Artits of South Louisiana: The Drum Spring 2022

The Drum

Drum

Artists of South Louisiana

Photo by Jamey Fernberg

LOUISIANA ,

LET’S GIVE COVID THE BOOT!

Louisianans come from all different walks of life. Whether you work in an office or on a farm. Put out traps or put out fires. Dribble a ball or walk the mall. It’s time we all stepped up and gave COVID the boot.

If you’re vaccinated, get the booster for maximum protection. If you’re not, get vaccinated so you don’t get sick or pass the virus on to someone who is vulnerable like a tiny baby or an older adult.

To book your free vaccine or booster, visit vaccines.gov. or call 855-453-0774 to speak with a trusted medical professional.

Whatever shoes you wear, step up Louisiana and give COVID the boot.

The Drum

HAMMOND

The City of Hammond has been awarded a $400,000 Love Louisiana Out doors grant for Martin Luther King and Zemurray Parks! In both parks, grant funds will be used to add accessible play equipment such as a merry-goround, seesaw-like “rocker,” additional swings, and new bonded rubber safety surfacing. In Martin Luther King Park, grant funds will also be used to create a half-mile walking trail and to add picnic tables, park benches, and barbecue pits. In Zemurray Park, grant funds will also be used to expand and improve the dog park and to add picnic pavilions around the pool.

NEW ORLEANS

ACROSS LOUISIANA

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John warren PhD robert Collins PhD barbara w green

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History buffs, art purveyors and enthusiasts looking to take a trip back in time to explore the influence and impacts of women in ancient Egypt can visit “Queen Nefertari’s Egypt,” the latest exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art on display until July 17. Queen Nefertari was the favorite wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, who reigned from 1279-1213 BCE. She was queen mother, di vine consort, and a diplomat. The exhibit features 230 artifacts that provide an extensive look into the power and influence of women during the New Kingdom period (1539-1075 BCE), which was the height of Egyptian civiliza tion. The exhibit showcases sculpture, objects, votive steles, stone sarcophagi, painted coffins, and items of daily life from the artisan village of the crafts men who built the royal tombs. NOMA opens at 10am daily and closes at 6pm on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at 9pm on Tuesday and Thursday; and at 5pm on Saturday. Admission is free for all Louisiana youth under the age of 19. ONLINE: www.noma.org.

Mississippi. Till was abducted and brutally murdered on Aug. 28, 1955 after Bryant’s wife, Carolyn Bryant, falsely accused him of whistling at her. The following month, Bryant and Milam were acquitted by an all-white jury after a five-day trial and a 67-minute deliberation. In a 1956 interview with Look magazine, protected against double jeopardy, the pair admitted to murdering Till. The Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum is located at 1501 Chennault Park Drive in Monroe and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 17 and under.

SHREVEPORT

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CrYstal Jenkins

Cover photo

JameY fernberg

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MONROE

The Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum is host ing the Emmett Till traveling exhibit through April 30. The exhibit details the trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, the two white men accused of the brutal killing of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy visiting in the South who was murdered after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Money,

On Feb. 22, the city of Shreveport formally apologized for violent actions taken against civil rights supporters in September 1963. Those actions in cluded the desecration of a church, the severe beating of a civil rights activist, and the arrest of 18 high school students who protested in response. The apologies are included in two resolutions approved unanimously by the city council. The council approved Resolution 17, formally offering an apology to the members of Little Union Baptist Church and their descendants for an incident on September 22, 1963. At the time the Shreveport Police rode horses inside the church as an act of intimidation. Reverend Harry Blake who was president of the Shreveport Chapter of the NAACP was severely beaten by officers. One week later, Booker T. Washington High School stu dent Calvin Austin led a march from the nearby school down Milam Street. Police attacked them with tear gas and batons. Austin was put in jail and expelled from school. Shreveport Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor sponsored the resolution, saying she led the effort to make sure “our history was not erased.” She said the apology was needed for the city to move forward. The city issued a letter of apology to Rev. Blake in 2003, which was 40 years after his beating. Rev. Blake passed away two years ago.

TANGIPAHOA

Tangipahoa Parish School System has opened applications for school trans fers, online learning, and magnet programs through June 1. Any TPSS stu dent interested in attending a school outside their school zone or enroll in the Virtual Learning Option must completed enrollment by June 1. The Vir tual Learning Option is tuition-free and allows students to learn in a flexible environment without losing the traditional benefits of attending in person. VLO students receive laptops, live lessons, and instruction at home from dedicated TPSS teachers, but are also eligible to join school clubs and sports teams or participate in school events. Each teacher with the TPSS Virtual Learning Option is responsible for no more than 18 students, so children get more focused instruction and help.

Carrie Ponds Assistant Publisher

City News Editor Danesha eDwarDs

Community Reporters and Writers

Photographer Yusef Davis

EddiE Ponds Founding PublishEr

Rev. Calvin Austin (center) accepted the resolution of apology from the City of Shreve port, sponsored by Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor to Austin's left.

