MR 2008

“Because this city deserves it”

- Eddie Bonner(VP of Operations)

“Because i was raised here on these very streets and feel I owe it to my community to help New Orleans become the city it once was!!!”

- Shante’ Vigne

“Because if I don’t who will!”

- Fallon Blossom

“Because I’m from here, it’s my home, and I want to see it thrive.”

- Shannon Odom

“Where else am I going to find a decent shrimp po-boy?” - Darnell “Dyce” Jackson

“Because I was personally affected & understand the need!!” - Tancharelle Washington

“There is a lot Opportunity in the Rebirth of this great city!”

- Antan R. Wilson (Sr.. Account Manger)

“Because it’s home for me, there is still a lot of work to be done, and I’m just trying to do my part.” - A.J Appleberry

“Because it’s the city that I love and it is my second home.” - Huzefa D.

WHY ARE YOU HELPING TO REBUILD NEW ORLEANS?

“Despite being unable to return to New Orleans to live, it will always be “home” to me. After all, New Orleans is where I was born and raised, where my culture, my heritage, and my history are, where my departed loved ones are buried, and where I will be buried some day. My dream is to one day return to an even bigger and better New Orleans. Katrina and Rita destroyed buildings, but not the Spirit of the City. It’ll be back.” - Kathy Dejoie Taylor

“New Orleans is a unique national treasure and I couldn’t imagine not helping to restore and maintain this national treasure.” - Xxavier T.

“Because it is the city I love!!”

- Vernon Martin III

“My family has long history in New Orleans, so I’m deeply attached and committed to the city’s rich past and bright future.” - Nadia P. Grooms

“Because New Orleans is my home & I want to see it reclaim it’s status as a world class city, not just to what is was before Katrina but BETTER!!!!”

- Cleveland Spears III

“Because the city is important to many people, including myself, and the country”

- Teyonda Hamilton

“Because I was born in New Orleans and I feel as if it is my duty to recreate the essence of what this city means to me!!!” - Joshua Pinkay

“It’s my home and there is no place like home!!”

- Amanda Rose

Because I am committed to the restoration of the city and it’s people.”

- Catherina Brown

“Because the culture is rich, the people are very welcoming, and its important that we all contribute to rebuilding.” - Nicole Collins

time to rebuild together!

Our hiSTORY

Together we all share something sacred in common that will be written about in history books all across the world, WE ARE SURVIVORS! This is not to be taken lightly as all of us have learned a valuable lesson called community. Many of us won’t admit this but WE all know how disconnected this community was pre-katrina. We don’t need National Journalists to come here to air our dirty laundry and speak of the injustices that are occurring now and then. We know we stopped taking time out to meet our next door neighbors or watch after our fellow citizens who may have been in need. We know the disconnects that exist and I am happy to say that for those of us here, it is our time to change and change is happening everyday.

Overcoming

The challenge is getting others within the business and political community to value this change that we are demanding from our leadership. We need to take a lesson from pages of successful organizations lady Women of the Storm, New Orleans business Groups for 1 Assessor, and individuals who had no political experience but jumped head first into the arena, successfully or not, to make a difference for us all. We also have great initiatives going on in our community that we can be proud of such as Unified New Orleans Plan, NolaBound, Louisiana Speaks, Baptist Crossroads, Habitat for Humanity, and many more. These are nothing more than a collective of individuals who have “stepped up” and answered the call when the community needed them most.

Bottom line is that we can make this out to be the city and region that we all want. We can have better public education, we can have less crime, we can have better streets and trash removal, we can have all these things we speak as a community and with one voice. Today is not the day to see color or separation. Today is the day to embrace our differences and see results! I fully recognize that my latest sacrifices from sitting on boards to community engagement initiatives probably won’t benefit me directly, but what a wonderful community we are creating for my little son and yours. Through it all I recommend we keep our eye on this prize because they will benefit, OR NOT tomorrow from our efforts today.

Thank You in Advance

Thank you all for your overwhelming response and support to this, our inaugural issue, of the Minority Report (July 2007). We have hundreds of distribution points that were instrumental in helping us spread the positive messages of our great community, in state and out-of-state. I personally spoke with several politicians, business leaders, and community activists who all understand the need for such a guide. Consider this a “where are they now” issue of the Minority Community in this region. Also, a huge thank you to all of our sponsors that took a risk on us. Your courage, belief, and positive messaging to our community are obvious and we will continue to support each of you as you champion your cause in our community. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the staff, friends and family of EBONetworks, LLC. The belief, hard work, and dedication that you prove daily will boomerang blessings and good will your way for a lifetime. Together, we can make a difference!

Sincerely,

President/CEO EBONetworks,LLC

Return of Business to New Orleans East is an Uphill Struggle

by Bill Phillips

Despite many gloomy predictions, small, mid-sized and large businesses are returning to New Orleans East and betting that opportunities can be found amid the rubble, weeds and deserted buildings. Much of the landscape still has a post-apocalyptic feel, but for those returning to work, concerns about the appearance of their immediate environment no longer seem too significant. A mild-mannered, dreadlocked assistant manager at the first drug store to reopen, a Walgreens on Bullard, described his morning drive past slowly drifting piles of debris and numerous decrepit buildings: “I keep my eyes straight and don’t look at it anymore. It helps knowing that those buildings are blighted property and someday will go down.” (His company got burned, apparently, by news coverage when they opened, so he wouldn’t tell me his name to use for this story.)

Others see beyond the devastation left by Katrina’s floodwaters and look

back to a time when moving to New Orleans East was a step-up, a sign you’d made it. Gregory Jacob never had a doubt where his savings, supplemented by insurance money from his flooded house in the Ninth Ward, would be spent. “When I was growing up in the early eighties, the East was like a different world; there was an ice skating rink and a big plaza where I got my first taste of central air.” While Gregory knew where he wanted to locate his poststorm business, he experienced a bit more difficulty deciding what business he wanted to start. He has business management experience and is about to finish his Bachelor’s degree in business at the University of New Orleans, so he had a range of reasonable options. He finally settled on opening a Subway sandwich shop in a refurbished, and surprisingly busy, strip mall, which was across the street from a several acres of crumbled concrete, the last remnants of the once wonderfully cool Lake Forest Plaza Mall he was so taken

with as a child. Gregory reported that much of the mall’s battered skeleton stood until just recently when its remaining walls were knocked down to make way for future retail developments on the site. The piles of rubble still sit grey, forlorn and waiting to be carted off.

According to a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report on gulf coast areas

affected by Katrina, less than half of the metropolitan New Orleans area’s pre-storm population have returned home, despite it being almost twenty months since Hurricane Katrina struck. Some businesses see their return to New Orleans as an economic crusade, knowing that the all important jobs they provide may be the most important determinant

As of July 2007, crews continued work to demolish what once was the lake Forest plaza mall in new orleans east

A handful of apartment complex developments are beginning to sprout up in different parts of eastern new orleans.

of whether the hardest hit sections of the city will ultimately emerge as viable communities. Eric Jackson, a sales manager, at Eric Hill Nissan said of his boss, “Eric played football at LSU and has deep ties to the South Louisiana and particularly New Orleans communities. Eric started a successful Nissan dealership in Arizona, where he spent most of his professional career, but after Katrina he wanted to come back and help this city.” According to Jackson, Hill’s involvement transcends just his financial commitment. “He spends a good bit of time here, particularly meeting with customers. He wants to make sure everybody gets a good deal and is happy with the service.” Eric Hill Nissan just celebrated its one year anniversary and the company has broken ground on a new sales building which they expect to have completed in a few months.

While some new and returning businesses have benefited from state and federal aid, most notably Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, many have faced formidable road blocks, particularly from depleted city departments that according to Gregory Jacob “are so heavily understaffed that getting required building permits [is] a nightmare.” Gregory reported that the director at Safety and Permits recognized him because of his repeated visits to the department, and “was real nice even though by

the end I was telling him I got to open soon or I’ll go under.” Gregory is quick to smile and seems so resolutely cheerful that he most likely sees almost everyone as real nice and doubts that many other business owners in the same situation would have been as patient. These delays pushed his restaurant’s opening back almost two months from early December of 2006 until February fifth of this year, but the good news, according to Gregory, is that business “has been steadily improving. On a week day lunch, our lines stretch out the door.” Gregory had expected some difficulties finding workers, but just days after he placed an ad in the newspaper, he had over sixty applications and felt bad because he could not hire every applicant.

While many motels have reopened in New Orleans East and a couple of apartment complexes are being built, many more apartment buildings and homes sit dilapidated, some untouched since the storm. Annette Cosme owned Buy for Less Furniture Gallery inNew Orleans East and lost almost $1 million worth of inventory to Katrina’s devastation. Cosme also operated a store on the West Bank that was looted and vandalized, but it is the loss of her customer base that has thwarted any desire to return and reopen her business. “Most of my customers lived in the area and I don’t think they are coming back,” she said. n

Advertising Trends: Ways to Navigate Tough Terrain of Today’s Market

By Eddie Bonner

Over the past few years technology has changed the business advertising landscape and how to get through to today’s savvy consumers. The use of DVR’s, satellite radios, iPods and the internet to get news and entertainment has made it challenging to effectively reach a captive audience. It’s no secret that traditional advertising isn’t working as well as it once did.

In reality, only 11.7 percent of U.S. households are equipped with a DVR, but response to TV ads is off by far more than 11.7 percent. Broadcast radio has only lost about 4 percent of its audience over the past three years, and even the most aggressive doom sayers are predicting that radio will lose no more than 11 percent of its audience by the year 2010. But response to radio ads is off by far more than that. Newspaper readership peaked in 1984, and today’s number is only about 16 percent below that banner year. But the response to newspaper ads isn’t nearly what it was back then.

What’s going on? We’ve entered the age of stimuli bombardment, visual saturation, sound bites and microscopic attention spans. The number of images and voices shouting for our attention has accelerated beyond critical mass, and the resulting explosion has fragmented the public mind. In a nutshell, we’ve developed mental filters to guard against the onslaught of mass marketing.

I’m paid according to how successful my clients are, so it’s my job to figure out what the problem was and then fix it by creating messaging that sticks. Here are some things that I have discovered, tested and proved. Hopefully it can help you:

1. Internet browsing has trained the public to more quickly disregard empty words.

2. Message relevance has become more important than repetition. (Keep in mind that I did not say repetition no longer matters.)

3. You must have targeted messages that speak to a specific demographic (diversity marketing and age-specific marketing in crucial)

Bottom line: Meaningful messages are working better than ever, especially when the fundamental premise of your ad is clearly stated in the opening line. Ads full of unsupported claims and

overworked “image building” phrases are rejected quicker today than ever before.

In today’s society, we’re spending at least six hours a week scanning search engine results, web pages and e-mail for relevant, meaningful information. This is even truer post-Katrina since even those that were not web savvy were forced to use the internet. These hours of practice are teaching us and our customers to more quickly recognize and disregard empty words.

Ads are failing today that would have once produced good results just a few years ago. Other ads are working far better than expected. Fortunately, there’s a pattern and things you can do to ensure your ads get noticed. To see the kind of results that advertising can still deliver, you’re going to have to:

1.Talk about things your customer actually finds interesting.

2. Write your ads in a style that rings true and is inviting.

3. Avoid heroic chest thumping, such as “We are the numberone…”

4. Close the loopholes in your ads; ambiguous claims make you seem dishonest.

5. Use specifics. They’re more believable than generalities.

6. Remember that substance is more important than style.

7. Relate to the customer on their own terms – diversity marketing is the key!!!

If your ad delivers a meaningful message that rings true from the moment of contact, you’ll find that it works regardless of which media you choose to deliver it.

The new rule is to say what you’ve got to say, and say it clean. The opening line of your ad is its most important element, so open big. EBONetworks, LLC creates mainstream marketing concepts for all types of clients, but we specialize in diversity marketing. This gives our customers the best opportunity to reach their target audience in a way that is inviting and makes sense to them. The smart firms are getting it and I know that you do to.

(source: http://www. entrepreneur.com/advertising/ adcolumnistroyhwilliams/ article170166.html) n

Former nFl player and lsu football stand out eric Hill now operates a nissan car dealership on the I-10 service road near bullard Avenue.

the 2nd Annual Changing Faces Awards

Since its creation over 6 years ago, NewOrleansBlack.com has either profiled or honored some of New Orleans’ most noteworthy business professionals, community activists, public officials and entertainers. In 2005, the site’s founders took honoring our city’s best and brightest talents to a new plateau with the creation of the Annual NewOrleansBlack.com Changing Faces Awards. The award drew its name from the thought that over time, familiar struggles like the fight for equal access to education and opportunity for all; effective crime reduction; beautification of our city; and support for small businesses will always

Roderick “Rod” K. West

Roderick “Rod” K. West was named President and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, Inc. on January 1, 2007. West was formerly the director of Entergy’s New Orleans Distribution Operations, where he was responsible for all aspects of the electric distribution system in New Orleans and Chalmette area.

Despite career opportunities that

could have landed him in several other major cities across the nation, West expresses deep commitment to being a part of New Orleans’ rebuilding efforts. “I have had opportunities to go elsewhere to earn a living and make considerably more money. I have not been and I am not a casual observer or a disinterested observer to the rebuild of New Orleans.

This is my home. I am vested here. I want to make my life here and my career. I want desperately to be a part of the rebuilding of my city. I will continue to fight this fight as long as I feel that I am not alone in this fight to do the right thing in rebuilding our city,” said West.

West joined Entergy in April 1999 as senior regulatory counsel, where he served until his transition to manager of Regulatory Affairs for Entergy New Orleans in September 1999. In August 2000, West was appointed to serve as senior regulatory counsel to the Entergy/FPL Merger Team. In April 2001, West was named director,

remain important to our community. Though the struggles remain, the faces of concern for these struggles change.

Though it did not take place in 2006, due to the life changing disaster of which we are all reminded each day, the Changing Faces Awards return in 2007 to again highlight a remarkable group of some of the past year’s most praiseworthy professionals for their care, concern, compassion and commitment to our community. Read the profiles of the awardees and stay tuned for the announcement of the 2007 NewOrleansBlack.com Changing Faces Awards ceremony, to be held in August.

