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One Team... One City.

 

The clouds hovering overhead that morning were the kind poets would describe as luminescent; the sky was one that artists could commit to canvas; the air was clear and dry… on the third day of May two thousand and ten.

At around 9:30 a.m., high profile citizens, many of whom have left indelible marks on New Orleans over the last four decades began streaming up St. Charles Avenue and into the cordoned off section between Lafayette Square and Gallier Hall, an area anchored in the history of our city.

For some old-timers, it was an occasion for pensive reflection; and whether they realized it or not, they, themselves, were part of the dramatic tableau. Others wended their way to designated seats, with still others stopping to greet old comrades, stooping to hug grandchildren of now graying friends, or pausing to acknowledge and cheer on the next generation --young adult offspring seeking places on the continuum of leadership and public service in the city of their fathers.

The occasion was the inaugural ceremony of Mitchell J. Landrieu.

For us, it was both comforting and sobering to reflect on the smooth transition from one regime to another, to witness the transition that marks our nation the special place that it is. No vicious warfare here, no bloodshed, no gun battles, no ambush from a former opponent… not in New Orleans. On May 3, 2010, they were changing the guard at Gallier Hall, just as they have done throughout the ages in other civilized places around the world.

On this day and in this place, if we had to guess, the lions and lionesses of yesterday… former adversaries as well as friends… were as introspective as we were. By their very presence they were pledging their support and extending well wishes to a new administration at this, a critical juncture in our city’s history.

A “Greek” chorus added to the drama. Even minor players were there to offer their talents, their voices, their sensitive and watchful critiques for accountability from the new administration in righting the vessel tossed by the ravages of Katrina then neglected, testing our people as no others have been tested… ever.

“They” were all present and with studied deliberation each took his or her place front and center, shoulder to shoulder. In an implied spirit of unity, they came together at this hour in spite of past acrimony and disagreements exhibited at one time or another by them all.

Regrets? We suspect there were a few that day.

The incoming mayor’s father Moon Landrieu, the city’s last White mayor and the one who had opened doors at City Hall to Black employees some 40 years ago, had to have felt proud and vindicated for the hard stands he had taken on the side of right, now watching his son's investiture as mayor. Community icon and Xavier University president Dr. Norman Francis, a Landrieu point guard who shares a cherished friendship with the new mayor’s father going back to the days when they were students together, was there running interference for his old friends. Sybil Morial, who had reigned as mayor consort at her husband Ernest N. Morial, the city’s first Black mayor’s side for eight years, proudly escorted her daughter Monique, only six years old when her father was inaugurated and now a candidate for public office herself. Sidney Barthelemy and his wife Mickey, Black mayor number two, who brought equanimity and balance to the city when we needed it most, was there. Marc Morial, a mover and player on the national scene, was in from his Wall Street office at the National Urban League, which he heads as president, serving as counselor to the White House on matters critical to urban areas. And of course, Ray Nagin was present, we suspect, relieved to be stepping down from what had been a tumultuous tenure marked by endless and distracting carping from petty critics post-Katrina, as he shepherded a drowned city to the shores of recovery in five short years… remarkable when you think about it.

Yes. They had all come and the symbolism of their standing together was not lost on those gathered. The image of their joining on behalf of the city that they all love prompted each in the audience to reach deep down inside him or herself, put aside rancor and past differences.

After opening with a prayer of thanksgiving, the new mayor, Mitchell J. Landrieu, magnanimously thanked those who had “helped the city survive, recover and rebuild.” And with the same grace he had exhibited during his 2006 run for mayor, Landrieu thanked Mayor Nagin and Seletha for their “service to the city during a most difficult time.”

In the tradition of Sankofa, Mayor Landrieu looked back while looking forward to our city’s future. In the cadence of a Baptist minister, he challenged us to begin with a single step etched in the footprints of those who have gone before. We smiled when he called out the names of two of our personal favorites—P.B.S. Pinchback and Homer Plessy, citizens whose spirited resistance in the face of oppression continue to guide us.

Our new mayor did not gloss over nor minimize the tasks at hand. To his credit, he acknowledged racism as still pervasive in our community and he used the occasion of his inaugural speech to address in a memorable refrain promises not kept to certain of our citizens. The new mayor has assured that his administration will attack the monumental problems the city and many of our forgotten citizens continue to face.

We offer our help.

We wish him well.