EBR,

by JuliE o’donoghuE

Assumption residents

rEPortEr

Four Black residents and two civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit March 15 in an effort to block new po litical maps for the Louisiana House and Senate from taking effect.

The plaintiffs allege the Louisiana Legislature’s new maps, which are sup posed to be used in the 2023 election cycle, don’t include enough majori ty-Black districts and violate the feder al Voting Rights Act.

Plaintiffs include Dorothy Nairne of Assumption Parish, Jarrett Lofton of Caddo Parish, Clee Earnest and Al ice Washington of East Baton Rouge Parish, the Louisiana State Conference of NAACP, and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, the state’s top election official, is the lone defendant in the case.

The American Civil Liberties Union and NAACP are providing plaintiffs’ attorneys. They filed the lawsuit in Ba ton Rouge with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

“Black Louisianans like me deserve to be fairly represented,” said Nairne.

“To comply with the Voting Rights Act, the maps must in crease majority-Black districts. Lawmakers must follow the census data and are well aware of this, but instead they chose to ignore repeated concerns from national and local civil rights leaders. We must reconcile this now. We look forward to fighting these discriminatory maps in court to ensure every voter’s voice is heard and to improve the quality of life for all of us.”

They are asking the court to throw out the approved maps and to set a “reasonable deadline” for state govern ment to come up with new ones. If the state misses that deadline, plaintiffs have asked the court to adopt maps that include three more majority-Black Senate seats and six to nine more ma jority-Black House seats than found on the current maps.

“Despite comprising nearly onethird of Louisiana’s voting age pop ulation, Black voters have long been

federal lawsuit to block state’s new gerrymandered districts

“We must reconcile this now. We look forward to fighting these discriminatory maps in court to ensure every voter’s voice is heard and to im prove the quality of life for all of us.”

Dorothy Nairne

On the House side, the plaintiffs said an extra majority-Black House seat could be added in the Lake Charles area by shifting some Black voters out of House District 34, held by Black Democrat Wilford Carter, and into House District 38, held by white Re publican Rhonda Butler.

denied an equal oppor tunity to elect their pre ferred candidates,” the lawsuit states.

The Louisiana Legis lature approved the new political maps for their own cham bers in February. Gov. John Bel Ed wards disapproves of those plans – he thought they should contain more ma jority-Black districts – but declined to veto them.

They became law March 9. (Edwards vetoed a similar congres sional map which was overturned in a special legislative session. Lawsuits are being planned to contest these Con gressional maps.)

The new state district maps main tain the status quo of majority-Black districts in the Senate and House, though Louisiana’s Black population has grown since the state’s last re districting session took place. Eleven of 39 Senate districts and 29 of 105 House districts were majority-Black seats when they were drawn 10 years ago and remain so in the Legislature’s approved plans.

The plaintiffs contend the state is legally obligated to do more. They are pushing for maps with 14 major ity-Black Senate districts and 35 to 39 majority-Black House seats. White voters, who comprise 58% of the vot ing population, would control elec tion outcomes for more than 70% of the seats in the Louisiana Senate and House under the maps approved by the Legislature, the lawsuit said.

Legislative leaders said they hadn’t had a chance to read through the law suit yet and didn’t want to comment on it until they had done so.

The plaintiffs have set out to prove that elections in Louisiana are racially polarized, a key standard they might need to meet to win a voting rights challenge. Black voters overwhelming ly vote for candidates who often don’t

win elections in majority-white dis tricts, they said.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs out lined the racial breakdown of the re cent Louisiana treasurer and secretary of state elections to prove their point.

In both elections, more than 95% of Black residents who voted backed Black candidates who ended up losing.

They also pointed to previous rounds of political redistricting when the federal government forced Louisi ana to redraw its political lines because of concerns over minority representa tion. In 1981 and 1991, Louisiana had to make adjustments to add majori ty-Black districts to the Legislature to satisfy federal laws. In 1969 and 1994, they had to do the same for judicial seats, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs said additional major ity-Black districts could be added this year by “unpacking” existing majori ty-Black districts where the percent age of Black voters is so high that it could be lowered significantly with out threatening the districts’ majori ty-Black status.

A new majority-Black seat in Jeffer son Parish could be drawn by shifting some Black voters from Senate District 5, represented by Black Democrat Kar en Carter Peterson, into Senate Dis trict 8, represented by white Republi can Patrick Connick.

Another majority-Black district could be added in the Shreveport area by shifting Black voters out of Senate District 39, represented by Black Dem ocrat Greg Tarver, and into Senate Dis trict 37, represented by white Republi can Barrow Peacock.

In the Baton Rouge area, some Black voters could be moved out of Senate Districts 14 and 15, represented by Black Democrats Regina Barrow and Cleo Fields, and into Senate District 17, represented by white Republican Rick Ward, to make another majority-Black seat.

The plaintiffs also proposed keep ing majority-Black District 23, held by Black Democrat Kenny Cox, in North west Louisiana. In the House map ap proved by the Legislature, that district was moved to New Orleans.