Regulatory Affairs of Entergy New Orleans, a position he held until January 2004.

West began his professional career in 1993 with the New Orleans-based law firm of Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre, L.L.P., where he spent five years before joining the New Orleans office of Vial, Hamilton, Koch & Knox, L.L.P.

West is a member of the State Bar of Louisiana and the American Bar Association, and he is a former director of the New Orleans Bar Association. Mr. West is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

West currently serves as chairman of the Louisiana State University System Board of Supervisors, on the board of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, as a commissioner of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and Ernest N. Morial Convention

Center. He served as an adjunct professor at Tulane University from 1993 to 2001, where he taught “Business & Legal As pects of Sport” in the Department o f Exercise & Sports Science and amateur sports law courses in the Tulane University School of Law.

West graduated from Brother Martin High School in New Orleans in 1986. H e received his bachelor of arts from the University of Notre Dame. A prep standout at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, West lettered three years at outside linebacker and tight end for Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, including playing on the 1988 National Championship team. He received his Juris Doctor from the Tulane University School of Law in 1993 and his Masters in Business Administration from Tulane University in 2005.

(Source: http://www.entergy.com/ about_entergy/leadership/west.aspx) n

Sean C. Hunter

Armed with Bachelor of Science and Masters of Business Administration degrees with emphasis on Aviation from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Louis Armstrong International Airport

Chris Bardell

One of McDonald’s most memorable national ad campaigns was a series of television commercials featuring a fictional African-American teenager named Calvin, whose hard work as an employee of the restaurant giant led his grandmother to famously proclaim “So you own McDonald’s!” Unbeknownst to many, South Louisiana has given rise to a Calvin of its own in recent decades. Mt. Airy, Louisiana native Chris Bardell, 42, owns a host of McDonald’s restaurants that are spread throughout parts of Metairie and downtown New Orleans. Bardell’s remarkable success as a McDonald’s franchisee began during his teenage years when he started working for the world’s most popular fast food restaurant. At that time, Bardell was enrolled in East St. John High School and would later attend Nicholls State University. While a student at Nicholls, Bardell still worked at McDonald’s, where he had earned numerous job promotions that would eventually land him in a permanent assistant manager’s position in 1984.

“Why not New Orleans? I have traveled all over the world and when I moved to New Orleans, I knew that New Orleans was going to be my home. The people of New Orleans make it a very special and intimate place. Yes there are cities with stronger reputations for business climates but I’m committed to helping New Orleans become one of those stronger cities and we are well on our way,” says Hunter about what has kept him living and working in New Orleans.

When Roy Williams, the airport’s former Director of Aviation, left the position in May of 2006 in search of other career options, Hunter found himself immediately promoted to Williams’ former position.

tenure as Aviation director, Hunter has been at the helm of several major announcements concerning the future of the Airport. In early March, Hunter and other airport officials announced that $20 million will be spent to improve the visual appeal and comfort of its terminals. Also in March, ExpressJet Airlines was added to a list of carriers that Hunter has been aggressively recruiting to either start or resume service at the airport. “I’m courting all the carriers. I’m not being picky. When we talk with (the airlines), we dig our heels in and say ‘Let’s look at your schedule and look at lowering

Aviation Director Sean C. Hunter boasts credentials that could easily earn him executive level employment in any major American city. Despite his qualifications and experience, Hunter believes New Orleans – despite its challenges post Katrina – is precisely where he wants to be.

During most of the 90’s, Bardell worked for a New Orleans area store operator. In 1999, he became a business consultant in this area’s McDonald’s corporate office. There, Bardell was responsible for ensuring that owner/operators ran their stores in accordance with the methods by which the McDonald’s corporation instructed persons and companies who bought its franchises to run their restaurants.

By 2001, Bardell’s many years spent learning the McDonald’s business had prepared him to finally own his own store. That year, Bardell became owner/operator of the Bullard Avenue McDonald’s in New Orleans East. Shortly thereafter, Bardell would take ownership of several more stores in the New Orleans area.

“There are only 350 AfricanAmerican McDonald’s franchise owners in America. We’re a pretty rare breed. The thing is to understand that you’re signing up for the long haul,” said Bardell about being one of relatively few African-American McDonald’s franchise owners nationwide.

Today, in addition to owning

On May 16 of this year, airport Personnel Committee Chairperson Lea Polk Montgomery joyously recommended that the board make Hunter’s interim position permanent, saying “Sean has been doing a tremendous job since being named Interim Director last year and we felt that he was the best candidate for the position.”

During his short, but very active

12 McDonald’s franchises, Bardell continues to be an active contributor to improving his community. In March of this year, Bardell donated bulletproof vests to a group of New Orleans Police Department officers who were the first recruit class to be commissioned as

new officers since Katrina. Bardell was also an active participant in sponsoring several activities of the 2006 Bayou Classic, which was temporarily held in Houston, TX that year due to Katrina related damage sustained by the Louisiana Superdome. n

David White

After a decade of being groomed into a high level corporate executive for an international shipping giant, entrepreneur David White was met with an eye opening epiphany. “I hit the proverbial glass ceiling in corporate America,” he concluded.

Equipped with years of corporate training and degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, White set out to be a different kind of executive –one with no glass ceiling, proverbial or otherwise, to limit his potential. Since he left his 9 to 5 in 1988, White has been and continues to be at the helm of numerous successful business ventures ranging from restaurants to real estate investment.

At the core of White’s entrepreneurial vision is the belief that working for one’s self is simply better than working for someone else. “I hit that proverbial glass ceiling and decided that there was

more opportunity in the entrepreneurial area than there is in a corporation. There’s more risk in working for somebody than there is in working for yourself. Most people would say that’s crazy. “You’re guaranteed a check, right?” But you have no control over a corporation,” instructs White, who has both ownership and management roles in numerous real estate developments and the uptown restaurant Table One.

A close personal friend of New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, White served on Nagin’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission and has contributed his expertise to the National Urban League and the Orleans Parish School Board. According to White, improving education and diversifying New Orleans’ industry interests beyond tourism will drive long term recovery. “We need to get to be about the business of creating new opportunities for ourselves beyond tourism. To me, that involves a high degree of emphasis on the educational capabilities of our citizens. Without that, I don’t see long term recovery occurring. The key to long term recovery is becoming an effective player in a global economy,” says White. n

Cesar Burgos

Real estate developer and attorney Cesar Burgos, of the law firm Burgos & Evans, L.L.C., has earned his place as a notable local entrepreneur. The Honduran born graduate of Bonnabel High School completed studies in civil and common law at Loyola University and has managed large scale real estate developments.

Katrina left Burgos with a flooded law office, diminished clientele and a tremendous amount of damage sustained by real estate he either owned or managed. Burgos says bouncing back for him is an ongoing process that has demanded a huge personal investment of hard work, time and strategy. “I have recovered by working 18 hour days six to seven days per week. I have also tapped into my financial resources ranging from savings and restructuring

debt. I have formed new alliances with individuals that complemented my needs and I complemented their needs,” says Burgos about the recovery of his business ventures post-Katrina.

As a member of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, Burgos headed the Cultural Sector and made significant contributions to the master plan for rebuilding that the commission submitted to the mayor and city council. Providing legal counsel to both corporate and private clients, Burgos is widely respected as a top notch legal professional. He holds membership in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and numerous other legal profession trade organizations.

Hopeful about the outlook of New Orleans’ recovery, Burgos advises all citizens of New Orleans and Louisiana to take an active role in furthering the rebuilding process. He concludes “As I see it, I just don't own the lot and the house I live in. This is my City. New Orleans belongs to each and every person that chooses to live in this here. Therefore, we, the citizens, have a duty to explore how we can help. n

Kim Boyle

Kim Boyle, a New Orleans native, graduated from Princeton University in 1984, before attending the University of Virginia School of Law, and returning to New Orleans in 1987. She is currently a partner in the Employment Group with the law firm of Phelps Dunbar LLP. Ms. Boyle is very active in various civic and bar activities, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Louisiana. Ms. Boyle is also very active in the local bar associations, serving as Treasurer of the Louisiana State Bar Association, as well as past President of the New Orleans Bar Association, being the first AfricanAmerican to hold the position, as well as a member of the Louisiana State Bar

Association’s Ethics 2000 Committee. She has been a long-time member of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, and has participated in Martinet activities during Black History Month for the past two years. She was the first African-American woman to serve as co-chair of the NO/AIDS Task Force Board of Trustees.

Kim’s commitment to the Greater New Orleans community is also reflected in her work as a member of the local Advisory Board for the United Negro College Fund, as well as a trustee for the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and as a trustee for the WYES-12 Board of Directors.

Kim has been recognized with such honors as the Dryades YMCA Certificate of Merit, the Loyola University Black Law Students Association Louis Westerfield Award, the Louisiana State Bar Association President’s Award, the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc. President’s Award, the YWCA 2001 Role Model Award, the NO/AIDS Task Force’s Humanitas Award, and most recently the Changing Faces Award. n

Dr. Corey Hebert

Dr. Corey Hebert, a practicing physician, and television and radio talk show host, is one of the most widely sought after professionals in his fields of community inspired medicine and motivational speaking. Since Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Hebert has been featured many times on national broadcasts including “The Early Show” with Harry Smith on CBS, “NBC Nightly News” with Brian Williams and on BET’s “Meet the Faith”. Dr. Hebert has even been dubbed as the expert on “PostKatrina” health care issues by the NBC News affiliate in New Orleans, where he has an interactive show

every week to discuss health issues that are on the front lines of this very serious, public health emergency. He was also featured in the Spike Lee feature film, “When the Levees Broke”. He hosts a weekly radio show on Citadel Broadcasting Network, aptly titled, “Doctor for the People”. A nickname given to him by the communities in which he so readily serves.

Dr. Hebert’s interests are diverse. One might find him riding his motorcycle through the streets of New Orleans or as an avid golfer, taking in 18 holes on any golf course he can find. He is presentl y in private practice as well as owns a medical consulting firm, which does clinical research in Pediatrics and many other disciplines of me. Post – Katrina one of Dr. Hebert’s accomplishments was the reopening of the Children’s Medical C linic with his associates 30 days after the storm. He has continued to provide his expertise to the people of the city through his frontline outreach with television and radio. n

Irma Thomas

A seldom celebrated gospel ballad by Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers carries the lyrics “When Sunday comes, I won’t have to cry no more / Jesus will soothe my troubled mind / All of my heartaches will be left behind / When Sunday comes.” For many fans of gospel music and Christians, the song’s words remember Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. For others, these words reflect the inner-peace and sense of security they attribute to attending a Sunday morning church service.

For New Orleans’ crowned queen of soul, crooner Irma Thomas, this refrain serves only to summarize the overflow of emotion and gratitude she felt when Sunday February 11 came to her with a Grammy for her album “After the Rain” in hand. “I felt like I was in a twilight zone. Everything shut down. I was in a state of shock. I had made up my mind to be disappointed,” recounts Irma about a night and an award she waited over four decades to receive.

On the night of this year’s Grammy Awards, Thomas arrived at the ceremony

accompanied by her husband Emile Jackson, producer Scott Billington and other songwriters and friends whom she has known over the duration of her career. She recalls her near disbelief that her name had been called for the award. “When they called my name, I said ‘Did they really say what I just heard?’” remembers Thomas.

After Katrina unleashed its fury on her home town, Thomas’ home in New Orleans East and a nightclub she owned on Broad St. were left completely destroyed by the storm’s floodwaters.

In the disaster’s aftermath, Thomas found herself in the midst of a national and sometimes international frenzy to book New Orleans musicians for performances; an interest no doubt fueled by Katrina having galvanized global interest in the post-storm plight of displaced New Orleans musicians.

Through a whirlwind schedule of performances, disaster recovery benefit projects, press interviews and other public appearances, Thomas has worked diligently to keep a positive light shining on New Orleans

since Katrina. Winning a Grammy this year was a more than handsome reward for her efforts.

Since the 1960’s, Thomas has contributed a string of memorable R&B and soul classics to the Billboard pop charts. Some of Thomas’ most popular songs include “Don’t Mess With My Man,” “You Don’t Miss a Good Thing,” “Good to Me” and “I’m Gonna Cry Till My Tears Run Dry.” n

Roi Anthony

by Minority Report Staff

Droves of New Orleans residents –both those displaced and those who have returned home – have assigned personal signif icance to a song written by one home grown vocalist who was not widely known before Katrina devastate d the gulf coast.

The 2005 hurricane season resulted in Louisiana native Roy Anthony penning what may possibly be remembered – at least among many African-American New Orleans

by Xxavier T.

I don’t know if it’s his southern manners or if he’s just practicing for a future career as a diplomat, but when jazz artiste and St. Augustine alum, Jonathan Baptiste was confronted with the sce nario of being marooned on an island with only one CD, he was unable to choose a specific artist or a specific genre of music. I guess this makes perfect sense for a musician w ho fronts in his own jazz band, The Jonathan Baptiste Trio and

residents – as this generation’s explanation of what it means to miss New Orleans.

During the months following the Katrina disaster, many displaced New Orleans resident s became acquainted with the home sick lyrics of Anthony’s regionally popular hit single “Long Way From Home”. The mid-tempo R&B song, an anthem for any Loui sianan who misses New Orleans, continues to be in frequent rotation on the city’s urban format radio stations.

Anthony, whose biggest success

still finds time to play rock n roll with a band called Remington. Jonathan has spent the last few years testing the limitless boundaries of his musical potential and dreams of expanding his musical repertoire to places no instrumentalist has ever gone before.

