Louisiana Considered

School is out for students  and for the NOLA Project, as the theater ensemble is closing out its season with the regional premiere of “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.” Director Tenaj Jackson tells us about resetting the classic comedy in Ghana and bringing the performance to New Orleans. But while that production is soon to wrap, the Essence Festival of Culture presented by CoCa-Col...

For the last few months, public health reporter Rosemary Westwood's new podcast BANNED has been following the increasing restrictions on abortion in the Gulf South by zeroing in on Mississippi’s last abortion clinic, the Pink House. On Friday, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Rosemary traveled back to the Pink House to hear how providers are responding. She joins us...

Earlier this morning the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion that has been upheld for nearly half a century. The Advocate’s Editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace joins us for a conversation with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to hear her reaction.  For the last few months, reproductive health reporter Rosemary Westwood has be...

  Louisiana’s litter campaign gained some momentum in April when the Love the Boot campaign encouraged residents to pitch in and pick up. Melissa Kenyon of Keep Louisiana Beautiful tells us more about how Louisianans are addressing the state’s litter problem.   Then, we talk about those scorching temps. It’s only three days into summer and temperatures in Louisiana are already topping 100. Meteoro...

Many people are unprepared for issues associated with the end of life, but members of the LGBTQ community often face unique challenges when it comes to this kind of planning. Last month, the New Orleans organization Wake sought to address this by releasing the “Louisiana LGBTQ+ End of Life Guide.” Ezra Salter, New Orleans funeral director, embalmer, and co-author of the guide, tells us more.  Rece...

Back in 2018, Netflix released the first season of Queer Eye, a reality show in which a team of experts known as the Fab Five spend a week helping a local “hero” improve their lifestyle and achieve better satisfaction. And for its seventh season, Queer Eye is coming to New Orleans. Scout Productions Executive Producer Michael Williams tells us more about how the show has grown over the years and w...

June 19, or Juneteenth, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. But of course, the end of slavery did not mark the end of segregation and discrimination. In 1960, when Leona Tate and two other young girls integrated McDonough 19 Elementary School in the Lower Ninth Ward, they were met by a violent mob of white oppositionists.    Back in February, Tate, along with Lie...

As the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization approaches, it seems unlikely that Gov. John Bel Edwards will veto two bills passed by the state legislature that would enforce some of the harshest abortion bans in the country. Capitol Access reporter Paul Braun gives us the latest updates on the backlash the bills have received from women’s health advocates, pro-choic...

Juneteenth, a day to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people, is just around the corner. We learn how some local venues, including the New Orleans African American Museum, are celebrating the holiday. But equally important to celebrating is learning more about the lives of the enslaved. University of New Orleans Professor Mary Niall Mitchell tells us about Freedom on the Move, an online da...

Last week The American Diabetes Association hosted their eighty second Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. At the event, researchers, doctors, and ADA leaders presented groundbreaking diabetes research, notably how diabetes correlates to food insecurity as well as racial residential segregation. Dr. Otis W. Kirksey, ADA President of Health Care and Education tells us more about the recent findings...

The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane is back with its first full season since 2019. Directors Jon Greene and Torey Hayward tell us about the upcoming production of the romantic comedy, “As You Like It.” Tulane’s Summer Lyric Theatre opens its 55th season with a production on “Bandstand,” a fairly new musical that takes the audience back to post World War II America. Director Diane Lala a...

Juneteenth, a commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, is roughly one week away. In honor of the day, we hear from Kathe Hambrick, founder of the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville. She shares long-overlooked stories of the enslaved, the underground railroad, and the fight for freedom, right here in Louisiana. But first, in Baton Rouge, if a nearby neighbo...

As long as there has been an American South, there have been Jewish communities living there. At least, according to Kenneth Hoffman, executive director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans. As MSJE gears up for its long-awaited grand opening event, Hoffman chats with Louisiana Considered’s Alana Schreiber for a brief history lesson on Jews in the Gulf South, and what mak...