Instead, the plaintiffs would con vert District 5 in Shreveport, held by white Republican Alan Seabaugh , into a new majority-Black district in New Orleans. It would also shift around the Black population in Shreveport to cre ate another minority House district in Caddo Parish.

In Baton Rouge, the plaintiffs pro posed moving some Black voters out of House Districts 29, 61 and 63 – held by Black Democrats Edmond Jordan, C. Denise Marcelle, Barbara Carpenter – to create more majority-Black dis tricts. The Black population in House District 101, which is vacant, could also be lowered.

Those additional Black voters could be placed into Baton Rouge area House Districts 60, 65, 68 and 69 –represented by white Democrat Chad Brown and white Republicans Barry Ivey, Scott McKnight and Paula Davis – to create new majority-Black seats.

Black lawmakers floated more mod est proposals than the ones presented by the plaintiffs during Louisiana’s po litical redistricting in February. Sen. Ed Price, D-Gonzales, wanted to add two additional majority-Black seats to the Senate. Reps. Sam Jenkins and Cedric Glover, both from Shreveport, proposed adding an extra majori ty-Black seat in the House through several proposals. Their plans were scuttled by the Republican majority.

“The Louisiana Legislature had the opportunity to ensure our district maps were constitutional, but instead they continued on the path that has led to decades of diluting Black voting power,” said ACLU of Louisiana Exec utive Director Alanah Odoms.

NAIRNE

South Louisiana’s 36 most influential creatives, artists, photographers

X by CynthEa CorFah guEst Contributor

Louisiana is rich in culture primarily because it is rich in creatives. Many of the most notable creations, artworks, and music originate from Black creators. While we could write a book about all of the talented Black artists in The Boot, here are 40 of the most dynamic artists, musicians, dancers, and photographers in South Louisiana.

Langston “Lango” Adams is an alternative rap mu sic artist from Baton Rouge. He has a modern sound with echoey, autotuned melodies and raps that are often paired with electronic, rock, and trap sounds. Lango’s energy and daring persona fill the entire room, and he often connects with his fans by jumping off the stage and diving into the audience to crowd surf. @lango111 www.songwhip.com/lango/wikk-tapes-de luxe

Rian Allen is a professional dance artist, personal trainer, and former NBA dancer for the New Orleans Pelicans. The New Orleans creative teaches private dance training, dance fitness classes, and offers in-per son consultations. @rifitlife

Trinity Barriere is an emerging artist and designer based in New Orleans. Since earning a bachelor of fine arts degree from LSU, Trinity has collaborated with Nike and Sneaker Politics. In January 2022, she was one of sev en creatives to be awarded an Eternal Seeds Grant, pro viding support to talented BIPOC artists. @_in.trin.sic_

Bryson Boutte is a multi-faceted visual artist in New Orleans. His anime-style works are shared digitally, on murals, canvases, clothing, and accessories. He is a Walls Project muralist veteran, behind many of the most notable murals around Baton Rouge like the ones on 14th Street and Winborne Ave. www.rawartists.com/TheLastBryson

John Alleyne is a New Orleans multi-media artist. His works primarily include moody, high-contrast silkscreen prints and collages featuring Black subjects. He is a member of Good Children’s Gallery in New Orleans and Baton Rouge Gallery where he was the first person to have his hair cut at an art exhibition for his solo show “In Between the Skin Fade.” johnal leyne.com

Nic Brierre Aziz is an interdisciplinary artist and curator from New Orleans. He is a current art ist-in-residence at the prestigious Joan Mitchell Cen ter. Aziz describes his work as a “historical pop cul tural assemblage,” fusing narratives and images from Black popular culture, in attempts to recontextualize the meaning and context behind those images. nicbri erreaziz.com

Julien Bass is an all-around creative. His art has been showcased all over Baton Rouge. He is a clothing de signer, hairstylist, painter, model, and event curator. He hosts fashion shows, dance parties, and music events. @julienjamal_

Jonathan Brown aka Skinny Dope is a Baton Rouge artist most known for his vibrant murals and trippy de signs. In December 2021, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome presented him with a Certificate of Commendation for his mural “Heart of Scotlandville” at Jewel J. Newman Community Center. www.skinnydope.storenvy.com

Christian “Cubs the Poet” Davenport is a New Or leans-based poet and painter. In 2019, Mayor-President Sharon Broome named him the inaugural Poet Laureate of Baton Rouge. From his typewriter and stool in the French Quarter, he writes custom poems and makes custom books of poetry. His poetry has taken him from Baton Rouge to Preservation Hall in New Orleans to a Ted Talk in Rapid City, South Dakota. www.cubsthepoet.com

Yusef Davis is a Baton Rouge-based portrait and event photographer. He captures national events, destination weddings, engagements, beauty models, and graduates as @YDPhotoandArt. He has photographed collegiate life, sporting events including the Bayou Classic, Acadiana Fashion Week, and official University of Louisiana at La fayette events. www.yusefdavis.com