At the tender age of twenty, Jonathan has already performed with some of the most notable names on the Crescent City’s jazz scene including heavy hitters Wynton Marsalis, Cyril Neville and

prior to Katrina came while he was a part of the R&B group Legit, says he wrote the song while in a recording studio one nigh t reflecting on the storm’s affect on his family. “The whole song came about when the storm happened. We had to go get some family. We all had family in New Orleans. In the midst of everything, one of my writers by the name of W. Berry, we just sat there and we started writing and we said this could be a real great song,” he recalls. n

Irvin Mayfield. The son of Michael Baptist, a bass player with the wellliked musical family known as the Baptiste Broth ers Band, Jonathan got his start playing percussions in the family group. “My father is the musician, but it wa s my mother who decided when I was eleven- years-old that I would learn to play the piano, constantly exposing me to anything she thought would be beneficial to me including tennis, gymnastics and chess,” says Batiste. n

Reggie Bush

running back new orleans saints

“It makes you appreciate what you have, life in general. It can be taken away from you at anytime.”

This is how Heisman Trophy winner, second place draft pick Reggie Bush felt after touring the streets of New Orleans and some neighborhoods that were destroyed by hurricane Katrina.

Before his contract was signed, which included $26 million in guarantees, Reggie Bush was signing checks to charitable causes.

Reggie Bush donated $56,000 to Holy Rosary School, through Adidas, his shoe and apparel sponsor, ensuring 105 special-needs students wouldn't be forced to attend schools that don't specialize in educating teens with learning issues such as dyslexia and attention-deficit disorder. As part of his endorsement deal with Hummer, the Slidell, La., police department was given 12 of the vehicles on loan for a year. Wait a little while and Pepsi will announce a "Yard by Yard, Neighborhood

by Neighborhood" program to build 25 homes in the New Orleans area based on a donation system calibrated by the number of yards Bush gains this season. And Bush personally pledged $86,000 to resurface the field at Tad Gormley Stadium, which was damaged in the flooding and where six high schools play their football games.

"Reggie Bush has done what the city should have done," said Darryl Jones Sr.., a longtime Saints supporter.”

The city should have rebuilt Gormley Stadium. Reggie Bush came in and did it. He showed them up. Now, everybody loves him. n

Hollywood

Poet, songwriter and producer Hollywood has blazed his own path to nationwide recognition on the spoken word circuit.

The New Orleans native has hosted and participated in spoken word events for over a decade and considers himself a medium through which persons and situations worthy of discussion and debate find voice. “Poets give voice to the voiceless, tell the stories that need to be told, but do it so artistically that sometimes you don’t even realize what you’ve ingested. I’ve coined the word “edutainment” because the spoken word has really evolved into a form of education and entertainment,” he explains.

Wood, as he is affectionately known in local spoken word circles, considers himself a multidisciplinary performance

artist, having studied poetry, theater and dance at both the University of Louisiana Lafayette and the University of New Orleans. However, despite his formal training, Wood credits life experiences like hurricane Katrina with shaping and nurturing his poetic abilities. He also values his interactions with counterparts on the spoken word scene from across the United States. “I’ve learned my craft through living my craft, through taking the New Orleans poetry community and its families and affiliates and becoming one with them, placing them on my back for the advancement of our art. I’ve performed in several countries and across the U.S. always building and learning, honing skills and grinding in all aspects of my life,” says Hollywood. Presently, Hollywood teaches a class about African-American social and cultural movements in modern society at Tulane University and hosts both Dream New Orleans’ Thursday night poetry event each week and NewOrleansBlack. com’s First Fridays business mixer on the First Friday of each month. n

Dawn Richard

by Minority Report Staff

New Orleans native Dawn Angelique Richard isn’t new to auditions. From dancing to singing, she’s been putting her skills to the test all her life. One of her biggest auditions came after graduating from De La Salle High School and enrolling as a marketing major at the University daughter of musician Frank Richard, widely known for leading the ‘70’s funk band Chocolate Milk – successfully auditioned to be of New Orleans, where Richard – the come a New Orleans Hornets Honey Bee cheerleader.

During her time dancing at Hornets games, Richard performed before

tens of thousands of screaming Hornets fans several times each week. This experience was the perfect precursor to what would ultimately become her biggest break into the entertainment business: being chosen as a contestant in P. Diddy and MTV’s Making The Band 3. Richard not only became a contestant on the hugely popular reality series, but she was chosen by Diddy to be a member of what is now known as the female R&B outfit Danity Kane.

Richard was initially apprehensive about working for Diddy, whose reputation as a demanding and unrelenting business person is widely known and rightfully feared by young and aspiring entertainers who look up to him. “Going into it, I was scared, because that’s someone whose music I grew up with. I’ve always heard that he was a difficult person to work with. He was extremely kind. To me, he’s really a mentor. He’s not only an artist, he’s a businessman. He not only knows his art. He knows how to survive in his

business,” remembers Richard about her experience working with Diddy.

Personal and professional growth have been themes of Richard’s contribution to Danity Kane. She expresses gratitude to the experience and her band mates for having allowed her to not only name the band with the moniker of an Anime female superhero she drew, but to pen a Christmas song sung by the group. “P. Diddy and Bad Boy actually allowed me to write the Christmas song for Danity Kane that will be in iTunes. I’ve completely grown as an artist, as an entertainer. I’m totally a different person than I was going into Making the Band. Now, I can actually say that I’ve experienced a lot and I have a lot more to grow,” says Richard.

Aside from touring and recording, Richard continues to display deep concern for local recovery efforts. She personally donated $5,000.00 to her alma mater De La Salle High School and is planning a charitable organization called the Dream Big Foundation. n

feast of festivals Festivals, Anyone?

By Nadia Grooms

Where else can someone enjoy pirogue races, wildfowl bashes or egg-knocking contests? When it comes to festivals, there’s no place like Louisiana. This year heralds another eclectic and entertaining year; there’s something for just about everyone.

Over Father’s Day weekend (June 16-17) the Audubon Nature Institute held its Soul Festival, an educational event celebrating African-American culture. This year’s attendees enjoyed delicious food, top-billing musical acts and an abundance of playful activities within and around the zoo.

“We try to attract different talent, craft and food vendors each year so that the music and menus are a bit different each year,” says Chimene Conner, Director of Audubon Public Relations. Aside from the all the glee and gluttony, Soul Festival has a benevolent mission to the community.

“The main outreach component of the festival is the free health screening program,” says Conner. People can

test their blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma, diabetes, and PSA throughout the festival. And fathers got in free on their special day!

The Seafood Festival in Lafitte and the Catfish Festival (July 13-15) were local favorites for their diverse music, oodles of food and dazzling fireworks. For sophisticates, The Taste of the Cocktail (July 18-22) caters to wine-lovers and spirits enthusiasts. Revelers trekked the streets of the French Quarter in search of the perfect cocktail or festival seminars on what it takes to become a master mixologist.

The Feliciana Hummingbird Celebration (July 27-28) attracts nature buffs and romantics. The festival organizes an evening speaker and allows visitors an up-close view in two private homes. The two-hour drive from New Orleans is well worth the hike; the whimsical and busy little birds are worthy of the effort and never fail to disappoint with their rainbow colors and powerful wings.

Kicking off the muggy month of August is the Satchmo SummerFest (August 2-5). “We are the only festival that honors Louis Armstrong and his musical legacy,” says Kathleen Atler,

Media Director of French Quarter Festivals. This year the festival returns to its old stomping grounds: the US Mint. In August 2005, the festival broke records with 50,000 souls second-lining and feasting around the city. With the return of four stages and its family-friendly appeal, the numbers are sure to be high once again.

Southern Decadence (Aug. 30Sept. 3), the city’s biggest dance party, takes the city over with lavish parades, over-the-top personalities and all the amenities of New Orleans fun. The Costume Show is a voyeur’s paradise and a free high-energy concert will feature Deborah Cox and many more.

Step into the tropics of Jamaica with plenty of jerk chicken and steel drums at the Reggae Festival (Sep.1-2) in Carencro. Or channel your inner Romare Bearden at the Art for Art’s Sake (Oct. 6) where connoisseurs stroll the galleries of Julia St—appreciating the impressive talents of painters, sculptures, photographers and more.

Whether it’s cattle tipping or froglicking, there’s no contest—this is the place to experience a festival. n

Welcome Home, Essence

Essence really knows what it means to miss New Orleans; they’ve only been away for a year and but their return, July 5, 6, and 7,, is sure to be a significant and triumphant occasion. Bruised from all the pain and emotion from the storm, New Orleans could use a little soulful healing. The Essence Music Festival ‘Coming Home to New Orleans’, is ready to kick-start a memorable weekend filled with revival and celebration for their beloved city.

“Watching the devastation from Katrina was just as wrenching to us,” says Michelle Ebanks, President, Essence Communications Inc. “New Orleans is our home and with our return, we will be apart of the rebirth.”

With tourism at record lows, New Orleans is desperate for a jolt and the Essence Music Festival is the kind of economic and spiritual juggernaut the city needs. Since it’s inception in 1995—which was only supposed to be a one-time event in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the magazine—the now annual event has pumped more

than 1 billions dollars into Louisiana’s economy. “People come from all over the world and with us coming back— we want the people to come with us,” says Ebanks.

If you build a star-studded line-up, people undoubtedly appear. Essence Music Festival is nation’s largest African-American musical and cultural celebration and without a doubt one of the nation’s most entertaining. Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Prince, the late Luther Vandross are some of the many luminaries to grace Essence’s stage in the past. “We have the best of the best. We’re very excited about Beyonce who is kicking off her domestic tour and Mary J. who had an unbelievable year. We’re thrilled about the lineup—we have something for everyone,” says Ebanks.

Ciara’s and Chris Brown’s slick moves, Ludacris’s witty flow, Frankie Beverly’s smooth croon or Chuck D’s charged call will maintain high octave energy. Ne-Yo and Robin Thicke are the talented newcomers hitting the main stage. While Angie Stone, Rachelle Ferrell, Rahsaan Patterson tranquilize the Super Lounge.

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will house the free and open-to-all

“Essence Cares”, a phenomenal project launched in response to Katrina. “Susan L. Taylor and Angela Burt-Murrary are designing another seminar experience, which will be rich in community issues—music, the upcoming presidential election,

personal finance, post-Katrina—an array of timely topics,” says Ebanks. “Restoration” is the theme of one seminar and Marc Morial, Michael Eric Dyson, Iyanla Vanzant, Dr. Juanita Bynum, Mo’Nique and Common are confirmed speakers. A portion of the

Festival’s proceeds will go to Children Defense Fund’s Freedom Schools, an after-school enrichment program. “We want to make sure they’re able to continue to operate and provide services for the future of New Orleans, the children.” n

Jazz Fest 2007

Lee Bates

New Orleans is world renowned for its festive atmosphere and almost round the clock operation of bars and nightclubs. With the tragedy of hurricane Katrina, the party came to a screeching halt and many feared that it would be many months, if not years, before things would be like were before the storm. True to form, the music could not be stopped and the crowds were not deterred for long.

Within weeks after Katrina, the familiar French Quarter sounds and smells – both inviting and repulsive – could again be felt and experienced. Arguably, the first nightspot popular among African-Americans to open post-Katrina was Dream New Orleans, owned and operated by entrepreneur Lee Bates.

With limited staff, a city wide curfew and great uncertainty, Bates moved to reopen Dream in what was left of New Orleans just two months after Katrina. “We had a skeleton crew starting off, but based on the demand, we had enough people to manage what was here in the city. Before you know

it, the numbers were starting to pick up dramatically. For a while, we were the only game in town,” recalls Bates. Originally from McComb, MS, Bates has been immersed in the business of restaurants and night clubs for over 40 years. From his early days working in a family run diner to his most recent projects like Dream New Orleans and his soon to open Ray’s Over the River –which sets atop the World Trade Center – Bates has earned his reputation as a highly successful business figure in entertainment and event production and marketing.

Judging by his accomplishments in the entertainment business, one might struggle to guess what comprises Bates’ educational background. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Southern University of New Orleans and has completed coursework towards completing a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

The reopening of Dream was the start of several future projects that Bates thinks will greatly expand Black

nightlife options in New Orleans for many years to come. His Ray’s Over the River club will be an upscale adult entertainment venue, which will only invite patrons 25 years of age or older and require that professional attire be worn by all entrants. In addition to opening Ray’s Over the River in New Orleans, Bates plans to open a second Ray’s location in Baton Rouge in 2008.

With the return of the Essence Music Festival crowds to New Orleans during this year’s July 4th weekend, Bates’ Dream nightclub is positioned to regain its pre-Katrina success by continuing to provide a world-class nightlife experience to its diverse and upscale mix of patrons. Bates boasts, “We have a real diverse crowd of people. It’s also about the personalities that welcome people to the club. It’s right in the heart of the French Quarter. It’s real safe.” n

Restaurants

by Nadia P. Grooms

Three exciting newcomers are gracing New Orleans’ culinary scene with an emphasis on the family and in doing so have created an intimate and utterly enjoyable dining experience.

El Gato Negro shines as an authentic Mexican restaurant in a city with an abundance of Tex-Mex style restaurants. Juan Contreras, a New Orleans native with an attractive resume “couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he says. With his father as the head chef and his mother’s matchless recipes, El Gato Negro was primed for success. “No rain, snow, or storm could keep me from opening my place, even an unlucky day. I signed my papers on Friday the 13th and was very

nervous. My father reassured me that in Mexico it’s a favored day, so we went ahead and also created the name,” say Contreras.

“El Gato Negro” means “The Black Cat” in Spanish, but there’s nothing dark or doomed about this charming restaurant across from the French Market. As soon as you walk in, you’re engulfed with light from the spacious sky-light and warmth from the smiling staff. The atmosphere is absolutely refreshing and the incomparable lime, orange and lemon hand-squeezed margaritas—encourage the laid back mood. The decorated menu showcases the family’s roots, which stem from Jiquilpan in Central Mexico. Everything is prepared with remarkable precision

and care. “We make everything in house and to order,” he says. Here you’ll enjoy a fajita unlike any other. They use the freshest ingredients and filet mignon to ensure a standard of excellence. The Quesadilla, a highly impressive entrée, features seven Mexican cheeses and has such a festive taste you’ll be tempted to order another plate. Even the simple sides, like the orange and oregano salsa to the spicy refined beans burst with unbelievable flavor. The prices are quite reasonable for such fine food and El Gato Negro is quickly becoming the go-to place for a first-rate meal in a welcoming place.