Recently, a federal judge struck down Louisiana’s congressional redistricting map, arguing that the lawmakers behind the map violated the Voting Rights Act by limiting representation of Louisiana’s black population. WRKF’s Capital Access Reporter Paul Braun tells us how we got here and what may happen next.  Last year, A group of five women who work at law firms in New Orleans set out to address i...

The architectural term synonymous with New Orleans? Shotgun homes. A new house tour from the Preservation Resource Center’s features five shotgun private homes that have been remodeled with innovative reservations. PRC Executive Director Danielle Del Sol tells us more about how historic homes can meet the needs of modern families. Following a pandemic hiatus, The Essence Festival of Culture presen...

Over the weekend, employees at a Starbucks in Louisiana voted to form a union, becoming the first Starbucks in Louisiana to do so. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha tells us how this move is part of a larger trend of Starbucks unionization across the Gulf South.  A bill to legalize noodling, the practice of using one’s bare hands to catch catfish, recently passed the Louisiana house and se...

Earlier Thursday, a Louisiana Senate committee struck down provisions that would have altered a bill to allow teachers to carry concealed guns on school grounds. WRKF’s Capital Access Reporter Paul Braun tells us where this “constitutional carry” bill might be headed. Tomorrow is the first Friday of June, and that means it’s National Doughnut Day! Area Commander Major Chris Thornhill tells us how...

Yesterday, a judge denied efforts by organizers in the St. George area of Baton Rouge to split off from the city and create a municipality of their own. The proposal has been controversial from the start — with a largely white and affluent part of the parish trying to separate from the majority-Black Baton Rouge. Staff writer for The Advocate Paul Cobler tells us more.  If you've been to a New Orl...

A beloved event anticipated by bookworms and art lovers is returning to the UNO Lakefront Arena this weekend. The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Volunteer’s Symphony Book Fair is back after a two-year hiatus. Spokeswoman Phyllis Jordan fills us in on what to expect at this year’s sale.  The award-winning New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, known as NOWFE is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. NO...

Legislation to require public schools in Louisiana to provide free and easy-to-access menstrual products for students is a step closer to final passage. Bill author, New Orleans Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman tells us how she hopes to address, “period poverty,” the lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints.  Tomorrow is the kickoff of the 2022 Scripps National Spelling...

The horrific mass shooting in Texas raises multiple concerns on gun safety and violence prevention. It also begs the question of whether this tragedy will impact any of the proposed gun bills in the Louisiana legislature. The Advocate’s Editorial page director and columnist Stephanie Grace tells us the latest on a proposed bill that would remove a lot of gun training and permitting requirements. ...

In 1963, 16-year-old Calvin Johnson and a group of fellow Black students protested to integrate their schools in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The group was not only met with violence from the community and law enforcement, but Johnson was arrested and convicted of starting a riot. While Johnson is now a successful Judge for Orleans Parish Criminal Court, the 75-year-old always wanted a formal apology on...

The rise in oil prices in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been an obstacle for multiple American consumers. Mike Moncla, President, Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, tells us why he believes the U.S. should be increasing its oil production at this time. But while most Louisianans are unhappy about the increase in gas prices, not all agree that increasing our own drilling is the answe...

Treasures from Ancient Egyptian Civilization spark a sense of wonder and admiration at the latest exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art: Queen Nefertari’s Egypt. Curator Lisa Rotondo-McCord, tells us how the exhibition came together.  Written by Randy Johnson, the musical, “A Night with Janis Joplin,” celebrates one of Rock & Roll’s greatest legends. Now the show is wrapping up its run at L...

As the school year wraps up, so has a film competition for middle and high school students across Louisiana. The Film Prize Junior 2022 festival featured 79 student films from 48 schools across the state and over $12,000 in scholarships and media grants.  Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of the Prize Foundation and Film Prize Junior, and Otis Buras, winner of the Grand Prize for best short f...