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Children of Omar

Resistance and Reliance in the Expressive Cultures of Black New Orleans Cultures

Columbia University

The history of black people in the United States is an epic saga of dislocation, dispersal, and dispossession. Consequently the instability, insecurity, and disruption that accompany displacement have been a persistent part of the black experience in the United States. The post-Katrina crisis confronted by black New Orleanians was yet another chapter in this ongoing saga. This article seeks to explore the ways in which the culture and music of New Orleans has functioned as a reservoir of human resilience and resistance. Specifically, in addition to reflections on the impact of enslavement, Jim Crow, and the Great Migration on the cultural history of black New Orleans, this article considers the cultural significance of the Crescent City in American history as one of the major reasons why issues of resettlement must be central to rebuilding efforts.

Key Words: music • culture • dispossession • dispersal • resettlement

This version was published on July 1, 2009

Journal of Urban History, Vol. 35, No. 5, 656-667 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0096144209336527


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