city government

Affordable housing advocates set to march and rally Saturday

By |

The #PutHousingFirst march and rally is an effort by the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance and Home by Hand to spread awareness about the city’s need for affordable housing. Advocates and neighbors will march through Central City with The Hot 8 Brass Band starting at 10:30 a.m., and a rally will immediately follow. The march begins at Tapps II (2800 S. Rocheblave St.) and goes to Guste Park at Simon Bolivar Ave. and MLK Blvd, where the rally will be. GNOHA hosted the first #PutHousingFirst march last year.

arts, books and music

Xavier will celebrate famed photographer with ‘Picturing Creole New Orleans’

By |

Xavier University of Louisiana, in partnership with The Louisiana Creole Research Association, will celebrate the opening of “Picturing Creole New Orleans: The Photography of Arthur P. Bedou” on Saturday, Oct. 26. The exhibition is part of LA Creole’s 15th annual conference, and it will feature collected photographs by the heralded New Orleans native who was personal photographer to Booker T. Washington. “The purpose of the conference is to showcase Creole life in New Orleans in the early 20th century through the lens of Mr. Bedou,” conference organizers said. Lectures, a panel discussion, presentations, and workshops inspired by Bedou’s legacy will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Xavier University’s Convocation Center Annex, 7401 Stroelitz St., Building 62 (at Fern St.).

schools

Uptown Public School Series: Education for the Whole Child

By |

How Audubon Charter School Nurtures
My Two Very Different Children
By Donishia S. Dorsey
In the fifth of our ten-essay series by parents of students at public schools Uptown, Donishia Dorsey writes about her children’s experience at Audubon Charter School Uptown. Like New Orleans as a whole, Uptown has many public school options for families—from college preparatory schools, to three different language immersion programs, to a Montessori program, to a technology career pathway school. In this series, we hear from parents themselves on why their child’s school is right for them. My two children, Jackson and Chloe, are very different from one another. Chloe is in fifth grade, and she has a personality that doesn’t fit in a single room.

arts, books and music

Celebrating Black Masking Indians, ‘Spy Boy Dow’ premieres tonight at Film Festival

By |

Dow Michael Edwards — a lawyer from Uptown New Orleans who grew up loving the Black Masking Indian culture — is headed for a big screen debut in the short film “Spy Boy Dow.” The film directed by Carl Harrison Jr. follows Edwards’ suit-making process in preparation for Mardi Gras Day. This is Harrison’s second project to be accepted into the New Orleans Film Festival in three years, and it premieres at The Broad Theater tonight (Oct. 18). The birth of Spy Boy Dow
“The Spy Boy is first in the front… he is ahead looking for trouble.

arts, books and music

New Orleans Film Fest: Screenings at Prytania, prominence for Louisiana films

By |

The New Orleans Film Society kicks off the 30th New Orleans Film Festival at tonight (Oct. 16) with the Opening Night Film Marriage Story. Uptown’s Prytania Theater will screen over a dozen films, including Motherless Brooklyn, directed by and starring Edward Norton, and The Long Shadow, by Louisiana director Daniel Lafrentz. Shorts from the state and big-budget films are some festival highlights coming to the neighborhood this year. Of the 6,500 submissions from 104 countries, 232 “visionary, thought-provoking films that represent a wealth of perspectives” made it into the festival.

schools

Uptown Public School Series: Excellence, Rigor, and Diversity of Options

By |

“The Teachers Are My Favorite Part”: Why Our Family Loves Samuel J. Green Charter School
By Antonio and Revonda Darensbourg
In the fourth of our ten-essay series by parents of students at public schools Uptown, Antonio and Revonda Darensbourg write about their children’s experience at Samuel J. Green Charter School. Uptown, like New Orleans as a whole, has many public school options for families—from college preparatory schools, to three different language immersion programs, to a Montessori program, to a technology career pathway school. In this series, we hear from parents themselves on why their child’s school is right for them. In 2012, we sent our first child, Antonio, to school at Samuel J. Green Charter School. The first day naturally brought tears, both from him and from us, as we parted ways for the day.

arts, books and music

Live art fundraiser will pair professional painters with art students

By |

Art students from Young Audiences Charter School will paint collaborative pieces live with Brandan “BMIKE” Odums and other professional New Orleans artists this Saturday, Oct. 5, at Urban South Brewery. YALA Art Live, a fundraiser for Young Audiences of Louisiana, will feature live painting, artist popups, a DJ and food truck. Urban South Brewery will host this event from 2 to 6 p.m. this Saturday, and they will donate a portion of every pint sold to the nonprofit.  The art pieces created will be auctioned off at YALA’s 10th Annual Dancing For The Arts fundraising gala, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1.

business

NOLA Vegan Café: Former social worker brings plant-based cuisine to Leonidas

By |

At the corner of Leonidas and Spruce sits the Community Commitment Education Center, a public space for neighborhood engagement, summer programs for children, and now a plant-based restaurant. Formerly Stella’s Coffee House, the kitchen space at 1923 Leonidas St. is now officially home to NOLA Vegan Café, which opens today, Oct. 1. The café is the work of Uptown’s Sonya Brown, a social worker and chef known for her vegan popups.

land use & development

Yo Joe!: Buddy King’s homeowner hurricane tips and more

By |

I’m Joe Gerrity, local businessman, investor and Real Estate Broker. For my monthly “Yo Joe!” column, I’ll be answering your real estate questions as well as providing market information and housing statistics. I believe the main responsibilities of a Realtor are to add value and facilitate mutually beneficial transactions, and through this column I hope to help the New Orleans community make more informed decisions about their housing future. Yo Joe! It’s been a while.