TO THE CITIZENS

A Message to the Citizens of New Orleans

“ The Black Men of Labor Love the Culture and Traditions of New Orleans : Conversely, the Black Men of Labor Deplore Violence, Crime, and Self-Hatred “

When you hear and see it coming down the street, a traditional New Orleans Second-Line Parade is a social trumpet echoing loud and clear a message that, as Black men and women, we are fully present and still here in spite of racial discrimination and the vicissitudes of life.

For all to know, it is the declaration of The Black Men of Labor that crime ,shootings , murder, or violence in any form is incompatible with and destructive to the traditions of second line Parading, brass band music, and African American street parades

Therefore, The Black Men of Labor will not stand by idly and let the rich traditions of New Orleans brass band music and second-line dancing becomes a death zone / a dead body in a coffin of crime, violence, fear, and degradation

The Black Men of Labor and the New Orleanians who parade with us will not be intimidated or fearful of those unfortunate souls who seek a life of drug dealing, murder, and crime. The Black Men of Labor do not condone violence of any kind — shooting and murders have no place in the dance rituals we perform on the streets of New Orleans .

As such, crime and violence are not welcomed in our midst ; nor is the kind of parade music which departs from the traditional music and cultural rituals of those street parading ancestors who preceded us. We honor the music and lifestyle of Louis Armstrong, Danny Barker, Paul Barbarin, Duke Dejan, Milton Batiste, The Olympia Brass Band, the Onward, The Excelsior, Tuxedo, Eureka Brass Band, Doc. Paulin Brass Band, E. Gibson Brass Band, Reliance Brass Band, George Williams Brass Band, Cal Blunt Brass Band, Royal Brass Band and many other legendary musicians, brass bands, and second line Parade clubs.

We are aware of our historical antecedents in Africa, the Caribbean, South America , and throughout the African Diaspora; this is the cultural legacy which influences our style, dress, symbolism, passion and spirit.

Members of the Black Men of Labor are heirs to old Black New Orleans traditions of benevolent societies, social and pleasure clubs, fraternal and Masonic orders, burial societies, (knights, elks, wishful masters, professors of music, women auxiliaries, black shriners, labor unions, church groups) and so forth.

Like the cultural ancestors before us, we honor our families and ourselves, and the persons whose love and sacrifices made us possible. We feel and affirm a direct spiritual and cultural link to the brass bands and second-line dancers of the past. Because of the cultural and social history we know and claim, The Black Men of Labor, again, affirm that in the tradition of second line dancing there is no place for crime and violence.

The Black Men of Labor take pride in our cultural history and traditional values associated with second line Parades. However, we are second to none in terms of self-esteem, and respect for ourselves and others. We dance in celebration of the fact that, as men, we are dedicated to the principles of loving, providing for, respecting, and protecting our families and friends, as well as ourselves. The only things we hold in contempt are violence, crime, self-hatred, selfishness, and a wanton disregard for the rights and well-being of others. In contrast, we advocate a belief in self-respect, self-love, and the love of one another. We are not racists but race men — we believe that humanity is well served when we become self-aware and self-reliant without malice toward others.

The Black Men of Labor will not indulge in the pathology of self-hatred and racial suicide: black manhood has nothing to do with crime and vice of any kind. The Black Men of Labor have a healthy appreciation for justice, and we respect the rights of all other ethnic groups. Undoubtedly, we are second liners to the music, dance, and social organizations which came before us. We are second in line to all of our cultural forbearers such as Mardi Gras Indians, the black craftsman who built this city, the chefs who made it famous, and everyone, large and small, who have contributed to the rich tapestry of New Orleans culture.

Furthermore, we celebrate the men and women who worked as longshoremen, domestics, waiters, cooks, fruit and produce peddlers, sack-sewers, ditch-diggers, seamstresses, street cleaners, tailors, merchant seamen, and all the rest; these are the people whose work, toil, and sacrifices made who we are, possible. We celebrate the men and women who came together from the hell-hole of slavery and forged America s most unique and enduring culture on the banks of the Mississippi River . We honor and celebrate the nameless, faceless men and women from the civil rights movement who struggled and died that someday we might be free and responsible citizens of this city, this country, and this world.

But, if your purpose is crime or the denigration and killing of black culture, or to indulge in black genocide or any self-destructive behavior, then, by all means, we invite you and your kind to avoid all New Orleans parades and go your own way, God speed.

The Black Men of Labor welcomes all law abiding citizens to join our work and celebrations as we attempt to transcend the aftermath of Katrina. In the meantime, “ Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! ”