Keith “Cartoon Man” Douglas is a prolific fine artist and creator. For more than 30 years, he has been the sole caricaturist for large-scale events and festivals in Louisi ana. He has drawn more than 300,000 people. He creates original concepts, cartoon illustrations, and logo designs while teaching artists. His images are colorful, vivid and spatially imaginative, and his work is in several galleries in Louisiana and parts of Mississippi. keithvandouglas.com

Lango

John Alleyne

Julien Bass

Nic Aziz

Cartoon Man

Cubs the Poet

Byson Boutte

Skinny Dope

Yusef Davis

LOUISIANA CREATIVES

Kristen Downing is a stand-out New Orleans painter. Through her eye-catching paintings featuring her signa ture colors like teal, magenta, and purple she strives to educate, inspire and increase social consciousness by tell ing Black stories. Her skills go beyond painting though, she is a former tattoo artist and also designs merchandise like screen-printed clothing and custom sneakers. www.kawdartgallery.com

Sage Edgerson aka DJ Legatron Prime is more than a New Orleans DJ. She curates energetic experienc es with consent-only dance floors safe for women, people of color, and everyone in between. She wears many hats. Outside of music, she is also a wardrobe stylist, vintage clothing collector, and seller. www. legatronprime.com

Malaika Favorite is a visual art ist known for her emotionally charged text, figurative paintings, and collages. Her work would be described as a celebration of nature and womanhood. In Jan uary 2022, Favorite was selected as one of the newest members of Baton Rouge Gallery’s Board of Directors. malaikafavorite.artspan.com

Erick Fields is a self-taught Baton Rouge artist who uses his portrait work to convey the strength and beauty of Black people by employ ing contrasting colors, geometric shapes, and text in flat digital paint ings. His work has been showcased locally at Healthcare Gallery and Yes We Cannibal. ericklfields.com

Marian Gbaiwon is a jack of all trades. This Liberi an-American creative is the owner of Our Treats Designs, a company that makes cakes for special occasions, and Marian Gbaiwon Productions which offers photography, videography, video production, and creative directing of films and professional videos. www. ourtreatsdesigns.com

Jackie Gray is a portrait artist, facepaint artist, private art instruc tor, and avid crafter. Through her company, All About That Face, she decorates children and adult faces at small and large-scale events in Ba ton Rouge and surrounding areas. She’s hosting art camps this summer at the Mid-City Artisans and Baton Rouge elementary schools. @allaboutthatfacepainting

Jae Hale is a New Orleans videographer and owner of Blue Jae Films. With a special eye for capturing emo tion and a subject’s essence, he most often films busi ness and personal events, weddings, real estate, and other creative projects. @jae_hale @Bluejaefilms

Randell Henry is a Baton Rouge painter, mixed media collage art ist, and former pupil of the late legendary Frank Hayden. Henry is an art legend in his own right, and well-known for his colorful collage paintings which depict scenes of everyday Black family life. Accord ing to Baton Rouge Gallery, Henry is the longest-tenured Black artist member since 1985. www.baton rougegallery.org/randell-henry

Taylor Hunter is a New Orleans photographer, artist, and writer whose work is dedicat ed to documenting the modern-day, multifaceted woman. Through life style, editorial, and product pho tography she creates storytelling, dynamic imagery that has an aura, feeling, and soul. Her work has been published in major publications like Vogue, Essence, and Glamour. www.taylorshunter.com

Shagari Jackson is an award-win ning international photographer, creative, and licensed real estate agent in Baton Rouge. He is the owner of Achroma Stu dio and Fine Arts and Mosaic by MG. In 2022, he was selected for the sixth year in a row as The Knot’s Best of Weddings 2022 for his photography. mosaicbymg.com

Nathaniel A. Landry is an illustrator, graphic art ist, and art instructor in Baton Rouge. He is known for his angular pen-and-ink and watercolor mazes, brightly colored skateboard decks, and limited edition Black Messiah and Magdalena prints. @alphonse_ jozeff

Gabrielle Ledet is a New Orle ans mixed media artist, focusing on painting, drawing, and video. In her work, Ledet explores themes asso ciated with African American life and the Diaspora. She is a frequent traveler to West Africa and invites others to explore their African heri tage. @the.eleventh.eyelash

Kristen Downing

DJ Legatron Prime

Malaika Favorite

Marian Gbaiwon

Jackie Gray

Erik Fields

Nathaniel Landry

Jae Hale

Randell Henry

Taylor Hunter

Shagari Jackson

Gabrielle Ledet

LOUISIANA CREATIVES

Kayla ‘Rose’ Magee is a photographer, designer, and vi sionary in Baton Rouge. She is the designer behind the local clothing brand Muse the Label and founder of Blue print 77 Creative Lab, a community of creatives that pro vides photography, prop rentals, and fashionable street wear. www.blueprint77.co

Damien Mitchell is a Baton Rouge designer and maker who specializes in making leather goods. He handcrafts minimalistic and earth-toned leather wal lets, shoes, backpacks, chairs, and bags. www.damien mitchell.us

