Zulu takes a stand against youth violence
23rd January 2017 · 0 Comments
As residents of New Orleans continue to grapple with the rise in violence that shows no sign of letting up, members of the city’s premier Black carnival organization have stepped up to be part of the solution rather than bystanders or powerless victims.
Last week, members of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club took those efforts to students at Fannie C. Williams Charter School where they taught young people about the importance of conflict resolution and nonviolence.
While some might expect members of arguably Mardi Gras’ most popular group to devote all of their time and energy to preparing for the Big Day, they have demonstrated their connection to and interest in uplifting and empowering the community by taking a more active role in promoting peace and ending the plague of violence that has touched most of the city’s residents in one way or another.
While this is not the first time Zulu has taken a stand against violence in New Orleans, this latest effort will be underscored by the group’s decision to promote nonviolence as part of its theme for Mardi Gras 2017.
“Your dreams can come true,” King Zulu-elect Adonis Expose told hundreds of students last week at Williams Charter School.
Zulu members told the spellbound students that they have a responsibility to choose peace over conflict and to look out for one another.
“You have to be your brother and your sister’s keeper,” Zulu Witch Doctor Darrin Williams told the students.
The community outreach event shows how seriously Zulu takes its role as not only a fan-favorite Carnival krewe but active community leaders who put their time, energy and effort into initiatives that seek to promote a safer, better city and community.
“They have to see a positive role model,” Expose told WWL News.
Zulu’s king-elect told WWL that Zulu will lead by example and reach out to young people at Fannie C. Williams Charter School and across the city as accessible, real-life role models.
“We are everyday people,” Expose explained. “We go to work every day to support our families, so if the kids see the positive things that we are doing I think they will take on to that and try to follow our lead.”
Teaching conflict resolution and serving as role models takes on an added importance as young people have become increasingly susceptible to the crime and violence plaguing New Orleans today and find themselves in dangerous situations in their everyday lives.
“I just wanted the people who were fighting to get along,” Williams student Bryce Sanders told WWL as he recalled a fight he saw between two classmates.
The weighty message was not lost on Williams’ students, who know all too well how big a problem violence is in New Orleans.
“I think it was a very easy message to understand. I feel like my friends will get it — my family and my peers,” said Mi’Netra Gobernado, a student.
The insightful young student was clearly inspired by the visit from Zulu members and hopeful about the future after hearing what members of the organization had to say about the role each member of the community plays in finding peaceful resolutions to inevitable conflicts.
“The excitement I feel is very great because King Zulu is sending a message that says stop violence,” added Gobernado.
This article originally published in the January 23, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