Another star spinning homespun cuisine into a bona fide staple is Minnie’s Catfish Corner in Mid-City. Jeff and Deirdra Williams, a New Orleans native sibling tag-team, opened their easy-going and modern restaurant as a homage to their mother in May 2006. The space is warm and chic and offers plenty of arm room to roll up your selves in preparation for a chow-down. Regulars stream in constant flow all gunning for the Minnie’s signature dish. The whiskered fish is available in various forms, such as a filling po-boy, but the corner combo ranks as the best. This generous meal is served with a sizeable fillet fried to perfection and a choice of two sides. “Nobody touches the potato salad, but Minnie” says Jeff, and after you sample it’s subdued sweet relish and mustard nuance—you’ll certainly see why—it’s like you’re in on a guarded family secret.

Wednesday at Minnie’s is Longshoreman Day and you can feast on a hearty plate of savory meatloaf and mash potatoes—if you prefer Italian—Tuesday is the day to try Minnie’s delicious take on meatballs and spaghetti. Minnie’s is an easy place to get lost in both the food and the conversation. It’s steadily angling itself as a rightful fit in the pantheon of New Orleans favorites.

On Carrolton and Canal, Doson Hu and his family are churning out exquisite traditional Vietnamese dishes to the lucky masses. The décor of Doson Noodles feels like a coveted invitation to a private dinner party with quaint tables and Zen-like arrangements all set in unadorned simplicity. Doson Hu,

the head chef and proprietor attests the secret to his restaurant is his family. “We don’t have outsiders in the kitchen. We don’t have special training, but our recipes are based on what we know and love from our culture,” says Hu. He hails from Rach Gia, deep in southern Vietnam, but has lived in New Orleans for over twenty-five years. He owned a restaurant on Oak Street and moved into his present location ready to open days before Katrina. After a stint in Houston, he returned home and has been dazzling chefs and foodies alike ever since.

The Bun Gu is a highly gratifying meal with tender portions of grilled chicken in an assortment of mouth watering spices over a bed of absolutely perfect vermicelli noodles. You can also order the Bun Thit, which is grilled pork or the Bon Tom, which comes with shrimp. The menu also highlights Chinese meals and they’re just as tasty.

Thanks to these families entrepreneurial beneficence, the city’s residents and tourists are privy to a sense of home; they are able to peek into their traditions, relish their cuisine and embrace the communal spirit so prevalent in these gracious and cozy establishments. Hu says it best: “I couldn’t think of opening my restaurant anywhere else. New Orleans is home.” n

Minnie’s Catfish Corner

Doson noodle House

el Gato negro mexican Cuisine

All Sports Bar & Grill

by Minority Report Staff

All Sports Bar & Grill is a rising star among places to eat and have drinks with friends in New Orleans. Located at 10711 Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans East, All Sports features a Tuesday Night Steak Night from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and is frequented by a casual to professional crowd of upscale, mostly Black, New Orleans residents on a weekly basis.

Behind the often busy scene of All Sport’s wait staff, bar tenders and happy patrons is the venue’s owner, businessman and entrepreneur Spencer Ross. Ross is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA who

also owns a productions company and produces concerts throughout the region. Ross’ concerts have included appearances by Will Downing, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Rickey Smiley, Juvenile and B.G..

As most entrepreneurs do, Ross is excited to announce his next move, an upscale live entertainment venue called The Suite, which is slated to open on the west bank during the summer of this year. While building residual and generational wealth continues to be a passion for Ross, he remains dedicated to bettering the lives of children and teenagers. His S. Ross Foundation hosted a toy drive for Algiers area children in need in partnership with a local church. The foundation also held a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, which took place in late May. n

Camellia Grill

by Minority Report Staff

In April of this year, New Orleans residents excitedly welcomed the return of one of this city’s favorite restaurants: Camellia Grill. The familiar aroma of traditional American fare like home cooked breakfast, hamburgers, milk shakes and fries can once again be smelled drifting through the air near the intersection of Carrollton Blvd. and St. Charles Ave., where the eatery has been located for the past 50 years.

The restaurant’s manager and Pastry Chef Matthew Tanner sees the food as only the beginning of the Camellia Grille Experience. He explains, “At Camellia Grille, it is so much more than people enjoying their food. They are enjoying an atmosphere that we create. Between the food and the character you are always bound to have a good time.”

When Tanner first became a dishwasher

at Camellia Grille 18 years ago, he was drawn to the place simply by watching how the cooks prepared the food and the enjoyment and pride they took in doing their jobs. “[It] is so unlike any other restaurant. I started to pick it up and now it is a talent that I am thankful to have,” he recalls.

Today, droves of hungry customers stand eager and patient in a line that sometimes stretches from the restaurant’s front door to the sidewalk of Carrollton Ave. Many of those patrons are lining up for Tanner’s personal Camellia Grille favorite – the Chef’s Special Omelet. Tanner advises, “My favorite dish at Camellia Grill is the chef’s special. This is a way to get all of our omlets in one. It comes with chili, ham, turkey, potatoes, cheese and onions.”

When Tanner isn’t cooking, he can be found ministering to the hearts and minds of Christians and those in spiritual need around our city. n

Dooky Chase

What started off as a sandwich shop and lottery ticket outlet in 1939 flourished into a thriving and respected family taurant. “Back then, the restaurant was one of the few commercial meeting places for black people. At that time, New Orleans was racially segregated, but black soldiers going to and from war in Europe had already sipped a taste of economic and political freedom. A rare combination of talent of Emily Tennette Chase for handling cash and her husband Edgar Dooky Chase, Sr. for risking it, led to the founding of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.” - Excerpt from dookychaserestuarant.com.

Presently, Dooky Chase is under construction with the proposed opening date of late-April 2008. They are still in the process of recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, as are most New Orleans residents. The current president of Dooky Chase Restaurant, Edgar “Dooky” Chase Jr., said that Katrina “has instilled a tremendous amount of patience and opened up the door for soul searching.” It wasn’t until he married current co-owner Leah Chase, that it became the Dooky Chase that we know and love.

Like most New Orleans establishments that have opened postKatrina, he feels that his restaurant is a symbol of hope and blessings from the Lord that everyone can learn from. n

Café Reconcile

The late Father Thompson and Attorney Tim Falcon, founders of Café Reconcile, envisioned a program to help eradicate a society full of prostitution and open drug dealing, and turn it into a safe and supportive place where at-risk youth could have the option of receiving the life, work and educational skills necessary to turn their lives on a productive path. Post-Katrina, they were one of the first restaurants to return, opening their doors on October 17, 2005, only a mere six weeks after the storm.

Instead of focusing on the hard

work ahead of them, they saw reopening as a second chance to start anew and come back even better than before. With only three people and a couple more volunteers, they cleaned and scrubbed in order to come back again. “To come through that and see the situation in New Orleans was an experience”, stated Craig Cussia, executive director of Café Reconcile.

Currently, in addition to their culinary training program established pre-Katrina, Café Reconcile joined forces with Cross Roads Ministries from Louisville, KY and Jericho Road, to

build affordable housing for its current employees. On the day of the interview, they were planning and setting up for a block party to celebrate the completion of two of the houses, located on 2613 and 2515 Phillip Street.

The future holds many promising endeavors and growth for Café Reconcile. They are in the process of renovating the building and turning it into a one-stop shop for all the people in the neighborhood, by expanding the culinary training program with funding from the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, a holistic training center funded by

Good Works Networks, and a Family Learning Center, funded by the Loyola University’s Literacy Alliance. n

What do you look for when searching for a child care provider?

by Ateja Lewis

You must make sure the facility and its owners are licensed by the city and state in which they are located to provide childcare. You should be able to visit at any time; not just at their convenience once your child is enrolled. It is always courteous to set an appointment to visit; however it is good to catch a place off guard when evaluating it for the first time.

There should be a nutritionist and a social worker • on staff. Child care providers should be certified through the Child care food program if they enroll more than 6 children. You should be able to know what they are eating at all times.

An Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood • Development can be earned from accredited colleges and universities offering this curriculum. It would be good for some; if not all of the workers to have this degree.

There should be a curriculum in place for • all levels that explains what students will do to stimulate their intellectual growth and motor skills. The facility should be neat and clean at all • times.

•

Check reports on the Internet about the

• facility. Google it and check with the business’ record with the Better Business Bureau.

Make sure your child enjoys the day care. Let your child meet and interact with other children attending the same day care facility.

Make sure the child care facility teaches fire and other safety tips and enquire about its emergency preparedness plan and its natural disaster evacuation policies.

Make sure there is a nurse or a medically competent person on staff to handle medical • emergencies. Ensure that this person will properly administer any medications that your child must receive during the days and hours when he or she will attend day care.

Also check the hours to see if they meet your needs. There are 24 hour day care facilities available at varying rates.

• payment terms, curriculum and the facility’s security.

Read all of the facility’s rules and regulations before choosing childcare. Consider issues like sickness, holidays, emergencies,

Community Gallery

photos taken form various outreach and community service events produced by ebonetworks llC and sponsored by:

louisiana speaks (Atlanta)

louisiana speaks (Community Congress)

louisiana speaks (High SchoolConference)

road Home (Houston)

nolA bound (Memphis)

The Unity in Community

The social fabric of most communities depends largely, in part, on that community’s grass roots and non-profit organizations. New Orleans is no exception. Prior to Katrina, dozens of community organizations addressed the needs of minorities in our city and its surrounding areas. These organizations ranged in focus from child welfare to economic empowerment to environmental awareness to voter education. Thankfully, the work of community organizations has not ceased post-Katrina. These groups have only heightened their efforts to improve the quality of life in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany and Plaquemines parishes.

National Black Nurses Association

One such organization is the New Orleans chapter of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), led by Chapter President Rebecca SmithHarris. Before Katrina devastated New Orleans in late August 2005, the local NBNA chapter enjoyed an active membership of 85 area nurses. This number dwindled to 25 in Katrina’s wake, but Smith-Harris is hopeful that local NBNA membership will rise in coming years thanks to student scholarships being offered by the national leadership of its organization. “We have 20 free memberships for students and we also have scholarships that are available to our student members,” informs SmithHarris. Founded in the late 1960’s and based in Washington, D.C., the NBNA focuses primarily on addressing health disparities among African-Americans, the continuing education of nurses and mentoring students who are pursuing careers in nursing.

Smith-Harris observes a lack of Black health care professionals in New Orleans post-Katrina, but she quickly confirms that the job opportunities in the health care industry are there for those who are willing to return. “A lot of Black physicians haven’t come back. The employment is here for nurses. Hospitals are literally searching for nurses. Despite the lack of AfricanAmerican health professionals in our area, it’s just so inspiring to see the ones who are doing major things in health care,” she says.

Though the majority of the organization’s funding comes from its members, Smith-Harris is happy to report that private sector donations have also played a significant part in her group’s post-Katrina rebound. “Prior to Katrina, we had planned a continuing education program for our members on HIV. Due to Katrina, this continuing education did not happen. However, a $2,000.00 grant we received from ABBID Laboratories will allow this program to happen in the near future,” says Smith-Harris. As

workers to the area. “A lot of us are looking for our African-American nurses and doctors, but they’re just not there,” she laments. She also views the reopening of Charity Hospital as key to the recovery of local health care services. “Losing Charity Hospital forever would be a tremendous loss to the community. Charity did need to do business very differently, as it needed to better bill people who did not have insurance. However, to not reopen it would be a disservice to the community,” she warns. n

The National Black M.B.A. Association

As the much of New Orleans East and the lower 9th Ward lay largely in ruins since Katrina devastated these areas in 2005, Alvarez C. Stampley – who heads the local chapter of the National Black M.B.A. Association (NBMBAA)

is forcing government officials to finally confront problems that existed in New Orleans long before Katrina made landfall. “This market is relatively small and there is not a large Fortune 500 corporate base here. This has always been a problem. The talent just gets attracted elsewhere,” said Stampley in explaining the challenges that stand between New Orleans and long term recovery. NBMBAA member Reuben Detiege seconds Stampley’s sentiment, saying “There is no one fix to [disaster recovery]. If you ask 20 different experts, economists, sociologists, you’ll get 20 different answers.” Through the complexity of rebuilding New Orleans’ ailing business community, NBMBAA members like Detiege and Stampley hope to be a guiding light towards economic empowerment of area businesses. The organization hosts monthly business mixers at a meeting space and reception hall owned by one of its members, businessman Kurt Pellerin.

Perllerin’s establishment – the self titled Pellerin’s on Tulane Ave. –regularly hosts dozens of private events each month of both the business and social sort. Detiege credits Pellerin’s with providing the community with a

pellerin’s

much needed reception and meeting space. “Before Pellerin’s opened, there was nowhere in that area since Katrina, where you could have a funeral re-pass, birthday party or business meeting,” said Detiege. Stampley says his organization’s membership did not decrease significantly since Katrina, having only lost 30 of its 130 pre-Katrina members to temporary or

Tim Williamson

Since 2000, the Idea Village has positively impacted the success of dozens of New Orleans area entrepreneurs. Led by businessman and entrepreneur Tim Williamson, the Idea Village is a nonprofit organization, which, according to Williamson is “based upon the belief that entrepreneurship is the catalyst to ignite social and economic change in

Kim Dilosa

Kim Dilosa wants you to know that one need not be an elected official, internationally known head of state or a billionaire entrepreneur to make a difference in his or her community. Dilosa was born and reared in Jefferson Parish; graduated from Xavier Prep high school in 1992; earned an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Tuskegee University in 1997 and is presently married to her husband John,

permanent relocation as a result of the disaster. However, its remaining members can attest to the many obstacles opposing the resumption of a normal life since Katrina.

Locally, Stampley says the NBMBAA assists its members with tasks like dealing with insurance companies and finding reputable contractors. Nationally, NBMBAA chapters in other

New Orleans.”

