The Zulu Mardi Gras Krewe continued its long history of helping the needy and celebrating New Orleans culture.
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Allstate’s Give it Up for Good campaign is all about seeing the good in our local communities and sharing the good with others. After all — you know the drill — the news is usually bad. Only no news is good news, as the saying goes.
That is why it was refreshing to hear about Give it Up for Good. It’s all good news with none of the bad. And the good news comes straight from the heart of our local communities — so we can all see the good that is being done in those places.
And where better to see the local good in my own community than at a celebration deep in the heart of New Orleans?
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On an unrelated but awesome note, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong was King of Zulu in 1949. So, they’ve had soul for a while, and they keep their finger to the pulse of the African-American community.
After the terrifying shooting at a Mother’s Day Parade just weeks ago, it would be understandable for celebrations in New Orleans to be muted and reserved. Apparently, no one told the Zulus. The food was plentiful, an assortment of everything New Orleans: gumbo, boudin (a sausage stuffed with cajun rice), jambalaya, and, of course, crawfish. Zulu began as a mutual aid society and they maintain that philanthropic philosophy. The food was free and free-flowing. A second-line (a roving brass band) rolled down North Broad Street; car stereos and a local radio station blasted music. The mood was joyous.
Best known for throwing coconuts at their Mardi Gras parade, the Zulu krewe also provides food and aid to the needy. North Broad Street in Mid-City New Orleans is an eclectic mixture of people of different socioeconomic statuses. When this diverse mix comes together as a community, it is refreshing to see. People help each other. They share and celebrate each other. And the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is situated at the heart of that mixture to provide to those in need.
New Orleans in general, and the African-American community in New Orleans, to be specific, have their share of problems. It’s refreshing to see socially-conscious men and women celebrating being New Orleanians and being African-Americans.
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Let’s give it up for celebration. Let’s give it up for community. Let’s give it up for good. Thanks Allstate, for help spreading the word about all the good that is amongst us.
Bad gets enough coverage. Let’s find the good and give it some love.
#giveitupforgood
Allstate believes that there is Good happening all around us, every single day, right in our communities. We believe that this Good is more powerful than Bad—it has the power to change the conversation, change communities, and ultimately, change lives, and we want to give it the recognition it deserves. We are committed to unearthing the stories about Good—stories of hope, strength and perseverance, stories of positivity and optimism, stories of kindness and generosity—stories that will inspire even more good.
Check out stories, pics, tweets and videos of the good happening in our communities at http://giveitupforgood.
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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Allstate via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Allstate.
All photos courtesy of the author.
