New Orleans’ Carnival &

The Dorothy Mae Taylor Ordinance

What is Mardi Gras?

• Traditionally, Mardi Gras refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which starts on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc.

Carnival in LouisianaThe celebration of Mardi Gras was brought to Louisiana by

early French settlers. The first record of the holiday being celebrated in Louisiana was at the mouth of the Mississippi River in what is now lower Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana,

on March 3, 1699. Iberville, Bienville, and their men celebrated it as part of an observance of Catholic practice.

Pierre Le Moyne d'IbervilleJean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville

Social Clubs• Social clubs play a very large part in the

Mardi Gras celebration. Many of the parades on or around Mardi Gras Day are hosted by social clubs.

• From social clubs, the development of the parading krewe arises—the masking and parading component of their respective organizations

• “Old-line” krewes—named so due to the fact that they are the original Mardi Gras krewes—consisted of The Mistick Krewe of Comus, Krewe of Proteus, Rex, and Knights of Momus who used to reign as the monarchs of Carnival in New Orleans. [These krewes were the principal targets of the Carnival Desegregation Ordinance.]

Grand Duke Romanoff, upon his visit to New Orleans in 1872 he was guest of honor reviewing the inaugural Rex

parade

The Mistick Krewe of Comus

• Founded in 1857, the Krewe of Comus has the distinction of having originally been the oldest parading Krewe.

• Founded by six men (all Protestant white Americans) who had moved to New Orleans from Mobile, Alabama, they formed a secret society along with thirteen New Orleanians and mounted a tableau ball for 3,000 people at the Gaiety Theatre.

• Archaic in nature with parades centered around mysticism

Comus: The Club of the Social Elite in New Orleans

• Membership in Comus has historically been identical or nearly identical to membership in the private New Orleans men's club The Pickwick Club.

• The Pickwick Club was an elite social club comprised of rich white men. It served as a place that held balls, lunches, exquisite dinners, and was defined as "one of the finest traditions of New Orleans." Its events and social activities were produced in newspapers in the late 18th century and throughout the 20th century. The newspaper clippings served as a story about a place that only the privileged could go to.

The Original Pickwick Club building on Canal St.

• Founded in 1872, "Rex...King of Carnival" has been the international symbol of New Orleans Mardi Gras since the Krewe first appeared.

• Rex was the first Krewe to hold an organized daytime Parade and remains the main event Parade of Mardi Gras Day. It is responsible for the majority of the concepts which accompany modern day parades...the official Mardi Gras flag and colors...the anthem of the Carnival...and one of the most popular throws, the doubloon.

• Sponsored by the School of Design (the same group that presented the first daytime Parade in the City of New Orleans in 1872), its motto is: "Pro Bono Publico" ("For The Public Good").

• The King of Rex is almost always an outstanding civil and business leader and generally a member of the old-line Boston Club (an old conservative and Christian club).

Lewis J. Solomon, the first Rex, King of Carnival

Rex

The Krewe of Proteus• Founded in 1882 and making its

debut with a Parade theme based on Egyptian mythology, the Krewe of Proteus is thus the second oldest Krewe in Carnival history.

• In 1893 the Krewe first introduced the tradition of call outs, where masked costumed Krewe members invited ladies in attendance to step out on the dance floor with them

• Very much centered in tradition, Krewe of Proteus parade floats are still using the original chassis from the early 1880's.

Knights of Momus• The Fourth of the old-line krewes,

chartered soon after Rex in 1872, the Krewe of Momus was named for the God of Mockery. It first participated in the Carnival in 1877. Members come from the ranks of the all-white Louisiana Club and their motto is: "Dum Vivimus, Vivamus" ("While we live, let us live").

• The Momus parade was a fixture of the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade schedule, parading annually on the Thursday before Fat Tuesday. Since Momus was the Greek god of mockery, the themes of Momus parades typically paid homage to the organization's namesake with irreverent humor and biting satire.

Illustration of the Greek God Momus

Precursors to the Dorothy Mae Taylor Ordinance

• There were several precursors and complications during the introduction, advancement, and eventual passing of the Dorothy Mae Taylor Ordinance:– The Election of Dorothy Mae

Taylor

– The 1991 Gubernatorial Campaign of David Duke

– Carnival Modernization [Superkrewes]

Dorothy Mae Taylor• A long-time civil rights advocate,

Dorothy Mae Taylor was the first woman elected to New Orleans' City Council in 1986.

