Our journey in the 5-0-4
Sometimes I find myself engulfed in what I feel is the best part of New Orleans. In my opinion, the best part of the city is the people that make it up. After having lunch with my sister, my aunt, and a friend, I decided to join my friend as she returned to work at Loyola University. We drove down Claiborne and reached her workplace shortly thereafter.
I was to take the streetcar back to the CBD, so I jumped on at the corner of St. Charles & Broadway. I sat on the front seat, about an arm’s length from the rather animated streetcar conductor, who must’ve been training because an RTA employee stood behind him, nor was he wearing an RTA uniform. The ride was quite eventful, as we were nearly hit by an SUV trying to take a left while the streetcar rolled down St. Charles, near Nashville Ave. Somewhere near Louisiana Ave., an old African American couple (probably in their late 70’s, early 80’s) made their way onto the streetcar and I couldn’t help but watch as they sat directly across from me. The image of this couple will probably stay in my mind for the rest of my life.
For anyone to fully understand, I must present a description of the couple. The old, dark-skinned gentlemen wore a button-up navy blue shirt with navy blue shorts and a gold belt. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses under the brim of a navy blue World War II Veteran cap. The old woman wore a sunflower print dress and a red cap covered in shiny, red sequins. The most noticeable part of the couple was their shoes. They wore matching shoes (reminiscent of the original Keds style) spray-painted entirely in gold, with red and green shoelaces. Their outfits caught my attention immediately, but without saying a word, it was their demeanor that spoke to me.
The woman had some of the most spectacular eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. They screamed subtlety, if that makes any sense at all. They looked deep, as if they carried years of life experience in struggles and successes. They both spoke softly, and kept to themselves but not in an anti-social way. On the other hand, they peered in my direction several times during our journey down St. Charles Ave.
It was nothing they said, because we didn’t speak. It was the idea of whom they were that impressed me. At their age, chances are they dealt with some form of racism, if they, in fact, lived the entirety of their lives in New Orleans. In a nutshell, they are living proof of success in the face of adversity. They are a minority. They are married. They are actively participating in the everyday functions of city transportation. As meaningless as it may be to some, it represents the future of a NEW New Orleans to me.
Why would I write a blog about this on LatiNOLA? See, it was the idea of this old African American couple that I hope we will see in the streets of New Orleans within the next few decades. As of now, the majority of Latinos I see on the streetcar or on the streets of New Orleans are relatively young, blue collar workers. I look forward to the days when the impact of generations of Latino families can be felt; when I will board the streetcar and see an old Hispanic couple going from one part of the city to the other. I look forward to the days when Latinos are a part of the community, as opposed to construction workers and maids.
The future of Latinos in New Orleans in the hands of…well…Latinos in New Orleans. Some of the workers who came into the city post-Katrina will go elsewhere in a couple years. Some of the people who grew up here will leave or have already left for other opportunities. But as long as a group of Latinos become a part of New Orleans on all levels and express the necessity of the continuation of that trend, we will BE New Orleans, not just a segment of an era.
Tags: community, hispanic, latino, latinola, new orleans