Williamson has made it his personal mission to identify that seldom seen entrepreneurial spark in the eyes of aspiring business people and guide them to the resources they need to be successful. Backed by a huge volunteer effort that comprises some 500 business men and women, companies, other nonprofit agencies and local universities, The Idea Village is one of the most highly touted business incubators in southeastern Louisiana.

The success of this entrepreneurial village is profoundly spoken by both its pre and post Katrina numbers. Williamson boasts that before the disaster, the firms of area entrepreneurs under Idea Village mentorship collectively accounted for 512 jobs, $10 million in payrolls and more than $34 million in revenue.

In the months following Katrina, Williamson’s organization raced to the aid of droves of struggling local businesses, having provided over $475,000 in grants to approximately 140 businesses. n

an engineer. John and Kim have a 2 year old daughter and are expecting a new edition to their family this year.

Dilosa, who views herself as just as normal a person as anyone else, feels that normal people can combine their efforts to create extraordinary change in their communities. With this belief in mind, Dilosa founded the Youthanasia Foundation in September of 1997. “Youthanasia grew,” says Dilosa, “out of genuine concern for these teenagers. We create prevention and intervention programs for teenagers.” She adds, “We kill what’s killing our teenagers.”

Youthanasia concentrates its efforts in New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Programs sponsored by the busy non-profit include the annual Self Respect Extravaganza, which focuses on combating teen pregnancy and helping teens recognize and resist negative peer pressure. n

cities have rallied around its displaced members by helping them find jobs and housing. If Katrina had not happened, the 2005 NBMBAA National Conference would have taken place in New Orleans for the first time since the organization drew more than 10,000 visitors to the city for its 1996 meeting. However, Stampley is proud to announce that in 2009, the NBMBAA will once again

Sidney D. Torres

Sidney D. Torres, IV embodies entrepreneurship. Consider the $70 million in both commercial and residential real estate that Torres has been responsible for in New Orleans over the past decade.

Additionally, Torres’ is arguably the single biggest success story to emerge from the ruins of the hurricane Katrina disaster. In the wake of the disaster, Torres converted

Arnie Fielkow

New Orleans City Council Member-AtLarge Arnie Fielkow has a track record for turning challenges into successes. Prior to being elected to the New Orleans city council’s Council Member-At-Large seat in May of 2006, Fielkow was hard at work

convene its national gathering in New Orleans. According to Stampley, the group’s 2005 conference that was relocated to Atlanta due to Katrina, contributed an estimated $24 million in additional revenue to that city’s economy over its four day time span. q continued on page 30

his renovation crews into SDT Waste and Debris Services, LLC, the company credited with cleaning up the city’s infamously dirty French Quarter.

SDT’s work to keep the French Quarter clean has earned Torres the praise of major national media outlets like the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. Torres views his own success as a means by which New Orleans can defeat often negative and controversial stigmas about doing business here. “I am convinced that the old ways of doing business in New Orleans are over. SDT Waste and Debris had no political connections and won the contract for the French Quarter and Downtown. We’ve worked very hard and are doing a good job – that’s how you overcome the stigma of corruption – get things done the right way. Success has a way of putting a lot of negatives in the background. We need more successes and the rest will take care of itself,” predicts Torres. n

as the New Orleans Saints’ Executive Vice President.

In his position at the Saints, Fielkow was responsible for implementing marketing and advertising strategies that resulted in major increases in box suite and corporate sponsorship sales. Likewise, Fielkow’s pre-Saints resume tells the story of a consistently successful attorney and businessman whose skills would benefit any private company or municipality. Leadership appears to have always been Fielkow’s calling, as evidenced him having held positions like Commissioner of NCAA Division I North Star Conference (now the Mid-Continent Conference), Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel of the Continental Basketball Association (the NBA’s developmental league and cofounder of the Chicago-based law firm Grossman, Solomon & Fielkow. n

Sally-Ann Roberts

Continued from page 29

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana

The national debate over immigration reform and the widespread use of immigrant workers in gulf coast rebuilding efforts has shined a controversial spotlight on New Orleans on several occasions since August 29, 2005. In the early months after Katrina, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin drew a hailstorm of criticism for making remarks that suggested his city had become “overrun with Mexican workers.” In another instance just months after Katrina, Decatur Hotels, owner of a host of highend New Orleans hotel properties, found itself accused of questionable contracting practices by a group of nearly 300 Dominican, Peruvian and Bolivian workers it acquired from a guest worker recruiting firm.

While the national dialogue

A person that can be relied on for information and support describes Sally-Ann Roberts. Roberts was born on February 13 to the parents of Lucimarian and Lawrence Roberts. She is the mother of Judith, Kelly, and Jeremiah and the widow to her late husband Willie. Sally Ann Roberts has grown up to be a remarkable woman.

Completing her Masters in Communication at the University of Southern Mississippi Sally-Ann Roberts would work at a radio station in Mississippi acting as Community Relations Director, announcer, and news reporter. Unknown to Sally at the time her career would take a change.

In March of 1977 Sally- Ann came to WWL-TV and has been an essential part of the Eyewitness News team ever since.

Sally- Ann Roberts co-anchors the highest- rated local morning newscast in the nation. In addition to co-anchoring the “Eyewitness Morning News” weekday mornings, she also hosts “Our Generation.” Her personal success relies in large part on her dedication to giving something back

to the community. When hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, SallyAnn Roberts and other anchors and reporters remained in New Orleans to cover the news. Her faith in God was tested to see if she was strong enough to survive the drama of all that came with hurricane Katrina. She passed the test with flying colors. Professionally, Ms. Roberts has enjoyed tremendous success as well. At WWL- TV since 1977, she has received first- place awards in reporting excellence from the New Orleans Press Club, the Louisiana Associated Press, and the Radio and Television News Directors Association, among others.

Her journalistic efforts contributed to WWL-TV’s winning the prestigious Murrow award for late-breaking news in 1998. Sally- Ann Roberts outlook on our city’s recovery is prosperous, but will come back in due time. Sally Ann Roberts, a woman of courage, distinction, and structure for thirty years has made a major impact in our day to day lives and the rebuilding of our community in New Orleans. n

continues about the future fate of the country’s immigrant workers – particularly those living in an undocumented status – the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana (HCCL) continues to encourage the success of Hispanic-owned businesses and workers throughout this state. HCCL Executive Director Darlene A. Kattan is optimistic that New Orleans will be a favorable environment for Hispanic enterprise in future years and decades. She notes, “Companies are looking for bilingual workers. Many Hispanics come to New Orleans legally from other states and other countries on Visas. Companies also transfer many of their Hispanic employees to the United States from other countries.” Kattan said the numbers of legal Hispanic workers and business owners in New Orleans points to “a widely held misconception that all Hispanics are illegals who can’t speak English and are taking jobs from other people. The truth is that many Hispanics take jobs that nobody else wants to do.”

Though Kattan applauds the

large numbers of legal immigrant workers contributing to New Orleans’ rebuilding efforts, she expressed particular concern for the plight of illegal immigrant workers living in her city; many of whom are working in Louisiana’s booming post-Katrina construction industry. “Many illegal workers are living in bad conditions, but they aren’t complaining. Many are mistreated; beaten, robbed and underpaid,” she warns.

The HCCL supports Hispanic entrepreneurs and workers by providing them with free and reduced cost use of office facilities like meeting spaces, computers with internet access and other resources. The organization also counsels its members on many aspects of their businesses. Kattan urges local Hispanic workers and business owners to contact the HCCL and request assistance when they have a need. “Unless Hispanic business owners contact us, we don’t know they’re there, and the Department of Occupational Licenses can’t necessarily track or document Hispanic workers or businesses

either,” explains Kattan. Current HCCL membership stands at 325, a number that Kattan hopes to double by the end of 2007. n

State Representative Cedric Richmond

Democratic incumbent Rep. Cedric Richmond has been a quiet, youthful force in the Eastern New Orleans District. He is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Louisiana.

During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Richmond, President of the Black Caucus in the Louisiana State Legislature at the time, was unpleased with the repairing of the levees. He told Newsweek, “They didn’t put the same effort into fixing the Industrial Canal as they did into the 17th Street Canal.” His efforts to clean up Chef Menteur Highway have been commendable. He has a good work ethic, does not grandstand, and with more experience may become a model legislator. n

Rep. Juan A. LaFonta - District 96

Rep. Juan LaFonta got his exposure to the legislative process while under the guidance of many professors, administrators, and staff . He credits his success to his strong faith, family, and community support. Juan truly believes that it takes a village to raise a child. In fact, growing up in the Voscoville Gentilly Heights, the residents, friends, family, and neighbors played a major roll in his sense of commitment to his community. His service is a credit to all who believe one can make a difference. Some of his committee assignments include: House Special Committee on Disaster Planning, Orleans Subcommittee, House Special Committee on Disaster

Planning, Crisis Management, Recovery & Long Term Revitalization, ViceChairman , Louisiana Small Business Entrepreneurship Commission (SBEC).

On May 22, 2007, Representative LaFonta was elected to serve as the LLBC Caucus Chair in which he will takeover on July 1st.

Rep. LaFonta is dedicated to rebuilding the community and preserving the rich history, without compromising the sanctity of the family. He is devoted to cleaning the community and rebuilding the infrastructure, especially fixing our streets and sidewalks for public safety. Since crime is the most important issue that faces all of us, Rep. LaFonta is

Charmaine Marchand

From the beehive.org…

“We have to focus on getting our people back,” says Louisiana state representative Charmaine Marchand. “We can’t be a community without our businesses, our churches, our schools.”

An outspoken advocate for residents’ right to return home, Marchand has become a high-profile spokeswoman for the Ninth Ward, frequently talking to reporters from the New York Times and network television. She draws attention to the mistaken belief that the Lower Ninth Ward is prone to flooding because it sits lower below sea level than other parts of the city. In fact, she explains, the Lower Ninth Ward sits higher than parts of Gentilly and Lakeview. The Lower Ninth had

only two feet of flooding due to Katrina before the levees broke, Marchand points out.

“The conversations about not rebuilding this area need to stop, because it was not the fault of the community, it was not the fault of the people here,” Marchand said on an interview on ABC News. “We need to have the right to rebuild just like anybody else has the right to rebuild, and if it’s good enough to redevelop, then it’s good enough for us to take [into] our own hands and reconstruct our own community like we want it to be.”

Since the first of the year, Marchand has been meeting with urban planners and architects from several universities who are offering free services, and

dedicated to insuring the safety of our community, so that his constituents can come home without fear of theft or vandalism. He has worked with NFL players as well as many organizations such as Hands On Network Group, Kaboom and NORD, where he helped clean houses and schools right after Hurricane Katrina. To this day, he works to help churches.

After Hurricane Katrina, he made numerous trips to Washington, D.C. and created many alliances to help in the recovery of our great city. He wanted to ensure the people of District 96 that they had a voice in the rebuilding efforts. He wants to be an anchor in the community to help families returning

to the area. He continues the fight for all of his constituents in Baton Rouge during each session. n

with local non-profits offering legal advice and small business support to residents. In April, she hosted the Ninth Ward Business Recovery Expo. Local banks, the Louisiana departments of Economic Development and Labor, and the U.S. Small Business Administration provided information and assistance to business owners returning to the area.

Marchand is pushing to create a development authority for the Lower Ninth Ward during the current session of the Louisiana legislature, which would make it easier for federal funds to flow into the district. “Y’all want to see me really

get mad?” she asked residents at the recent homeowners’ association meeting. “I will, because there’s not enough money flowing to the Lower Ninth Ward, yet we suffered the most damage in the city.” n

Council member Oliver M. Thomas, Jr.

Caring for others is a way of life for Council member Oliver M. Thomas, Jr. Whether working with youth in our community, or working to advance economic development and neighborhood revitalization, Mr. Thomas strives to enhance the quality of life for citizens of all ages of the City he calls home.

Mr. Thomas began his career in public service in 1986, serving as a Legislative Aide to then District B Council member Jim Singleton. In 1990, he joined the Downtown Development District as Capital Projects Manager. Prior to his election, he served in management for the Southeast Louisiana Region of the C.J. Brown Property Management Company, Inc.

In 1994, Thomas was elected council member for District B. Reelected in 1998, he is currently serving his second term.

Understanding the special needs of children in our community, Council member Thomas founded the Boys-ToMen Program for youth ages 8 to 18,

who primarily reside in single parent households. The first site for the program, which began nearly ten years ago, was Crocker Elementary School. He recruited role models, who tutored, counseled, and accompanied these young men to ball games and other activities, leading them on a positive, hope-filled path toward adulthood.

Today, Boys-To-Men, which is run by a Board of Directors, has expanded to include numerous schools throughout the community. Mr. Thomas continues to actively participate, and as a father, shares his belief that simple things, like enjoying dinner with a parent or a ball game with a special friend, make a difference in the lives of children.

Due to the Boys-To-Men Program's success, Council member Thomas has instituted the mentor program in schools in District B, partnering with members of the Central Business District. He has also formed the Youth Literacy Coalition, which encourages children within both the school and family settings.

Mr. Thomas has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Dryades YMCA, Bridge House, Each One Save One, Kingsley House, Volunteers of America, and Touro Infirmary. He has been a member of the Adoption 2000 Initiative Task Force, the YMCA Educational Services Board of Managers, and the Junior League Advisory Board. In addition, he is past president of the New Orleans Home Mortgage Authority and past Vice-President of the Senior Companion Program for the Council on Aging.

For his civic and community efforts, Council member Thomas has received numerous honors, including the Legislator of the Year Award from the Alliance for Good Government, and the Jefferson Award for Community Service from WDSU-TV.

Mr. Thomas is a graduate of Joseph S. Clark High School. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the College of Santa Fe, and is a Fellow of the Loyola University Institute

of Politics. Council member Thomas is married to the former Angelle Laraque. They have one daughter.