• In 1991, she championed an ordinance—encouraged by a coalition of Jews, blacks, women, and disaffected businessmen—to desegregate the gentlemens' luncheon clubs that had been the public face of the Mardi Gras krewes.

• Often referred to as the “Grinch that stole Mardi Gras”

Racial Tension in New Orleans• Due to the nationally-covered Gubernatorial campaign of former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke racial tension was at an all-time high in New Orleans.

• His campaign enacted latent feelings and emotions between Blacks and Whites that was for the most part not talked about.

• David Duke’s brief political success was built upon this racial tension as he pulled out strong feelings when he addressed topics such as bussing and welfare to which many white

Americans felt were unfair and “unnecessary burdens.”

David Duke in his Grand Wizard Uniform David Duke on the Campaign Trail

Carnival Modernization• As many people found themselves excluded from the traditional

krewes that dominated Mardi Gras they sought to found their own. As a result the superkrewe emerged consequently changing the culture of Carnival.

• These krewes invested significantly more money in their throws with the purpose of frenzying and entertaining the crowd; they boasted about how much they could throw.

• This attitude about throwing as much as possible changes the culture of Carnival-goers as people enjoyed catching things at parades as opposed to simply watching them pass. The aforementioned change exponentially increased the popularity of the superkrewes and the opinions about the old-line krewes.

– It has been said several times that during an old-line parade you were more likely to have beer spilt on you that to catch anything.

Endymion• Founded in 1967 and named for

the Olympian God of Fertility and Eternal Youth, this Krewe is the largest in Mardi Gras history, rising to "SuperKrewe" status in 1974.

• Billing itself as "the largest non-military parade in the world," it annually selects celebrity Grand Marshals who also preside over the Endymion Extravaganza held in the Louisiana Superdome immediately following the Parade.

• The motto of this Krewe is: "Token of Youth" and its members also boast the phrase: "Throw 'Til It Hurts!"

Bacchus• Founded in 1968 by a handful of

New Orleans business leaders, the Krewe of Bacchus debuted in 1969

• Bacchus is comprised of prominent business men and women from around the State of Louisiana. Bacchus replaced the customary Carnival Ball with a supper to which tickets could be purchased by visitors and locals.

• A progressive, daring and bold Krewe, Bacchus has often been known to break with tradition during the Carnival in order to create excitement among the crowd.

King Kong: Synonymous with Bacchus

THE ARGUMENTS OF BOTH SIDES OF THE ORDINANCE

The debate surrounding the ordinance was quite lengthy and difficult as negotiations were useless with neither side willing to compromise their positions.

Anti-Ordinance Arguments:

– The Clubs were private and therefore could constitutionally choose their members as they so desired

– The krewes were historically secretive and the ordinance would ruin the “most significant” part of Mardi Gras—the history

– The clubs accept the subsidy but that was pale in comparison to the money given to their philanthropic causes as well as the tax revenue they bring in with each Carnival

– The passing of an ordinance would “kill” Mardi Gras and ruin a $500 million dollar industry that brings in about $27 million for the city itself

– The city had not given the krewes enough time to “desegregate” themselves”

– Passing the ordinance would cause the end of Mardi Gras

[Principally the Arguments of the Old-Line Krewes and their supporters]

Pro-Ordinance Arguments:

• Membership to the clubs were intentionally segregated– Felt that that looked bad upon the city [especially in the

wake of the David Duke election

• The “segregated” clubs created business opportunities that were unfairly denied to blacks

• Mardi Gras was a large financial burden on the city– The krewes received large subsidies for police protection,

sanitation, and etc. which as a result, made them liable to desegregation laws

• Many city residents felt that old-line krewes used Mardi Gras to perpetuate, or “relive” the Confederacy

• The city had given the krewes about 3 years to “desegregate” with no results– The ordinance was initially introduced in 1988

The Ordinance Passes Unanimously

It reads as such:“An ORDINANCE to amend and reordain Section

42-101 and Section 42-102 of Chapter 42, and Chapter 40A of the City Code as a new Chapter 40A of the City Code, relative to the Human Relations Commission and City policy with respect to invidious discrimination, to prohibit such discrimination in public accommodations, resorts and amusements; to amend the definitions of public accommodation and discriminations so as to include certain classes of persons and certain types of clubs and other institutions not distinctly private in character; to establish certain new procedures; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.”