Even though I gotta say this much,
a lot of them guys are my friends.
1137
01:20:45,841 --> 01:20:48,884
That's what I'm talking 'bout! Zulu, baby!
1138
01:20:48,885 --> 01:20:51,971
Good morning! Good morning, people!
Good morning!
1139
01:20:51,972 --> 01:20:53,473
Good morning!
1140
01:20:55,350 --> 01:20:57,686
Blackface now. What's tomorrow?
1141
01:21:00,480 --> 01:21:02,357
I'm confused, myself.
1142
01:21:04,234 --> 01:21:07,112
And I wonder what will happen.
1143
01:21:08,905 --> 01:21:13,076
Don't you ever think
that we don't have it on our mind.
1144
01:21:13,577 --> 01:21:18,665
But you figure 100 years, 110 years,
1145
01:21:19,791 --> 01:21:23,420
everybody's been happy,
everybody's had fun.
1146
01:21:24,421 --> 01:21:26,631
And as far as I'm concerned,
1147
01:21:28,967 --> 01:21:33,179
I hope, and pray
that they don't change it.
1148
01:21:34,681 --> 01:21:37,559
But they've got people
who've been trying to do.
1149
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.
1150
01:21:43,315 --> 01:21:46,066
No.
1151
01:21:46,067 --> 01:21:47,234
No, man.
1152
01:21:47,235 --> 01:21:49,029
But you better handle this, man.
1153
01:21:56,828 --> 01:22:00,707
I woke up to the morning sky first
1154
01:22:02,417 --> 01:22:05,587
Baby blue, just like we rehearsed
1155
01:22:07,464 --> 01:22:11,467
When I get up off this ground
I shake leaves back down
1156
01:22:11,468 --> 01:22:14,094
To the brown, brown, brown, brown
1157
01:22:14,095 --> 01:22:16,389
Till I'm clean
1158
01:22:18,558 --> 01:22:22,062
With all my favorite colors...
1159
01:22:24,189 --> 01:22:27,150
All right, old man. Hey, mama.
1160
01:22:29,069 --> 01:22:32,905
My sisters and my brothers
See 'em like no other...
1161
01:22:32,906 --> 01:22:37,451
New Orleans is the only place
where the senseless makes sense.
1162
01:22:37,452 --> 01:22:40,454
You know, nothing about
my character is changed
1163
01:22:40,455 --> 01:22:43,707
when I put on black makeup
on Mardi Gras Day.
1164
01:22:43,708 --> 01:22:45,627
I'm still the same person.
1165
01:22:50,131 --> 01:22:52,716
My sisters and my brothers...
1166
01:22:52,717 --> 01:22:56,470
At the end of the day,
the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
1167
01:22:56,471 --> 01:23:00,224
is a reflection of the triumphs,
the ups, the downs,
1168
01:23:00,225 --> 01:23:03,060
and the resilience
of Black people in America.
1169
01:23:03,061 --> 01:23:06,064
- All my favorite colors...
- Oh!
1170
01:23:07,774 --> 01:23:09,442
All right.
1171
01:23:11,861 --> 01:23:13,154
For my niece.
1172
01:23:13,822 --> 01:23:14,822
Thank you.
1173
01:23:14,823 --> 01:23:16,324
Love you. Love you.
1174
01:23:17,701 --> 01:23:19,368
In a hundred years from now,
1175
01:23:19,369 --> 01:23:21,453
with paint or without paint,
1176
01:23:21,454 --> 01:23:24,207
Zulu will still be the face of our people.
