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LAURA MCKNIGHT
COLUMNIST
Kris Johnson
Staff Writer
This year marks half a century since several historic events that were critical to the progression of the Civil Rights Movement.
The year 1963 saw the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, activist Medgar Evers’ murder, the bombing of the
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., and more
The discrimination and segregation caused tension across the nation. Local resident Jason Robinson describes it as “a blemish on
the face of this country.”
Other locals shared their feelings as well, comparing the racial climate of the area then and now. The general consensus among
locals is that there’s been improvement, but there’s still more work to be done.
“We still have a long way to go,” Robinson said. “For goodness sake, the Department of Motor Vehicles still offers a confederate
license plate. It’s as if they are trying to reminisce about the times that were frankly a blemish on the face of this country, which has
accomplished so much since slavery.”
Miranda Billiot, 20, of Houma, said racism will always exist.
“But at least schools and pools aren’t segregated anymore,” she said.
Some locals from older generations agree things are still pretty tense and shared memories of what the Houma-Thibodaux area was
like 50 years ago, at the height of the movement.
Twelve years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public
schools, Terrebonne schools were still divided.
Hazel Boykin, 90, took two of her children, Jerome, 7, and Connie, 6, to the front door of
West Park Elementary School and dropped them off.
By 1969, the schools in Terrebonne had fully desegregated.
In Lafourche, the moment came in 1968, when students at the all-black, K-12 C.M.
Washington School were separated and sent to other schools with white children.
The school was later renamed South Thibodaux Elementary.
During the height of the civil rights era, Boykin, along with her husband, the
late Camden Boykin III, also made waves in Terrebonne Parish by sitting in
restaurants that traditionally served only whites, ignoring the pigeon-hole
through which food was handed to blacks.
Boykin, who still has vivid memories of the tumultuous time, was a
woman who instilled the same values in her children. Her son Jerome is
president of Terrebonne’s NAACP chapter.
“We have a long way to go when it comes to civil rights,” Jerome
said. “For example, Terrebonne Parish has no minority judgeship, so
the black community is not accurately represented. Also, as big as the
parish budget is, there’s no work done with minority businesses when
hiring contractors for certain projects. The judicial system should be
diverse just like the Parish Council and just like the School Board. Also,
lots of politicians enter black communities when they’re running for office
and make promises they don’t keep. We need to do more to hold their feet
to the fire.”
Hazel said she still feels some of the racial tension she felt decades ago in
her fight for civil rights.
“Houma’s still very racist,” she said. “I don’t think it’s ever going to really be
over because there’s so much hate. I often wonder why. I get so many hateful looks,
but I’m not afraid.”
Remembering the fight for civil rights
The
Grinch of
Mardi Gras
I’m not sure why exactly I
don’t like Mardi Gras. Maybe
my shoes are too tight. Maybe
my head isn’t screwed on just
right.
Or maybe my heart is just
two sizes too small.
Because as soon as purple,
green and gold décor hits the
streets, I start feeling like vari-
ous characters from Dr. Seuss
stories — usually like Dr. Seuss
villains and most usually like
that famous snarling, sneering,
finger-drumming creature with
a shrunken heart.
I am the Grinch of Mardi
Gras.
With a little tweaking, I to-
tally fit the description:
“Every WhoDat down in
WhoDat-ville liked Carnival a
lot,
“But the Grinch who actually
lived in WhoDat-ville did NOT!
“The Grinch hated Carnival!
The whole Carnival season!
“Now please don’t ask why.
No one quite knows the rea-
son.”
Whether it’s a mis-screwed
head or an undersized heart, I
also find myself looking down
with a sour frown at Mardi Gras
wreaths and parade floats and
muttering to myself, “I must
find a way to stop Carnival from
coming!”
Now if I just had the Grinch’s
holiday-stealing abilities. I
know Seuss outlined exactly
how the Grinch stole Christmas
in a book available in all major
bookstores and online shop-
ping sites, but unfortunately
the Grinch’s methods involve a
lot of slithering and “slunking”
and lying to small children, tal-
ents which I do not happen to
share.
I’m also jealous of the
Grinch’s housing. Right now,
I would love to live in a cave
with a dog wearing makeshift
antlers.
Despite my lack of cave and
slunking talents, I sound just
like the Grinch when Carnival
gears up.
“I know all the WhoDat girls
and boys will wake bright and
early (and late and even later)
and they’ll yell for their toys.
And then! Oh, the noise! Oh,
the noise!
Noise! Noise! Noise!
There’s one thing I hate! The
NOISE!
NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!”
They’ll dance with jing-tin-
glers tied onto their heels.
They’llblowtheirfloofloovers.
They’ll bang their tartookas.
They’ll blow their whohoop-
ers. They’ll bang their gardoo-
kas.
They’ll spin their trumtoo-
kas. They’ll slam their slooslun-
kas.
They’ll beat their blum-
bloopas. They’ll wham their
whowonkas.”
Now you know that sounds
like Bourbon Street. Don’t
even pretend like that doesn’t
sound like Bourbon Street
on Mardi Gras. I’ll let your
imagination determine what’s
meant by “tartookas” and
“gardookas,” etc.
Dr. Seuss could just add
“They’lldrinkJaeger-gin-hand-
grenade-hurricanes and other
toxic liquids with dyed colors
not found in nature from neon-
green plastic hand-grenade-
looking deals,” except that
might not rhyme so well with
the other lines, I guess.
Most of my friends love
Mardi Gras, so they start try-
ing to make me love the holi-
day, too, which turns me into
not just the Grinch, but also
the hater-guy from “Green
Eggs and Ham.”
I do not like Mardi Gras,
Sam-I-Am.
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