Tales From the Quarter

Book Your Party Now! Neighborhood Fine Dining in the • REHEARSAL DINNERS • BUSINESS MEETINGS • SOCIAL OCCASIONS • INTIMATE RECEPTIONS For event inquiries contact events@annunciationrestaurant.com Book Your Party Now! • REHEARSAL DINNERS • BUSINESS MEETINGS • SOCIAL OCCASIONS • INTIMATE RECEPTIONS Heart of the Warehouse District Book Your Party Now! • REHEARSAL DINNERS • BUSINESS MEETINGS • SOCIAL OCCASIONS • INTIMATE RECEPTIONS Book Your Holiday Party Now! • REHEARSAL DINNERS • BUSINESS MEETINGS •SOCIAL OCCASIONS •INTIMATE RECEPTIONS DINE-IN & TAKE OUT THURSDAY–SUNDAY 5PM–10PM For event inquiries contact events@annunciationrestaurant.com For event inquiries contact events@annunciationrestaurant.com Reservations@AnnunciationRestaurant.com

Please Call for Reservations (504) 568-0245 DINE-IN & TAKE OUT THURSDAY–SUNDAY 5PM–10PM THURSDAY–MONDAY 5PM-10PM DINE-IN & TAKE OUT THURSDAY–SUNDAY 5PM–10PM Wednesday thru Monday 5pm-close Please Call (504)Please Call (504) for Reservations 568-0245for Reservations 568-0245

1016 Annunciation St.

New Orleans, LA 70130 www.annunciationrestaurant.com1016 Annunciation St. New Orleans, LA 70130 www.annunciationrestaurant.com 1016 Annunciation St. New Orleans, LA 70130 www.annunciationrestaurant.com

Empathy

The absolute power of a song to reach that soft spot in your heart, to make you—make you—wake up and feel empathy for someone you might have walked past. Every day we unwittingly turn a blind eye to someone that needs to be seen, to be respected. Sure you might never have the resources to rescue that person from the streets, from life under the overpass, but a smile, a hello, can convey respect. And who knows, once you see that person as someone who is more than just a hot mess, once you realize that they have a story and that sometimes reasons beyond their control forced their plight, maybe you will then go a step further to assist them in some manner.

The first time I really listened to “The Underdog” by Ms. Keyes (and co-composers Ed Sheeran, Jonny Coffer, Johnny McDaid, Amy Wadge, Foy Vance), it felt visceral. The words, the music, even the video all hung in my head and played over and over as I walked past those lost souls with an elevated highway for a roof and filthy sidewalks and concrete neutral grounds to live upon. One day heading to work in the Quarter, I walked past a homeless lady who I had side-swiped with a degree of indifference for months—hell, perhaps even a year. But this time I stopped and said, “Good morning,” and she looked up and smiled and returned the greeting with a heart-stopping smile. I was surprised by her beauty. Had I assumed she would be some drug/alcohol-addled mess? Was it easier to pass her up each day thinking she self-induced her situation? Perhaps I lumped her in with her milk crates, bags, and all the detritus of her sheltering-in-place. Whatever. The point is I dehumanized her. Unwittingly, yes, but nonetheless. Her articulate manner and loveliness surprised me. And shame on me for forgetting that any of us could be in her situation. We exchanged names and, for a brief moment each day, now we exchange pleasantries. Her name is Lois. Will I ever be in a position to really help her? I do not know. But I like to think it all begins with respect.

Empathy is the first step to respect. Once this emotion is tapped into and you have a moment to walk in their shoes, so to speak, you can better respect how life feels in those shoes. It has long been understood that reading fiction helps to develop empathy, just as journalism, film, theater, and music have the power to enhance and nurture compassion and understanding. Take for example how a film or a theater production can illustrate a point, present an alternate viewpoint, or simply put you in the shoes of another. For a couple of hours, you can become one with a character (historical or fictitious) and be immersed in their world.

She was walking in the street And the power of good television can allow

Looked up and noticed someone to see the humanity in someone He was nameless he was homeless that they might otherwise never know.

She asked him his name and Let’s consider All in the Family (Norman Lear’s

Told him what hers was CBS comedy, 1971-1979), which gave people like my —Alicia Keys parents, from the comfort of their recliners, an opportunity to “invite” Black folks into their home. For many Americans living in White communities, this was a big deal. Whether by choice or happenstance, many towns are without diversity, especially back in the 70s in places like my hometown of Mobile. And the same goes for Black families that never knew an Archie Bunker and never got to even imagine that some redneck could actually have a heart. Yes, I am over-simplifying the complex issue of systemic racism and social segregation, but I stand by my belief that any inroad into another person’s world creates empathy. How can you laugh with and love a character and not reconsider, in real life, preconceived notions about those people seemly different from yourself? Music is visceral. The poignant and gutkicking lyrics of Tre Burt’s “By the Jasmine” exemplify the dangers of walking while Black. The song’s hero, Dante, simply went for a walk one night, headphones on, and, “He let the soundtrack move him through the city… Karen Johnson was out jogging…she bought a house for next to nothing…across the street from where our hero lays his head..And on a poor lit street she saw Dante standing…to her he looked like a big black gun…reached for her phone dialed 911 and in a matter of minutes Dante was gone.” Maybe my white privilege will never place me first hand within such a tragedy that the Dantes of the world face daily, but I, we, must not only know of these societal atrocities but feel them and take them to heart. Not all of life’s lessons involve pain and death, but they do require attention. Understanding, sympathy, and empathy most certainly can grease the wheels and make everyday life smoother and kinder. Sometimes it isn’t literature or music that summons a rapport with someone else—it can be as simple as remembering that first day at a job when you screwed up everything and were so grateful for an understanding and patient customer. Be that customer next time your server or cashier is only human and in error. And take a moment to look up and smile at a person you pass on the street. They might just need to feel respected, if only by a stranger. And if lucky, you both rise up. One conversation, a simple moment The things that change us if we notice When we look up, sometimes —Alicia Keyes.