Chloe Marie is almost always performing. She is the lead singer for Baton Rouge band Alabaster Stag, played “Sally Bowles” in Little Town Theater’s 2022 Cabaret, and was part of The Victory Belles of The World War II Muse um. Her harmonic and timeless voice brings her to stages across Louisiana. @chloebandita

Tyronecia Moore is a New Orleans graphic design er, illustrator, and creative. She creates original handdrawn and animated graphic designs at LSU, curates vintage clothing for her online and in-person vintage shop House of Sassfiend, and writes and designs relat able zines. www.tyroneciamoore.com

Elle Marie is a traveling editorial fashion stylist based in Baton Rouge. She intentionally pieces together cohesive, personalized outfits with character and unique details. She styles creative looks for fashion photoshoots, videos, film, product photoshoots, and other creative projects. ellemariebrand.com

Mia Lake Marshall is a Ham mond-based artist and retired, certi fied art educator. She paints profes sionally, teaches private art lessons, and hosts Paint-and-Sip parties. @marshallartsbymia

Sasha Matthews is a natural light, family, and lifestyle photographer and owner of Green Tangerine Pho tography. The Baton Rouge photog rapher’s dreamy, velvety smooth im ages have been published in Essence, yahoo! and 225 Magazine. greentan gerinephotography.com

Antoine GHOST Mitchell is a Baton Rouge visual and spoken word artist, Afro-fantasy comic cre ator, and illustrator. Along with producing the third issue of his Sankofa’s Eymbrace comic, he transforms art lov ers into superhero paintings, honors families in personal commissions, and showcases his work on the walls of East Baton Rouge Parish libraries. sankofaseymbrace.com

Mya Parker is a teen art entrepreneur who is making her mark in digital arts with NFTs. Her NFT collec tion, Mya’s Treasures is a hand-drawn 1/1 genesis. She is a 15-year-old athlete, artist, gardener, investor, and collector in Addis, La. twitter.com/myalparker

Travis Pickett aka Art Soul Life is a Baton Rouge multimedia artist who makes bold, colorful, and funky wooden art such as wooden record players and cassette tapes, paint ings on wood, and groovy, pop-art style designs. @artsoullives

Twajuana Spears is the owner of Twajoku, a studio photography business in Baton Rouge. She is the go-to spot for birthday, grad uation, and business portraits. Her photos are sharp, colorful, and fresh. www.twajoku.com

Taylor Watson is a Baton Rouge wedding and portrait pho tographer. Her bright, airy photos are professional and crisp. She was a photographer and editor for The Front Steps Project, where families were photographed on their front porch or steps during the COVID lockdown of 2020. taylorwatson photography.com

Tamara Williams is a visual art ist from Baton Rouge who special izes in videography and photogra phy. While she relocated to Chicago, the multi-skilled artist still influences the Louisiana community with her contributions to the Futures Fund Tech Academy and Let That Shit Go women’s wellness retreat. www. cosmofilmphotography.mypixieset.com.

GHOST

Elle Marie

Chloe Marie

Kayla ‘Rose’Magee

Damien Mitchell

Tyronecia Moore

Mya Parker

Art Soul Life

Cynthea Corfah is a New Orleans-based journalist, social media specialist, and entrepreneur. In 2018, she became the first Black staff writer at 225 Magazine before moving to New Orleans in 2021. Follow her at @ cyntheacorfah

Mia Lake Marshall

Sasha Matthews

Taylor Watson

PONCHATOULA—The art scene in Tangipahoa parish continued growing earlier this spring with a new exhibit by local artists Mia Marshall and Tomyria Courtney.

The pair were featured exhibitors at the Twin Steeple Creative Art Center in Ponchatoula on March 6.

Art enthusiasts gathered to meet the artists and view Marshall’s fine art and photography Courtney.

Marshall and Courtney shared the purpose and stories behind their fine art and photographic art while guests perused the art.

Marshall is a professional artist and owner of Marshall Arts by Mia. The former educator taught art at Indepen dence High School.

Marshall said she started painting when she was about five years old and never stopped. “Some of my first paint ing was of little girls. I wanted to paint more (and) I challenged myself to learn how to paint more realism.”

Marshall thanked the many people

but also had one of her original art pieces hanging on the walls in their homes.

Marshall resides in Hammond with her husband, former councilman Le mar, and sons Ellis and Aaron.

“As a self-taught photographer, I have spent many hours honing my craft,” said Courtney whose love for

many faces of family and friends.

It doesn’t matter who or what the subject is, she said she seeks to capture a strong emotion that observers can feel when they view her images.

Her photographs have appeared in Senior Year Images, Senior Guys Style, and other high school system’s market ing materials.

Courtney said she enjoys captur

ing the love of people, the passion for sport, and the perspective of objects.

“Like any other professional, I had to find my niche. I was doing photog raphy for a long time before I found my niche which is still life and archi tecture,” she said.

“The most liberating moment for me in photography is when I see the image I capture frozen in time. The beauty of

the subject, the shadows, and the lights never change once I’ve captured it in photos,” she said.