1177
01:23:40,098 --> 01:23:43,309
All my favorite colors
1178
01:23:45,103 --> 01:23:47,938
All my favorite colors
1179
01:23:47,939 --> 01:23:49,149
Yes, ma'am
1180
01:23:50,275 --> 01:23:53,277
My sisters and my brothers
1181
01:23:53,278 --> 01:23:57,448
They see 'em like no other
1182
01:23:57,449 --> 01:24:03,329
All my favorite colors
1183
01:24:38,239 --> 01:24:40,449
They can hoot and holler
1184
01:24:40,450 --> 01:24:42,785
I don't mind
1185
01:24:42,786 --> 01:24:45,370
They'd do you for a dollar, babe
1186
01:24:45,371 --> 01:24:47,791
Like they'd do me for a dime
1187
01:24:48,374 --> 01:24:50,542
Check one, baby, the whole night long
1188
01:24:50,543 --> 01:24:53,378
Knowin' it don't mean a thing
1189
01:24:53,379 --> 01:24:55,964
When I come up Claiborne Avenue
1190
01:24:55,965 --> 01:24:58,051
It's good to be the king
1191
01:25:11,981 --> 01:25:14,900
{\an8}Yeah, I told you all before
You would not believe
1192
01:25:14,901 --> 01:25:17,569
{\an8}They might've set you loose
They never set you free
1193
01:25:17,570 --> 01:25:20,114
If I'm still standin'
When judgment come
1194
01:25:20,115 --> 01:25:22,616
I may be a monk, I won't be the one
1195
01:25:22,617 --> 01:25:23,910
But hey
1196
01:25:25,245 --> 01:25:26,329
No, no
1197
01:25:27,831 --> 01:25:28,915
Uh-uh!
1198
01:25:30,500 --> 01:25:31,543
Ha, ha!
1199
01:25:35,880 --> 01:25:38,298
If all my worries was swept away
1200
01:25:38,299 --> 01:25:41,051
Oh, I'm not so black and blue
1201
01:25:41,052 --> 01:25:43,720
You'd count the lines on my face
1202
01:25:43,721 --> 01:25:45,807
Yeah, I'd be just like you
1203
01:25:46,766 --> 01:25:49,059
I know time goes marching on
1204
01:25:49,060 --> 01:25:51,728
Takes a million things
1205
01:25:51,729 --> 01:25:54,773
Watch the shine round your eye
1206
01:25:54,774 --> 01:25:57,318
It's good to be the king, yeah
1207
01:26:20,925 --> 01:26:23,886
Yeah, I told you all before
You would not believe
1208
01:26:23,887 --> 01:26:26,471
They might've set you loose
They never set you free
1209
01:26:26,472 --> 01:26:29,183
If I'm still standin'
When judgment come
1210
01:26:29,184 --> 01:26:31,643
I may be a monk, I won't be the one
1211
01:26:31,644 --> 01:26:33,104
Oh no
1212
01:26:34,272 --> 01:26:35,565
Hey, hey
1213
01:26:36,941 --> 01:26:38,318
Uh-uh!
1214
01:26:42,280 --> 01:26:43,655
Hey, hey
1215
01:26:43,656 --> 01:26:44,741
Uh-uh!
1216
01:27:11,226 --> 01:27:13,602
Here come Moses
1217
01:27:13,603 --> 01:27:15,562
Knockin' on my door
1218
01:27:15,563 --> 01:27:18,065
Says it's time to go
1219
01:27:18,066 --> 01:27:20,525
Can't stay no more
1220
01:27:20,526 --> 01:27:23,111
Well, I tell you good people
1221
01:27:23,112 --> 01:27:25,322
Better listen to me
1222
01:27:25,323 --> 01:27:28,033
You cannot satisfy a dollar
1223
01:27:28,034 --> 01:27:30,620
Best to let it be
1224
01:28:21,296 --> 01:28:25,340
Lord, I wonder, will I ever get home?
1225
01:28:25,341 --> 01:28:28,510
Four hundred years in the desert
1226
01:28:28,511 --> 01:28:31,054
Still I roam
1227
01:28:31,055 --> 01:28:35,435
Someday, people, I'll build my own
1228
01:28:36,311 --> 01:28:40,440
Best get movin', time's gettin' on