(Source: http://www.nocitycouncil. com/president.asp) n

James Carter

James Carter has been a New Orleans native all his life. He attended McDonough #35 while simultaneously attending the renowned NOCCA Institute. He received a Bachelors degree (1991) and Doctorate degree (1997) from Howard University and he has been honored in school and in the community alike by receiving the Law School Achievement Award and being the first director of the Weed and Seed program. The program is geared to multiple facets of community development, law enforcement, and crime prevention.

His accomplishments also include becoming a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Prince Hall Masons, former president of the New Orleans chapter of Howard University Alumni Association, Tambourine and Fan, and a graduate of Metropolitan Area Committee Leadership Forum. He is also Principal of Martin Behrman Elementary School. Above all, he is a father of five and a loving husband to Mrs. Rene Lewis (daughter of late Rev. Bob Lewis of Shiloh Baptist Church). n

Stephen Bradberry

Stephen Bradberry is a man devoted to the cause of rejuvenating life and productivity in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bradberry formulated the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). This community driven organization is the nations largest of it kind, serving 360,000 members, 850 neighborhood chapters, and 110 cities. He and his staff collectively reached out to all its members in the wake of the storm, encouraging them to reach their local ACORN sites for emergency assistance, medical care, food, clothing, and emotional support. Bradberry’s organization served as a

beacon of hope for all of is members and a marker for other organizations to mimic.

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, ACORN turned their focus onto rebuilding New Orleans in hopes of providing affordable living for its returnees, although 7,500 of the 9,000 ACORN members have yet to return to New Orleans. ACORN collaborated with Cornell, Columbia, and Illinois University in a survey on the recovery of the lower ninth ward area. They concluded that 7% was reoccupied, while over 75% expressed a desire to return. Bradberry and his associates have restored affordable housing for New Orleans residents. He has created a Home Clean-out demonstration plan, created a new partnership with FEMA for displaced homeowners, a contract with Road Home to notify evacuees of home restoration funding, and HUD funded counseling partnership.

Stephen Bradberry’s efforts for the advancement of New Orleans and its people are truly phenomenal in its still dire state. He has great hope and puts action into all of his goals for this city. n

New Orleans has always had so many places of worship that people could find a church, chapel, mosque, or synagogue no matter what part of the city they lived in.

However, since Katrina and Rita, many of our citizens have returned home only to learn that their places of worship were destroyed, some with little or no hope of rebuilding.

Rejoice & Rebuild

by Kathy Dejoie

What role should the U.S. government play in helping religious organizations recover?

Arguably one of the most diverse cities in the nation, New Orleans, despite its reputation as a party city, pre-Katrina and Rita was home to over 325 houses of worship, be they mosques, churches, synagogues, cathedrals, or chapels. Furthermore, true to its nickname, the Melting Pot has always enjoyed a harmonious blending of the religions, traditions, beliefs, customs, and ceremonies of its diverse citizenship.

In the months immediately following the storms, displaced residents were

Pastor R.C. Blakes Jr.

Bishop Blakes Sr.. Pastor

Samuel Blakes

Prior to August 29, 2005, Bishop Robert Blakes Sr.. and his sons Pastors Samuel Blakes and R.C.Blakes Jr. ministered in three different locations of the New Orleans area. Bishop Blakes pastored New Home

faced with the challenge of finding a church home as well as a place to live. No easy task when you consider that in New Orleans, a house of worship was more than four walls and a steeple. Church was where families and friends gathered to pray, fellowship, meet and greet, celebrate achievements, comfort each other in sorrow, share recipes, traditions, and yes, lives. The church was the anchor of many communities. For its members, the church family was akin to blood relatives, and in many cases, members shared a closer relationship with each other than with some “real” relatives.

church members to reconnect with one another. Those unable to return to check on their homes were able to learn what progress was being made, if any, in their neighborhoods. And across the country, churches began holding special services for their New Orleans transplants, enabling them to build a community away from home.

Of the more than 750,000 people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, nearly half have not yet returned to their home states. (Source, Louisiana Recovery Authority.) And for the many churches whose livelihood depended on these residents, rebuilding is impossible without them.

In the weeks following the storms many churches, in an effort to locate members, began setting up blogs and posting feedback forms on their web sites. The Internet enabled

(Uptown), Samuel Blakes pastored New Home (Broadmoor) and R.C. Blakes Jr. pastored New Home (East).

Post Katrina, Pastor R.C. Blakes Jr. has repositioned his ministries and has given birth to New Home Houston where he is currently managing the Houston Project. Bishop Blakes Sr.. is currently ministering in Baton Rouge which is where he was located one month prior to Katrina, and Pastor Samuel Blakes was repositioned in Atlanta post-Katrina but has ceased his ministries in that location. In New

For those unable to return home was the added challenge, in addition to finding jobs and homes, of finding a new church home in a strange place. Accustomed to being treated like family, many feared being treated like outcasts. For me, it took visits to every Catholic Church in the city, and over a year to finally find my new church home – St. Eugene’s Chapel on the campus of Florida A&M University. Ironically, on the Sunday I attended mass at St. Eugene’s for the first time, the pastor, Rev. F. Ilesanmi Osasona, MSP, announced that a group of students and volunteers were headed to New Orleans the very next day to work with volunteers from Corpus Christi Parish cleaning homes in the 7th Ward. n

Orleans, the three have combined their flourishing congregation into one unified assembly, the New Home Family Worship Center New Orleans, which is located at their Uptown location also known as “The Temple”. It received the least damage during the hurricane where as the other locations were severely damaged. Every Sunday at the Temple, two morning services are held beginning at 9:30am, in which Pastor Sam and Bishop Blakes Sr.. minister at respectively. Pastor R.C Blakes is

Paul the Apostle. In addition to bringing food, clothing and furniture to the Hills, volunteers made numerous trips to New Orleans to clean and gut the church. Additionally, St. Louis took up second collections, and held fund raisers to benefit the rebuilding of St. Paul the Apostle. Contact St. Paul’s pastor to find out how much they were given, or if not $$, how many man-hours were donated by St. Louis. n

present on Wednesdays evenings for 7pm services. In addition, Pastor R.C. Blakes Jr. consistently commutes every Sunday between 7am services in New Orleans and 11am services in Houston. The teachings of the Blakes family can be tuned into on K75 in New Orleans everyday. Many would agree that this father and sons team has made an unwavering commitment to rebuilding the city of New Orleans and their New Home Family. Together they declare that "Faith does not make sense, it makes miracles". n

Brother Willie Muhammad of the New Orleans East Nation of Islam Mosque

NOB: Was your place of worship destroyed? How many of your preKatrina congregation has been able to return?

Brother Muhammad: Our building was and still is located in a no-flood zone. However, it was damaged by 4 to 5 feet of water. Like many of the other religious communities, social clubs, and other organizations, our believing community has also been greatly affected. I see it as an even greater opportunity to (have a stronger desire to) get into the neighborhoods and go after our people who are ready to change.

NOB: Have your former members who are unable to return found another place to worship in another city? Are they happy there? How difficult was it to find another place of worship? What do they miss most about their home place of worship?

Brother Muhammad: The Nation of Islam can be found in nearly every major city in America, so finding a place to worship was not difficult for many of them. Many have begun to start their lives over in the new cities. What many of them miss most is not being able to see one another like we used to. Many of the believers in our community accepted Islam as teenagers. Thus many of the milestones that we reached in our lives we did so together, such as;

being single, getting married, having children, and growing spiritually as believers. We did it all. We had a very family-oriented atmosphere. So many, and me included, kind of miss that. You know, many of us evacuated thinking that in a couple of days we would return.

NOB: We recognize that many of the African-American places of worship were in lower socioeconomic (and hard-hit) neighborhoods, making rebuilding even more difficult. What kind of support, if any, have you gotten from the government?

Brother Muhammad: Throughout the Nation of Islam's existence here in America you will find that unlike other organizations we have never been one to rely on the government or entities outside of our community for financial help. Those that do (seek government assistance) often find themselves being compromised and really told what to do. There is a saying that, "He who pays the piper picks the tune." Thus, all of the contributions that we have received so far have come from the community we serve. This helps to keep us free and responsible to the people who we serve, and who support us.

We have recently kicked off our own fund raiser to raise the needed funds to help us renovate our building. Those interested in helping can visit our site at www.noineworleans.org to make a donation online or by mail.

Early on the government spoke about giving funds to the faith community. I believe it was an initiative led by the former presidents Bush Sr.. and Clinton. However, it fell apart, and many of the big pastors who were part of it saw that it was really just a ploy to use their credibility in the Black community. Once that was known they stepped away. Black people are not poor; we just misspend and mismanage our money.

NOB: We realize that were it not for the many grass-roots organizations

and volunteers who poured into the city in the months following the storms, many places of worship that have begun holding services again would not have been able to do so. Was your house of worship "adopted" by an organization outside the city? What have they done to support your rebuilding efforts?

Brother Muhammad: No. Our Believing community has not experienced that yet. While in Detroit, I spoke to a sister who was a member of a Christian church. She said that she was going to talk to her pastor about adopting our mosque. But, I haven't heard from since that discussion. If such a thing would happen, I think it would be a beautiful example of Christian and Muslim Unity. Hopefully, someone reading this article will help to make that idea real.

NOB: How important to the rebuilding of New Orleans is the rebuilding of churches/places of worship? Why/why not?

Brother Muhammad: Very important. If you look back at the history of our people here in America you will see that it was the religious communities that have helped us to make it through the tough times we experienced. If they did it then, why not now? Depression is up, suicide is up, domestic violence is up, drug use is up - all since Katrina. This is the time for faith communities to step forward to show how God can repair and restore us. Places of worship are like spiritual mechanic shops for spirits that need some fine tuning and repair.

NOB: Has attendance dropped at your place of worship, or have you gained new members to replace those who have not returned to the city? How do they "fit in"?

Brother Muhammad: Everywhere we went people wanted to know where we were holding our meetings. Our meeting attendance is growing.

NOB: What is your message to your

members who are unable to return?

Brother Muhammad: Be found working where you have resettled. Black folk are catching hell all over America. The conditions are the same; the way we dress and talk may be a little different, but we are still suffering. So the mission to save us does not stop. Get involved in any effort to help better our people, and also don't allow others to forget about what is still going on in New Orleans. n

Brother Willie Muhammad’s mosque has worked to bring attention to the following:

Helped to organize and participate • in the 1st Commemoration of Hurricane Katrina.

Participated in several rallies and • marches organized for the Right to Return.

Spread Stop the Killing messages • through central city via signs and mix tapes, CD' s which we called, Music with a Message. Hip-Hop beats with Minister Farrakhan's voice over them.

Participating in the fight for justice • for those killed on the Danziger Bridge.

A monthly cable access show • where messages are delivered concerning issues important to the City of New Orleans.

On March 29, 2007 we arranged • for 6 married couples to come and speak to students at a local school about marriage and family.

April 7-13, 2007 we organized • an art contest called "Making a Positive Change to My Hood." Many of the students drew pictures of their neighborhoods with scenes of drugs, violence, gangsters, etc. The top 3 drawing images of their "hoods" minus the negativity will win cash prizes.

Father Michael P. Jacques

Father Michael P. Jacques has served the parishioners of St. Peter Claver Church in Treme since 1984 and is a beloved member of the clergy throughout New Orleans. The devastating aftermath of Katrina left the more than 2400 families – who were members of St. Peter Claver prior to the storm – scattered across

Bishop Lester Love

Bishop Lester Love of the Greater Antioch Full Gospel Baptist Church is convinced that the church community must be treated as a vital cornerstone in New Orleans’ rebuilding efforts. As residents return to their heavily damaged neighborhoods and the city confronts what many believe is a devastating mental and emotional health crisis among displaced residents, Love and his congregation remains committed to fulfilling the

Reverend Vien T. Nguyen

Since 2003, Reverend Vien T. Nguyen has led the flock of the Mary Queen of Viet Nam Church (MQVNC) in the heavily Asian-American populated part of New Orleans East near the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Highway 510. Reverend Nguyen’s tireless work to locate and minister to displaced parishioners during the weeks and months immediately following Katrina will always be remembered by

the Southeastern United States in parts of Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana.

Since that time, Fr. Michael has located close to 2200 of his original members and approximately half of the church’s pre-Katrina membership are currently attending St. Peter Claver. Fr. Michael says his displaced members are eager to return home and rejoin their church. “What they miss most is the cultural expressions of their church and being about their own people and community. They miss the choirs and involvement in the church and community. They long to come home to visit and return to the community,” he explains.

Through the ongoing challenges posed by disaster recovery, Fr. Michael continues to exemplify resiliency and deep commitment to bettering the quality of life in his community. n

spiritual needs of their community.

“Without the church the community would crumble, the city would become desolate and the state would be darkened by a cloud of despair. The rebuilding of the churches is critical. If I were a government official, I would begin an initiative to get Pastors back into the city because the sheep are looking for their shepherd to give them a word of inspiration to help them in these trying times,” said Bishop Love about the importance of rebuilding churches in New Orleans.

Though, according to Love, only 30 percent of his pre-storm congregation has returned to Greater Antioch, the church has taken on a growing membership comprised of many returning residents whose places of worship were destroyed by Katrina and who were forced to seek church membership elsewhere. n

members of his congregation.

Nguyen recalls traveling nearly 10,000 miles from September to October 2005 in search of MQVNC members displaced by the storm. During this time, Nguyen worked almost non-stop each day to reorganize the church and make preparations to resume its work in its community. The diligence paid off. “Our estimate is that the number of returnees is at 90%, as of a few months ago,” reports Nguyen.

A member of the Catholic clergy for over 15 years, Nguyen displays deep concern and compassion for displaced members of MQVNC who have either chosen not to or are simply unable to return to their community in New Orleans East. He wants all members of MQVNC to know that the church is doing everything in its power to make it possible for all of its displaced members to return home. n

The Minority Report seeks to compile an ever growing and comprehensive listing of predominantly minority owned businesses located in the metropolitan New Orleans area. This list will continue to grow in quantity and expand to all categories of products and services. If you own, operate or conduct business with an entity that is not listed here and you would like to see them listed, information on how to be listed in this directory can be obtained by emailing info@ebonetworks.com or calling (504) 309-9287.