“Every opportunity I get to use my camera, I do my best to connect with the beauty of nature, my work center around architecture, people, culture, and the nature of Southern Louisi ana.” She lives in Hammond with her daughter Kortnee.

Photographic artist Tomyria Courtney stands in front of her exhibit at the Twin Steeple Creative Art Center in Ponchatoula. Photo by Eddie Ponds

Mia Marshall greets art supporters at the Twin Steeple Creative Art Center in Ponchatoula. Photo by Eddie Ponds

Loranger residents undergo two-day applied suicide intervention skills training

The Florida Parishes Human Services Authority recently spon sored an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training for members of the community on February 24-25, at the Solomon Conference Center in Loranger.

Trainers Jaime Cyprian, MarySue Adams, and Kasi Silberna gel recognized attendees Crystal Hooper, Jennifer Hadley, Dionne Henry, Denise Latour, Michelle Gallo, Tiffany Edwards, Rayne Beal, Tykesha James, Miles Wood, Charity Spears, Jessica Harper, Philicia Travis, Lauren Malbrough, and Danyle Sonnier.

ASIST is a two-day face-to-face interactive workshop where par ticipants learn skills and are empowered to provide interventions when they encounter someone having thoughts of suicide. ASIST has been around for more than 35 years and can be learned by any one regardless of their educational or training background. Although ASIST has a minimum age requirement of 16 and older, other pro grams are available for all age groups through LivingWorks, the cre ators of ASIST.

To participatew in future ASIST workshops, contact MarySue Adams or Kasi Silbernagel with Florida Parishes Human Services Authority at admin@fphsa.org.

Photo courtesy of Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa

The time for Louisiana citizens of goodwill to mobilize is now

The lawful and efficient exercise of Democracy in the United States de pends on voters being able to freely choose their leaders. In spite of that ideal, every ten years we subvert that process and instead allow leaders to choose their voters. We call this pro cess Redistricting. Parts of this process are necessary and proper. It is neces sary every ten years to take Census data and re-balance voting populations so that districts have roughly equal populations.

This assures fair representation so that each voter can be confident that their vote carries the same weight as the vote of a citizen in a neighboring district. The problem is that, in most states, the process is primarily designed to protect the self-interests of incum bents, rather than the interest of the voters. The leaders get to choose their own voters.

There are exceptions. Twenty-one states currently use some form of bi partisan or nonpartisan commissions to redraw legislative district lines every ten years. The purpose of these com missions is to avoid the inherent eth ical conflict of interest of having leg

islators draw their own districts, knowing that there will always be a natural human tendency to protect oneself from the opposition. Louisi ana is not one of those commission states. Lou isiana still allows its leg islature to draw its own lines.

As expected, we al ready see signs that the tendency to ward self-preservation is overpowering the legal requirement of fair represen tation of voters. For example, in the last US Census, the Black population of Louisiana increased by 4%, while the white population decreased by 6%. The Black population is currently 33%. In spite of this fact, the most re cent legislative district map passed by the legislature, as of this writing, only has 29 majority-Black districts in the House of Representatives, out of a to tal of 105, for 28%. The growth in the Black population would seem to justi fy four Black-majority House seats be ing added. That total was 29 ten years ago as well.

Only one of the state’s Congressional districts is majority-Black. There are six districts, so one only represents about 16.6% of the population. Two majority-black districts would account for about 33% of the population, roughly equal to the Black population of the state. While creating four state house districts might be a challenge because they are spread out all over the state, creating an extra Congressional seat would be much simpler. In fact, several groups have already submitted compact maps that would create that second seat.

Creating Black-majority districts does not guarantee a Black person will be elected of course. Nor should it. The choice is always left to the voters. It simply creates an equal opportuni ty structure. It is notable that while there are white Louisiana legislators representing Black-majority districts, there are no Black legislators repre senting majority-white districts. The current opportunity structure is not

equal. Historical analysis of voting results shows that while it is possible for a white candidate to be elected in a Black-majority district, it is almost impossible for a Black candidate to be elected in a white-majority district. Only proportional representation can bring some level of fairness to the op portunity structure.

In essence, the Louisiana Legislature has decided to maintain the status quo. They have decided to totally ignore the fact that there have been significant changes in the racial demographics of the population in the last ten years. This will leave the Black population of the state proportionally underrepre sented, which, in addition to being un fair, is actually a violation of the Vot ing Rights Act of 1965. There will, of course, be consequences if the Legisla ture refuses to draw maps that propor tionally represent the population of the state. The Governor has stated that he might veto any maps that do not meet the standard of proportional represen tation and send them back for further review. Regardless of the actions of the Governor, several organizations have promised to file lawsuits challenging

the legality of the maps. The final set of maps might end up being drawn by the Federal Courts, an outcome that has happened in certain areas of Louisiana in the past..

The best outcome would be for citi zens to contact their legislators and let them know that the current maps lack basic fairness because they do not pro portionally represent the population. If the Legislature does not revisit these maps, then the next step would be to request a veto from the Governor. A veto would force the Legislature back to the bargaining table and perhaps reasonable heads will prevail. As a fi nal resort, groups interested in fairness will go to the Federal Courts for relief.

