BOCAGE • COUNTRY CLUB • HIGHLAND • JEFFERSON TERRACE KENILWORTH • PERKINS • SOUTHDOWNS • UNIVERSITY CLUB
THE SOUTHSIDE
ADVOCATE T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 10, 2024
If you would no longer like to receive this free product, please email brtmc@ theadvocate.com.
1Gn
Jan Risher LONG STORY SHORT
‘We the People’: And a mystery man’s display BY JAN RISHER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD
Michael Hite, left, Ivon Wright, David Basquine and Calvin ‘Lil’ Man’ Jones Sr. of the Young Men Olympian Jr. Benevolent Association second-line in Central City in New Orleans on March 24.
More than a second-line In New Orleans, ‘The Young Men Olympian prepared me’
BY JAN RISHER
Staff writer
As most New Orleanians know, social aid and pleasure clubs originally formed to ensure Black people would be able to have a proper funeral and burial during a time when that wasn’t guaranteed. Their second-lines are now a cultural touchstone of the city and remain a cornerstone of many neighborhood celebrations and traditions. But their work in the community, as mentors, coaches, organizers and advocates for Black men and women, draws less attention even though its impact is often more profound for the people it reaches. The Young Men Olympian Junior Benevolent Society, founded in 1884, is the city’s oldest benevolent society — and the second-oldest one in the country. The organization has been a part of Norman Dixon Jr.’s life for 50 years. “Dad put me in when I was 7,” he said. “And now I’m 57.”
Keeping them close Dixon recalls that growing up his father, Norman Dixon Sr., kept him close. He remembers that the two of them went just about everywhere together. “Our life was really our dad. He kept us close, which meant he kept us close to his friends — and, his friends were the Young Men Olympian,” Dixon said. “They carried themselves a certain way — a positive way, helping the community, knowing what’s going on in the world.” He also remembers how his dad and other members “would come to secondline all dressed up.” While other people wondered why the gentlemen always looks so clean when they came to second-line, Dixon knew. “I knew that they were all coming from church. They were deacons,” he said. “All of those men were worshippers. If you were around them, it was
IMAGE COURTESY OF THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION
A member is interred at the Young Men Olympian Junior tomb in Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 in 1965 going to rub off.” When Dixon was 20, he went to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to play football. “A reporter told me that it was strange that an African American from New Orleans would come to Utah to play football,” Dixon said. “My answer was that my parents, my community, my family and the Young Men Olympian prepared me to go anywhere.”
More than a second-line “People think it’s about the secondline, but that didn’t come ’til later — five or 10 years after we started, we started that for the musicians,” he said. Dixon says the organization’s primary work these days is centered around the
next generation. Young Men Olympian Junior now has 10 coaches to work with New Orleans youth. All together, 35 kids are involved — a number that fluctuates. They’ve had as many as 68. Jerome Temple, a teacher and wellknown rapper, is one of the organization’s most popular coaches, according to Dixon. “The kids of today are either involved in a whole lot of good stuff or a whole lot of bad stuff,” Dixon said. “When my dad was around, you had kids who just weren’t doing anything — good or bad. They needed something to grab a hold of.” Dixon says he’s happy to do the work
ä See OLYMPIAN, page 2G
Ahead of the Fourth of July in a quiet neighborhood in Acadiana, a mystery man has taken it upon himself to line the street with American flags. The unidentified flag fellow didn’t get approval to hang flags on the light poles. He just did it. His reasoning is simultaneously simple and complex — he’s concerned about the state of our country and wanted to create some outward show of unity. This beg-for-forgiveness approach to patriotism made me think of one of my favorite art installations. It’s in the opening gallery at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The work hangs on a giant dark wall — the words “We the People” emblazoned across it in oversized letters taller than I am. Each letter is made of hundreds, maybe thousands, of shoestrings in all the colors of the rainbow. The artwork is Nari Ward’s vision — an attempt to bring the message of “We the People” into the 21st century. “These words not only represent grand ideals written by the founding fathers hundreds of years ago, but also speak to the concerns of Americans today,” the museum’s website says. “Through the use of a common item, the artist has woven ‘we the people’ into our contemporary lives.” In the spirit of the work, the museum invited community members to help install the shoelaces. The work’s impact is a vivid example of the sum of something being greater than its individual parts — much like the 35 or so flags on the streets of a sleepy neighborhood in Lafayette. Multiple neighbors tell me the display has given them a new and improved sense of community. One said she can’t help but tear up when she turns into her street and sees the sun shining through the flags all in a row. Considering the flag as a symbol of unity made me think about the national symbol’s origins and wonder what George Washington would think about today’s state of affairs. In 1796, when he announced he would not be seeking a third term as president, he published a letter to the American people, often called his farewell address though it was never presented as a speech. The letter, which Alexander Hamilton and James Madison helped
ä See RISHER, page 2G
PROVIDED PHOTO
Flags hang up and down the street of a Lafayette neighborhood in preparation for July 4.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Louisiana Inspired highlights volunteer opportunities across south Louisiana. If your organization has specific volunteer opportunities, please email us at lainspired @theadvocate.com with details on the volunteer opportunity, organization and the contact/registration information volunteers would need.
Acadiana
Magnolia Kids Club, 120 Malveaux Road, Lafayette, has a mission to provide free public events to the community.These events aim to bring joy and entertainment to families who may not have the means to afford such experiences. For volunteer opportunities, visit magnoliakidsclub.com.
Baton Rouge
First Tuesday is a dynamic community initiative that inspires businesses to give back in a different, heartful way. On the first Tuesday of every month, teams from various businesses volunteer with local nonprofits to support their missions of making Greater Baton Rouge a healthy, vibrant community. Its mission is to implement a culture of giving back within businesses, challenging leaders and their employees to dedicate time and resources one workday per month toward serving others. To volunteer, visit firsttuesdayserves.com/#col-8itnyHavD-.
New Orleans
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, 2475 Canal St., New Orleans, enables volunteers aged 55 and older to contribute their time, talent, experience, knowledge and interests to others in the community.The organization is dedicated to helping seniors retain useful roles after retirement. For volunteer opportunities, visit nocoa.org.