E X P L O R E
Visiting New Orleans? May we suggest—
The Whitney Plantation is unlike other plantations. It's the only plantation museum in Louisiana dedicated to the history of slavery. If you're visiting New Orleans, we highly recommend a half-day trip to Wallace, Louisiana—a one-hour drive from the city. Through museum exhibits, memorial artwork, restored buildings and hundreds of first-person slave narratives, visitors to Whitney will gain a unique perspective on the lives of Louisiana's enslaved people.
To visit, we recommend holding 4-5 hours for the full experience — 2 hours roundtrip travel, and 2 hours on site.
You can find transportation and tour options here. We have found good deals for a 1-day car rental from Enterprise on Canal Street, which offers complimentary pick-up from your hotel. (Note: Uber/Lyft can get you there, but not always back to the city!)
E A T
J A Z Z
For live music, get yourself to two places—Preservation Hall and Frenchmen Street—
L I S T E N
THIS AMERICAN LIFE: Lower 9 +10
If you're interested in visiting the Lower 9th Ward, one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Katrina, we highly suggest listening to this episode of This American Life before you go. Recorded on the 10th anniversary of Katrina.
R E A D
STATE OF BLACK NEW ORLEANS
More than 175,000 Black residents left New Orleans in the year after the storm; more than 75,000 never came back. Read this report from the Urban League of New Orleans published 10 years after Katrina.
U R B A N E X C H A N G E
In May 2016, we hosted a cross-city exchange between community leaders from Detroit & New Orleans at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Center on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. The evening began with a screening of Change & The City, featuring perspectives on urban revitalization & gentrification from Detroit, Philadelphia & New Orleans.
The screening was followed by dialogue between guest speakers:
Lauren Hood, Live6 Alliance (Detroit)
Chad Rochkind, Human Scale Studio (Detroit)
Suzanne Mobley, Tulane City Center (NOLA)
Jocelyne Ninneman, DETxNOLA
Andre Perry, education advocate (NOLA)
Rashida Govan, Project Butterfly (NOLA)
Westley Bayas III, Magnolia Strategies (NOLA)
Claire Nelson, Urban Consulate (Detroit/NOLA)
The conversation continued across the street at Casa Borrega, and the following day with neighborhood site visits led by Linda Pompa of OC Haley Merchants Association and Joel Ross of Concordia:
Many thanks to all who participated and to Knight Foundation for sponsoring. To watch the film online, click here.
P E O P L E
Want to meet New Orleanians working toward a more equitable & sustainable city? Here are just a few profiles from Urban Innovation Exchange, published with Meeting of the Minds & Kresge Foundation. Read about their work and follow on social media—