The time for citizens of goodwill to mobilize is now. Otherwise, the Leg islature will put their incumbent-pro tection plan in place and maintain the status quo for another ten years. All voters have the right to an opportunity structure that gives them a chance at representation.

Collins, Ph.D., is a professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy at Dillard University, and a former Congressional staffer. @DrRobertCollins

Stop violence by showing youth kindness, sustaining food, and paying fair wages

As a nation we use Martin Luther King to promote love and being nonviolent. Yet, on MLK day alone eight shootings happened leaving five people dead.

We often associate shootings to people being mad but there are factors to crime and the reasons are bigger than just a trigger happy teenager. Some people consider Louisiana the worst state to live in as it ranks 48th in opportunity, 49th in educa tion, and Louisiana is ranked 47th in economy. Add these facts to the fact that there is still an inequity in schools, pay disparities, failure to ad equately identify and address bullying in schools, and creative programs and youth jobs ONLY in troduced to the gifted, talented or well behaved, and I’m sure you’d question if this state were as great as we make it seem as well.

The resources we swear by are not introduced to the same people who are introduced to guns. The only plan we have for crimes is jail time which is why Louisiana had the highest incarcer

ation rate with a prison population of 683 people per 100,000 citizens. This, and still no solution is preposterous really because we are not solving the true problem. People need to know that re sources are available.

Families need help.

The racial and gender pay gaps need to be smaller and smaller until it is gone because Ba ton Rouge is amongst one of the cities with the most pay disparities and according to the Advo cate, it was dubbed the “least equitable” city in the country for the gender pay gap since there›s a difference of 48.5% between salaries of men and women based off of Census data.

The EBR school board has decided to give in coming 9th graders dual enrollment courses but students first have to be ready for high school. Students should be treated as important not just because of the economic value of them being at a school but as well as the fact that each and every child in Baton Rouge holds brilliance. Each child

should be considered the cream of the crop no child should be set up for failure just for the sake of passing them. Baton Rouge has great programs but people can’t come if they have no way to get there. So they’re not of substantial use, yet.

Families need the support financially. Even if it is not a grand amount there needs to be something to look forward to. The City of Shreveport adopted the guaranteed income pro gram that targets a specific population in order to serve as a tool for racial and gender equity. Know ing that my family has an income floor to provide social safety is a relief because it is money that is an underlying factor.

I trust that elected officials will work for simi lar infrastructure to be put in place for the entire state or at least Baton Rouge and New Orleans. If not, I trust that the citizens of Louisiana will put people into office that will. I encourage ev eryone to be active in your community. Tell stu dents about the resources that can benefit them

and their families. Do your best to do something kind for everyone around you and especially for the youth. Make sure the people around you feel loved.

Small actions of kindness can turn someone’s life around. Let’s all work together to better the city of Baton Rouge and the state. We must attack problems not only at the fruit but at the root as well. If we want to stop the violence in our com munity we have to go deeper than incarceration.

Bridge the pay gaps, sustain food within food des erts, introduce resources such as food and money to families to better their quality of life,and learn to understand and talk to the offenders of crimes.

As we do these steps to truly make a difference we will quickly see efforts pay off. And it’s all of our business to do so.

The change starts with you.

Condoleezza Semien is president, Outstanding Mature Girls. She presented this speech during a January Stop the Violence rally on the steps of the State Capitol.

Robert

Collins

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10-year-old Antranae Alexander, of Am ite, will spend a week in Los Angeles this summer performing for casting directors and other show biz professionals after being selected by the In ternational Presentation of Performers. She’s one of four children in her age category who were se lected. According to her parents Antony and Ash ley, the Loranger Middle School fifth-grader has wanted to be an actress since she was three years old. They have established a GoFundME Page, “Help Support Antranae’s Dream #FutureActor,” to support her travels. It includes a video of her reaction receiving the acceptance call from iPOP.

Department of Corrections recently promoted Deputy Assistant Secretary Rochelle Ambeau to the position of deputy warden at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Ambeau is the third Black woman to serve as a deputy warden for the Loui siana Department of Corrections. She is the first Black woman to serve as deputy warden of Lou isiana’s largest prison, the Louisiana State Peni tentiary. She joined the Department in 1992 as a corrections officer at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. In 2005, she became as the agency’s first corrections transition specialist and was promoted in 2014 to deputy assistant secre tary in reentry.

Zachary High School drama student Courtney Anderson heads to New York to compete at the Apollo Theater after her second-place finish in the Next Narrative Monologue Contest held at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Ander son is active in choir, theater and talented the ater. Coached by talented theater teacher Heather Feierabend, Anderson has performed in “High School Musical,” “50s Bandstand,” and “Beau ty and the Beast” with the Zachary Community School System. She was also selected to perform as a member of the 2022 Texas Thespian Festival All-State Cast. Anderson is the daughter of Kisha Wells and Robert Anderson. She will travel April 29 to New York to compete.

