CRC New Orleans Day 2

Visiting the Treme Community Center
New Orleans has proved itself to be a focal point for rich historical and cultural values. Today we visited the oldest African American community in New Orleans, Treme. Our tour guide Mr. Mitchell, noted the sites where civil rights actions occurred. Among them was the site where Plessy drew up his famous lawsuit that attempted to end the separate-but-equal status of America. Although he was denied his wish, Plessy's actions changed the way many Americans viewed existing laws regarding racial segregation. - BETH MOSENTHAL

 

During our tour of Treme, Mr. Kermit Ruffin came out of his house with trumpet in hand. He was very happy to play his trumpet for us. The music was not just music, but real feeling and emotion as real jazz is. The music helped keep spirits high in times of pain and suffering. The music was also used by many as a means of communication.
- DANIEL PACE
The Ashe Center


Now I see what this trip is all about. New Orleans is so much more than a city. New Orleans is more like a story waiting to be told. It is a spirit that is alive in the arts, music, and in the faces of it’s people. Today as we viewed the community of Treme, I could see the story unfolding in front of me. A story of culture, spirituality, and the struggle for equality. New Orleans is a spirit that I will always keep within me, wherever I go. I will never forget the struggles of the past that now allow us to look forward to the future. ASHE (“Amen” or “Let it Be”). - JESSIAH JONES