NewOrleansBlack.com encourages the support of local businesses by all of our area's residents. One of the most impactful ways to rebuild our city is by circulating our dollars back into the communities in which we live.

1.

Acct. & Tax

Services

professional Accounting & tax, llC

504-245-1741

4711 sherwood Dr. new orleans, lA 70128

Carl Johnson CpA

504-822-3084

2642 tulane Ave

Franklin tax service

504-949-1990

4110 Franklin Ave. new orleans, lA 70122

Davis Accounting & tax service

504-558-9379

1024 Jackson Ave. new orleans, lA 70130

Davis professional Accounting services, llC

504-544-7635

650 poydras st. suite #1020 new orleans, lA

whitney bookkeeping & Accounting l.C.

504-258-6138

Christian Home Health care

504-522-5584

733 Jackson Ave. new orleans, lA 70130

Charles F. webb, CpA

504-529-2229

616 barrone st. suite 205 new orleans, lA

simeon Quick tax service

504-368-5800

2.

A/C & Heating

metairie Heating and A/C

(504) 733-5558

1501 edwards Ave, new orleans lA 70123

watson Heating & Air 678-410-1038

Howard’s Heating & A/C

504-284-8554

2721 Fayette, kenner lA 70065

pride services

504-348-3945

1501 edwards Ave. new orleans, lA 70123

Air max, Inc.

504-364-8011

2707 marietta kenner, lA 70065

smith business Developers

504-329-5222

6424 pines blvd new orleans, la 70126

Circle seven General services

504-244-9837

13930 linden street

beckers A/C and Heating 504-288-7739

4758 lafaye st. new orleans, lA 70122

Interstate Heating and Cooling 504-283-2665

3.

Apparel/Retail

Goody 2 shoes

504-394-8499

113 lapalco blvd. ste 203

the shoe Closet

504-361-5564

3642 General DeGaulle Dr. new orleans, lA 70114

Angie’s boutique

504-263-0448

3580 Holiday Drive suite 104 new orleans la 70131

Diva’s shoe box

504-299-1994

2128 magazine street new orleans la. 70130

Kunflama (504) 586-1606

1920 magazine street

Formone

504-376-4770

3329 magazine street, new orleans lA 70115

spring

504-896-9185

5525 magazine street, new orleans lA 70115

Clo-Cia

504-324-9450

3000 severn Ave. ste. 1 metairie, lA 70002

lollipop kids

504-236-3164

1541 n broad street

my Closet

504-304-6760

1541 n. broad street suite b

Foot prints

985-359-1633

2917 Highway 51 suite b laplace la. 70068

Fannye’ Fashion boutique

504-894-6603

4513 magazine st. new orleans, lA 70115

shoe Funk

504-263-0222

439 terry parkway terry town lA 70056

the runway boutique

504 309 0593

1300 n broad st. new orleans, lA 70119

Appraisers 4.

richard murphy Appraisal 504-838-6005

reginal landry 504-382-7303

ricardo Getierrez 504-813-0272

warren Appraisal service 504-861-4007

louisiana real estate Inspection 504-525-4398

938 lafayette st.ste.432 new orleans lA 70113

Architects 5.

billes Architecture

504-301-1622

1055 st. Charles new orleans, lA 70130

manning Architects

504-412-2000

650 poydras new orleans, lA 70130

Hewett-washington & Associates

504-529-1417

403 barrone st. new orleans, lA 70112

byron J. stewart & Associates

504-527-5339

2300 marengo st. new orleans, l

Julie D. brown Consulting service

504-269-4455

2434 st. Charles Ave. new orleans,

perez, ApC

504-584-5100

909 poydras st. new orleans, lA 70130

6.

Artists

brandan odums

504-330-6231

nikolaus richard

504-301-5320

Frank lewis

504-269-4391

4407 tchopitoulas st.new orleans, lA 70115

7.

Attorneys & Legal Services

Dana m. Douglas

504-581-7979

701 poydras st. suite 5000 new orleans, lA 70139

sylvia pastrano, Inc

504-583-8148

p o box 2164 lake Charles, lA 70602

russ law Firm

504-821-8748

1465 n. broad st. new orleans, lA 70119

burgos & evans, llC

504-488-3722

3535 Canal st. new orleans, lA 70130

the Cochran Firm

504-613-5053

1580 ll & e tower 909 poydras st. new orleans

shorty, Dooley, & Hall, llC

504-949-2545

650 poydras st. ste. 2230

spears & spears

504-593-9500

1631 elysian Fields

8.

Automobiles

Honda motor

504-245-1777

11801 I 10 service rd new orleans lA 70128

Affordable pre owned Vehicles

505-361-8884

1440 westbank expressway Harvey lA 70058

exclusive Auto & truck Dealers

504-943-9128

2916 Franklin ave . new orleans lA 70122

oracle Valet service, llC

504-208-9472

p.o. box 15870 new orleans, lA 70175

banner Chevrolet

504-242-2000

5950 Chef mentur Hwy new orleans lA 70126

eric Hill nissan

504-245-5900

13050 I -10 service road new orleans la. 70128

Banks 9.

Dryades savings bank

504-598-7243

233 Carondolet street

liberty bank

504-240-5141

3801 Canal street

10.

Barbers/Salons

rouge beauty boutique

504-525-8686

901 Chartres st new orleans la 70116

Dokey’s Designer touch beauty salon

504 362-5409

3329 General myer Ave suite C new orleans, lA

bGD makeup Artistry

504-427-1169

unlimited stylez and kutz

504-377-1767

9000 Chef menteur Hwy. ste C new orleans la. 70128

kings and Queens barber and beauty

504-347-7131

1670 barataria blvd marrero louisiana 70072

kArAnJA bArber AnD beAuty

504-343-1211

1555 n broAD street new orleAns lA 70122

CreAtIVe ConCepts

504-949-7560

1536 ClAIborne AVe new orleAns lA. 70116

paris salon

504-361-0730

559 Holmes blvd. terrytown lA 70056

beauty In the bayou 504-339-3907

2521 bayou rd. new orleans lA 70119

Hoopz barber shop

3407 lapalco blvd. Harvey louisiana 70056

Another u

504-368-7747

2012 manhattan blvd., suite 10 Harvey lA 70058

Cuttin up

504-433-7889

8351 kabel Dr. suite C new orleans lA 70131

mr. Chill’s First Class Cuts

504-861-7530

2736 s. Carrolton Ave, new orleans lA 70118

salon elad

504-547-0004

709 tchoupitoulas street

Divine Appointment

504-362-2066

59 westbank expressway Gretna la 70053

ultimate Xperience spa

504-561-6772

938 lafayette st. new orleans, lA 70113

picture me rollin barber and beauty salon

504-451-1450

8480 morrision road ste. b new orleans la. 70126

urban suite salon and spa

504-522-8545

1925 sophie wright place

onstage Fashion & salon

985-359-0100

1019 Airline Hwy laplace, la 7006

Bridal Services 11.

Community merchant services

504 259-3380

2313 s. Village Green Harvey lA 70058

tonja’s touch

678-485-4973

p.o. box 192 Conley, GA 30288

bridal suites

985-359-5683

laplace lA

events to Completion

225-936 5089

9339 High point rd baton rouge lA 70810

warm spirit

678-683-4312

12.

Business Services

ebonetworks llC

504-309-9287

638 Camp street, new orleans la. 70130

urban entrepreneurial program

504-525-2609

917 terpsichore st. new orleans, lA 70130

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of louisiana

504-885-4262

1515 poydras st. suite 1010 new orleans, lA 70112

Afro-american book stop

504-896-9190

Community book Center

504-948-7323

2523 bayou rd. new orleans la

Java Copy

504-301-4934

616 baronne st. new orleans, lA 70113

the ups store

504-443-2115

4041 williams blvd. suite A9 kenner, lA 70065

ups

504-940-6464

1631 elysian Fields

Global mobile

504-599-9690

438 Canal st. new orleans, la 70130

lagniappe Graphix

888 687 7486

4540 Fort macomb road new orleans lA 70129

Daughters & Dad printing Inc.

504 -827-5520

2320 tulane Ave. new orleans lA 70119

weathersbee Design

504 583 1281

8944 GsrI Ave. baton rouge lA 70810

Computer Consulting & support, llC

800-983-3873

4415 shores Dr. suite 208 metairie, lA 70006

precysion technology services

504-458-1309

task Force temporary service

504-821-0772

2929 tulane Ave.

top knotch personnel

504-376-8770

3201 General De Gaulle, suite 103 new orleans, l

rDI Agency

504-610-0059

4401 Hessmer Ave. ste. 209 metairie, lA 7000

13.

Car Washing/Detailing

on the move

504-710-2924

ed’s mobile Detailing 504-430-2519

new phil 504-570-3992 p o box 74952, baton rouge lA 70874

Classic mobile Detailing 504-258-9110

bling bling Carwash 504-421-0751

5056 oak bayou marrero, lA 70072

Cleaners 14.

Ace Cleaners (504) 525-0685

1607 prytania street, new orleans, lA 70130

15.

Comm. Services

southern solutions

504-330-0247

balthazar enterprises

504-891-5504

201 st. Charles Ave. suite 2570

Davis l. electrical services, 504-949-3375

1501 Frenchman st. new

uCI Communications

504-908-1010

1305 Distributors row Harahan,

pCsno

504-458-1309

semans Center

504-529-6000

115 royal street new orleans, lA 70130

16.

Construction

ImDC, Inc

504-587-7188

1100 poydras st., suite 2900 new orleans, lA

Cnr Carpet repair & Installation

504-416-0327

1640 painters

Alexis painting Company

504-241-0574 po box 73945 metairie, lA 70033

Carpet Installation and repair

504-416-0327

Allied Construction

504-364-0724

2177 Diana st. Gretna, lA 70056

Alvin pierre & son Construction Company

504-231-4355 p o box 330 boutte, lA 40039

biagas enterprises

504-943-0897

Ignacio C. Villanueva

Harris builders, llC

504-328-2590

528 Colling Ave. marrero, lA 70072

Intergrated logistical support

504-669-7594

1100 poydras st. suite 2775 new orleans, lA

Crown Roofing

504-464-4644

324 Alimedia road st. rose, lA 70087

Danco truck & Dozer service, llC

504-398-1278

2305 Concord road belle Chasse, lA 70037

Jne enterprises InC

504-891-1577

3500 st. Charles Ave suite 206 new orleans la 7011

edward Casnave

985-259-0813

J.e s. Constructon, Inc 985-497-8433

2011 Highway #18, suite 8 edhard, lA 70049

baker ready mix Concrete

504-947-8081

2800 Frenchman st. new orleans, lA 70122

m&m Demolition

1694 n. Claiborne Ave. new orleans, lA 70116

boines Construction

504-368-2749

2401 norman street Harvey, lA 70058

Good news Construction, llC

504-453-7819

124 Janet Drive st. rose, lA 70087

Gulf states Constructors

504-877-6500

504-473-9578

p.o. box 791467 new orleans, lA 70119

17.

DJs/Video/Music

panna productions

504-202-2335

take fo records

504-821-4427

Hot 2 Def entertainment

812-568-7173

1556 london Cross Afrodisiak

504-400-7473

raj smoove

504-905-8426

big Cheez

504-905-8426

eF Cuttin

504-220-7548

3040 Fortin street, Apt D new orleans lA 70119

spin

504-329-3356

440 Central Avenue, Jefferson lA 70121

Ike t

504-416-5237

DJ Anon

504-905-8426

DJ rob Fresh

818-620-8627

Dj ro

504-669-5968

Charlie b.

504-858-9044

sean Harry

504-610-8651

11 louis Ave. new orleans, lA 70121

mo’ Hy soundz productions, llC

504-810-2922

DJ bombshell boogie - 504-202-5768

18.

Educational Services

no/AIDs task Force

(504) 821-2601

2601 tulane Avenue, suite 500 new orleans, lA 7011

kumon kenner math & reading Center

504 939- 0430

3830 williams blvd. kenner lA 70065

Business directory

s.A.w p. (study And work pay) organization

(504) 822-3503

1201 s. roman st.

Girls and boys town

504-949-9248

700 Frenchman st. new orleans, lA 70016

blue lion karate Academy

504 244 8395

3767-D General Degaulle Drive/ new orleans/ lA 701

19.

Electrical Contracting

bean electrical llC

504 947-8999

1021 poland Ave new orleans lA 70117

robinson Industries Inc.

504 254-1000

4250 michoud blvd. new orleans lA 70129

steven new electric

504 722-6046

7530 Crowder blvd. new orleans lA 70127

malone electric

504 288-4000

2657 Dreux Ave new orleans lA 70122

ted’s plumbing and electric service

504 246-6384

2200 Valance st new orleans lA 70115

otis electric

504-975-2587

20.

Electronics

balthazar electriks

504 891 5504

3701-A tchoupitoulas st/ new orleans lA 70115

the ramesseum, llC

504-782-8547

p.o. box 318152, baton rouge, la 70831-8152

the Deven mark Corporation

504-288-6353

5410 pauline Drive new olreans, lA 70126

21.

Florists

mona’s Accents

504-218-5925

2109 n. Claiborne Ave. new orleans, lA 70116

504-237-8220 | 504-269-1340

eloquent Flowers

504-371-4006

2028 paxton st. Harvey, lA 70058

22.

Funeral Services

little John’s Funeral Home

504-940-0045

2163 Arbury st. new orleans, lA 70119

louisiana undertaking Company

504-945-2145

1449 n. Claiborne Ave. new orleans, lA

rhodes Funeral Home

504-822-7162

1020 Virgil st. Gretna, lA 70053

Gertrude Geddes willis Funeral Home

504-522-2525

2120 Jackson Ave. new orleans, lA 70113

Dennis mortuary

504-899-8252

1812 louisiana Ave. new orleans, lA 70115

majestic mortuary

504-523-5872

1833 oretha Castle Haley blvd. new orleans, lA

23.