LSU animal sciences senior and Agriculture Stu dent Association president Kayla Benton, of Cypress, TX, recently received the MLK Humani tarian Award by the LSU Black Faculty and Staff Caucus. The Black Faculty and Staff Caucus ad vocates for educational equity at LSU. The Mar tin Luther King Humanitarian Award acknowl edges Benton’s activities to improve race relations on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus.

The Iberia African American Historical Society along with archivists and digitization specialists from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Er nest Gaines Center and the UL Center for Lou isiana Studies are working to preserve Elaine Campbell’s collection of The Ebony Journal For 20 years, Campbell published the monthly newspaper which was Iberia Parish’s first Blackowned newspaper since Reconstruction. Camp bell, 89, was an English teacher and store clerk when she started the The Ebony Journal in 1985. She retired the paper in 2005 after decades of highlighting the accomplishments of Blacks across Acadiana. When ULL archivist and preser vationist Cheylon Woods completes the work of restoring the newsprint, The Ebony Journal will be available to the public as part of the archives of the future Iberia African American Historical Society Center on the second floor of Shadowson-the-Teche Center in New Iberia. (Photo by Anne Darrah/ The Advertiser)

Kenneth Campbell has been named CEO of New Schools for Baton Rouge where he will continue the organization’s mission to “ensure every child in the city has access to an excellent school.” Campbell most recently served as the ex ecutive director for southern Louisiana of IDEA Public Schools. Prior to his work at IDEA Pub lic Schools, Campbell was president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and worked as director of charter schools for the Louisiana De partment of Education.

Monique Edwards has been appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Missouri and Louisiana Advisory Committee. Edwards is the

founding member of The Edwards Law Group, LLC, a Baton Rouge-based firm that concentrates on governmental and community relations, medi cal management, strategic business solutions, and energy. Previously, she was appointed by Gover nor Bobby Jindal as the first Black secretary of the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board and assistant secretary for the Office of Mineral Resources of the Department of Natural Resourc es. She is a graduate and visiting professor at the Southern University Law Center. The advisory committee examines water affordability, school discipline disparities, policing practices, mental health and the criminal justice system, legal finan cial obligations, fair housing, hate crimes, voting rights, maternal health, and solitary confinement while advising the commission on policy changes at the national, state, and local levels. Also ap pointed from Louisiana were: Marjorie Esman (as chair), Renee Amar, Alexandra Bruce, Mariela Cruz, Melanie Donahue, Robert Garda, Robert Lancaster, Tia Mills, Jerome Smith, Frank Torres, and Raheem Williams

Jo’Quishia “Jo” Hilliard, of Baker, has been appointed to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors by Governor John Bel Ed wards. She is a registered nurse for Gifted Health care and a graduate of the University of Louisiana Monroe with a degree in nursing. At 28, she is the youngest appointed member to ever serve on the UL System Board of Supervisors. She is a former president and board chair at The Louisiana Lead ership Institute in Baton Rouge.

The Louisiana Housing Corporation Board unan imously chose Joshua G. Hollins as the corpo ration’s new executive director from a field of 93 candidates and three finalists. The purpose of the LHC is to substantially increase the availabil ity of affordable, accessible, and safe residential housing in Louisiana. Hollins will be responsible for directing all administrative, financial, and pro grammatic activities of the organization. Hollins is currently the vice president of public financing at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company in Baton Rouge.

Environmental justice activist Sharon Lavigne will receive the University of Notre Dame Uni versity’s 2022 Laetare Medal — the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Cath olics “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church, and enriched the heritage of humanity.” Lavigne is a lifelong member of St. James Catholic Church and the founder and director of Rise St. James, a faith-based grassroots organization fighting for environmental justice in St. James Parish. A livelong resident of St. James and a retired special education teacher, Lavigne has watched the region transform from farmland into “Cancer Alley”. She and members of Rise St. James successfully campaigned against the construction of a plant proposed by Wanhua Chemical. Because of their organized marches, speaking out, and reports on the negative health and environmental impact of the industry’s pollutants, the company with drew its land-use application in September 2019. Rise St. James and nine other organizations are working to stop the construction of a $9.4 billion chemical plant proposed by Formosa Plastics. The company wants to expand and build a massive plastic factory on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. James. Stopping this project is a top priority for Lavigne who will be honored at Notre Dame’s 177th University Commencement Cere mony on May 15. https://www.risestjames.org

Sholanda Young, of Baton Rouge, has been confirmed by the US Senate as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Young, who is a graduate of Scotlandville Magnet High School, is the first Black person to head the office. She moved to Washington, D.C. around 2001, where she became a Presidential Management Fellow with the National Institutes of Health. For 14 years, Young worked as a staffer for the United States House Committee on Appropriations. In February 2017, she was named staff director of the committee, a position in which she served until her nomination for deputy director of OMB in 2021.

AMBEAU

ALEXANDER

HOLLINS

BENTON CAMPBELL

HILLARD EDWARDS LAVIGNE