Garden Services

Creative Gardens & landscaping

504-367-9099

2232 manhattan blvd. Harvey, lA 70058

Insurance 24.

Allstate

504-362-1114

2245 manhattan blvd Harvey la. 70058

state Farm

504-885-1836

3351 severn Ave new orleans la

summit Group Insurance service Inc

504-456-1877

Imaginative Gift baskets

2920 kingman street ste 204 metairie la. 70006

25.

Janitorial Services

precise Cleaning service

504 -822-4051

2475 Canal st. new orleans lA 70119

26.

Jewelry

oscar’s Jewelers

504-779-1175

4470 Veterans blvd. metairie, lA 70006

sol’s Jewelry

504-368-7866

4041 williams blvd. suite b5 kenner, lA 70065

27.

Landscaping

Clean Cut lawn service, llC

985-713-6458

men of Vision

504-228-0141

the Garden Doctors

504-818-2626

28.

Medical Services

odyssey House louisiana, Inc.

(504) 821-9211

1125 north tonti street new orleans, lA 70119

the Clinic For total Feminine Care

504-891-6353

3720 prytania street new orleans la. 70115

Dumas Dental Clinic

504 941 6079

4201 n. rampart st

29.

Mortgage Companies

Harmony Financial Group

504-889-5626

3005 Harvard Ave. ste. 200 metairie, la. 70006

Harmony Financial Group llC

504 899-5626

3005 Harvard Avenue suite 200 metairie lA 70006

standard mortgage

504-569-3785

701 poydras suite 300 new orleans, lA 70139

premier Home lending

504 455 -9797

2920 kingman st metairie lA 7006

American Heritage Home loans, llC

504-365-5620

2209 lapalco blvd. ste FF Harvey, lA 70558

Complete Financial services

985 847 0809

3327 pontchartrain Dr. suite 103 slidell lA 70

universal mortgage lending

504-620-2600

1818 manhattan blvd. Harvey, la. 70058

30.

Motivational Speakers

Ansel J. Augustine

504-416-2906

Calvin mackie, ph.D.

504-391-0760

premier Home lending

504-455-9797

2920 kingman street ste 206 metairie la. 70006

p.o. box 312 Harvey, lA 70058

31.

Museums

Contemporary Arts Center

504-528-3805

900 Camp st. new orleans, la 70130

the ogden museum of southern Art

504-539-9613

925 Camp st. new orleans, la 70130

the national D-Day museum (504) 527-6012

945 magazine street new orleans, lA 70130

the national D-Day museum (504) 527-6012

945 magazine street new orleans, lA 70130

32.

Office Supplies

Coporate business supplies

504- 734- 3072

273 plauche street new orleans lA 70123

Pest Control

Ace pest Control Company Inc.

504 733-5058

1501 edwards Avenue new orleans lA 70123

safe spot pest Control

504 - 280-0058

p.o. box 741955 new orleans, la 70174

payless pest Control

504 282 -5544

4801 mirabeau Avenue new orleans lA 70126

Photographers

Hutson Cutno photography

504-239-8872

Foto Graphitti systems

504-410-1641

p o box 791641 new orleans, la 70179

rr murals photography

504-228-1012

exquisite Images

504 258 4494

Ab entertainment 678-471-0010

Here we Go entertainment 504-329-2942

big pint production 504-554-9514

Heads up entertainment 504-628-5323

silk production 504-650-2411

Business directory

lisa Carey real estate

504-340-3429

166 laroussini street, westwego, lA 70094

Fidelity Homestead Association

504-569-3451

201 St. Charles St. 20th fl, New Orleans, LA 70112

Jared l. lofton

281-773-7904

Cassandra sharpe real estate, Inc

504-568-1252

610 Julia st. new orleans, lA 70130

keller williams

504-994-1966

320 C lapalco blvd Gretna, lA 70056

norstar mortgage Group

504-361-6612

2330 lapalco blvd. suite 7 Harvey, lA 70058

realty Depot

504-455-2500

2920 kingman street ste 206 metairie la. 70006

Darlene wapegan- keller williams

504-258-0294

4725 Veterans blvd metairie, lA 70006

ross title Agency Inc.

504-885-3910

2920 kingman street ste 118 metairie la. 70006

Resturants 37.

Minnie’s Catfish Corner

3735 ulloa street new orleans la. 70119

snug Harbor Jazz bistro

504-949-0696

626 Frenchmen street, new orleans, lA 70116

lousiana Heritage Cafe (504) 299-8800

320 Decatur street, new orleans, lA 70130

urban Cup Cafe (504) 895-5858

4532 magazine st., new orleans, lA 70115

street orleans Cafe

504--245-1479

9000 Chef menteur Hwy. ste D new orleans la. 70128

Hobnobber’s

504-525-5428

139 Carondelet street

sake Cafe

504-894-0033

2830 magazine street new orleans la. 70115

li’l Dizzy’s Cafe

504 569-8997

1500 esplanade Avenue new orleans, lA 70116

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is open for business. Low cost and traditional air carriers, depart and arrive at Armstrong International Airport daily, make getting to and from the “Big Easy”, very easy.

For flight information, visit our website - www.flymsy.com.

Sean C. Hunter, Director of Aviation

pampy’s Creole kitchen

504 949-7970

2005 north broad street new orleans lA 70119

tiger’s Creole Cuisine

504 529-3750

1612 basin st new orleans lA 70116

new orleans seafood n’ stuff

504 296 6132

2743 Canal st. new orleans lA 70119

Quiznos sub

504 896-7435

3008 napoleon Ave new orleans, lA 70125

lyric Cafe`

504-486-8633

3841 orleans Ave. new orleans, la 70119

Vitality Juice Java and smoothie bar

504-561-7824

1205 st. Charles Avenue new orleans, lA 70130

Shoe Repair 38.

Village shoe repair

504 895-2861

3502 magazine st new orleans, lA 70115

edwards shoe service

504 895-4993

3704 magazine st. new orleans lA 70115

shine inc.

504 587-0078

201 st. Charles street new orleans lA 70170

Garden District shoe repair

504 891 7463

3511 magazine street new orleans lA 70115

Spas/Salons/Barber 39.

eula overstreet massage therapist

504-812-0342

Characters urban salon

504-473-7467

1204 Carondelet new orleans, lA 70130

De’ Hairstylist

504-782-3044

shear simplicity Hair salon & spa

504-821-5832

1019 n. broad st. new orleans, lA 70119

Travel Services

lighthouse bed & breakfast

504 254 1498

4540 Fort macomb road new orleans lA 70129

louis Armstrong new orleans International Airport

504-464-0831

900 s. Airline kenner, lA 70062

order my steps travel 540-905-2282/2283

1901 east edwardsville rd., wood river, Il 62095 u

Awesome wonders

770-594-7095

p o box 767301 roswell, GA 30076

Uniforms 41.

wF uniforms & embroidery

504-894-8885

3336 magazine st. new orleans, lA 70115

st. mary’s place

504 367-9010

3329 General myer Ave suite A new orleans, lA

42.

VIÊT VILLAGE

Business Directory Members

mQVn Community Development Corporation

504-255-9170

13042 Chateau Court

e-Z laundromat and Dry Clean

504-255-0828

4646 michoud blvd #e

Hong kong buffet

14281 Chef menteur Hwy

ken’s pharmacy Inc.

504-254-8989

4626 Alcee Fortier blvd #C

ly’s supermarket

504-254-4111

14401 peltier Dr. #130

taqueria mexico restaurant

832-643-0271

14389 Chef menteur #D

99 supermarket

504-628-7208

4646 michoud blvd

43.

VIÊT VILLAGE

Business Directory Non-Members

Anh Hong restaurant

Business directory

504-254-5009

4661 Alcee Fortier blvd #A

Café tay Do

504-254-0008

14401 peltier Dr.

Café Chot nho

504-254-4508

14401 peltier Dr. #112

Dat’s tailor Alterations

504-254-2404

14401 peltier Dr.

Discount tiles and Cabinets

504-254-0081

4655 michoud blvd

Gia long Asian restaurant

504-253-5040

4655 michoud blvd

michoud seafood

504-254-5713

4655 michoud blvd

minh Chau Jewelry

504-254-0077

14301 Chef Hwy #b

minh thuan beauty salon

504-254-4866

4636 Alcee Fortier blvd

minh Canh Grocery

504-253-9840

4661 Alcee Fortier blvd

servicios latinos Financial services

504-254-2828

4660 Fortier blvd ste b

thanh binh beauty salon

504-254-2971

4660 Alcee Fortier blvd

tien’s pharmacy

504-254-9034

4623 Alcee Fortier blvd

tram Anh music/DVD

504-254-0802

4661 Alcee Fortier blvd #b

Viet my supermarket

504-255-0560

4656 Alcee Fortier blvd

Hispanic 44. Businesses

rosales Accounting & tax services

3701 williams blvd. suite 247 kenner (504) 466-7846

el lempira travel

3901 willams blvd. #5 kenner 504 443-2883 travel agency

D.C. trading 3901 williams blvd. #5 kenner 504 669-5254

Casa de Cambio: el lempira 3901 williams blvd. #5 kenner 504 443-2883

sabor latino

3817 williams blvd. kenner 504 464-0747

Ceci's barber & beauty salon 3226 williams blvd. kenner 504 468-2323

Angela's las Carnitas 2721 roosevelt st. kenner 504 461-9600

Harmony Financial Group, llC

3005 Harvard Ave. suite 200 metarie 504 889-5626

Davidson media Group 111 Veterans blvd. suite 1810 metarie, lA 70005

504 832-3555

wFno 830 am "la Fabulosa" Ingles en un mes! p.o. box 50446 new orleans, lA 504 415-4613 translation classes

keller williams realty 4725 Veterans blvd. metarie,504 455-0100 realtor Consultant

Ana's Alterations 3817 williams blvd. kenner, lA 70065

504 443-3824

Custom alterations & tailoring

Arturo s. Vallejo 2900 Hessmer Ave. suite b metarie, lA 70002 504 456-7333

Attorney at law

Charlotte e. Viener one Canal place 365 Canal st., n.o., lA 70130

504 581 5051

Attorney at law

Business directory

Absolutely Arboreal tree technicians, llC

504 237-2280

Arboreal services

Alfa Quick service body & mechanic shop

3825 Airline Dr. metarie, lA 70001

504 849-0580

Jes Advertising specialities

1942 williams blvd. kenner, lA 70062 504 466-1483

Advertising & tax specialists

336 west Hwy 30, Gonzales 225 664-8617

musica latina

4714 magazine st. new orleans, lA 70115

504 895-4227 music store

norma's sweets bakery

3221 Georgia Ave. kenner

504 467-4309 bakery

504 467-4569 pupuseria Divino Corazon

2300 belle Chasse Highway Gretna, lA 70053

504 368-5724

Fiesta latina restaurante

1924 Airline Dr. kenner

504 468-2384

504 469-5792

Alberto latin Grocery

8104 w metarie Ave. metarie504 464-0052 supermarket

retana's pottery Imports

2929 David Dr. metarie 504 301-2085

pottery & sculptures store 504 780-7246

Iglesia bautista "el buen pastor" 5033 wabash st. metarie504 456-0263 baptist church

ImpACt servicio de limpieza en General

504 400-6681

carpet & floor cleaning specialists

Arguello Insurance

504 456-9503 independent insurance agent

Classic Insurance Agency

4207 williams blvd., suite A kenner, lA 70065

504 467-1453 insurance agency

504 467-2405

Victory Fellowship

5708 Airline Dr. metarie504 733-5005 pentecostal church

soccer station

901 Veterans blvd. metarie, lA 70005504 831-4678 your one-stop soccer Headquarters"

maria's Hair & skincare

3220 taft park metarie, lA 70005504 885-9135

beauty salon for the whole family

la pointe bar

2112 pratt st. Gretna, lA 70053504 459-8500

liborio Cuban restaurant

321 magazine st. new orleans

504 581-968

0restaurant

spanish American business Associationp.o. box 212 metarie, lA 70004

504 834-202

0political organization (sAbA)

Garces restaurant

3809 williams blvd. kenner

504 443-1223

Cuban & mexican restaurant

Cesar J. Vazquez y Asociados

909 west esplanade, suite 202 kenner, lA 70065

504 465-0908

attorney & notary

504 525-3666

Drs. labadie & labadie, A.p.l.l.C.1111 medical Center blvd. suite 250 south marrero, lA 70072

504 349-6207

obstitrician and gynecologist

CV printing

504 338-9950

roberto martinez

504 577-2960

mortgage & home refinancing

Allied mortgage Capital Corporation

Dr. myrna Collado

3330 kingman st. suite 6, metarie, lA

70006

504 888-2092Dentistry

Dentista General

DrA. teresita Hernandez

4612 Jefferson Highway. Jefferson, lA

70121504

733-9800

Dentistry

Dentista Familiar

Juan C. melguizo, D.D.s.151 meadowcrest st. suite b, Gretna, lA 70056

504 394-4990

Dentistry

Family Dentistry

blue Communications3750 williams blvd. suite 6, kenner, lA 70065

504 455-9288

Cell phone store

Cesar Alvarez

504 235-4974

computer repair

servicios de Computacion

lopez service Custom repairs & remodeling 504 400-2557

house construction & remodeling

504 393-5754

Dreams Communications 3226 williams blvd. kenner, lA 70065

504 443-5789

cell phone services and money transfers 320 lapalco blvd. Gretna, lA 70056504 433-0177

tabora Auto repair 2734 piedmont st. kenner, lA 70062

504 466-9088

auto

r & r body shop, Inc

33 26th street, kenner, lA 70062

504 469-2368auto

la nueva Hacienda restaurant

3116 north Arnoult road, suite G metarie, lA 70005

504 454-6358

restaurant 504 701-5725

American national 3815 macarthur blvd. new orleans, lA 70114

504 362-3644

Insurance

el Ceibeño Grocery

3116 n. Arnoult road, suite D metarie, lA 70002

504 459-8500

grocery store

upholstery unlimited

515 Hickory Ave. Harahan, lA 70123

504 737-0202