The 821 Project

We celebrate our hard-fought progress as a country on this Juneteenth, the second as a Federal holiday. It is very significant that our country acknowledges this day though we've yet to heal from the horrors of chattel slavery. However, we must also acknowledge the many challenges that we face and must overcome for racial equity. Most importantly, we must also be hopeful that we will overcome those challenges.

We are again deeply disheartened by yet another mass shooting that took place, this time in Uvalde, TX.

We are thinking of the parents robbed of an opportunity to raise their children.We are thinking of the town of Uvalde, robbed of an opportunity to see what wonderful gifts these children would have been able to give to it. We are also thinking of the two teachers who spent decades in service to generations of students and are no longer here with us.

As human beings, we deserve to live in a world where we feel secure, safe, and affirmed. Every day that our legislators do not act on gun violence, no matter the circumstance, is another day our access to that right in its fullness is denied.

We send love to families in mourning. We stand in solidarity and send encouragement to the activists and leaders across the country who fight tirelessly against gun violence.

On this Memorial Day, we honor the service members of every cultural and generational background who died while serving in the US Armed Forces. We also extend thoughts of healing and support to those who are mourning their loved ones.

The 821 Project will continue to work towards a more peaceful and just world to honor those service members who are no longer with us.

Baton Rouge! Take a look at this!

No passport required: 10 international markets in Baton Rouge with food from around the world There's no need to leave Baton Rouge to get a taste of exotic foods from faraway places.

ICYMI: Our interview with Home is Here NOLA co-directors Julie Yael Ward and Lilian Alvarez is available to watch and listen to now! Click the link below to watch or listen to our conversation!

https://youtu.be/S30CIpY6A6Y

Our interview with Julie Yael Ward and Lilian Alvarez is now posted!

Julie Yael and Lilian are both co-directors for Home is Here NOLA. In this interview, we talk about what drives Julie Yael and Lilian to do the work they do, the inequities immigrants often face in the immigration and incarceration systems, and how Home Is Here NOLA helps addresses them.

To watch/listen, click https://youtu.be/S30CIpY6A6Y!

Our interview with Julie Yael Ward and Lilian Alvarez will be posted this Friday, May 13th! We're looking forward to you all watching our conversation with these two profound community leaders.

Julie Yael and Lilian are both co-directors for Home is Here NOLA. In this interview, we talk about what drives Julie Yael and Lilian to do the work they do, the inequities immigrants often face in the criminal justice system, and how Home Is Here NOLA helps addresses them.

Since 1978, May has been designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. We are celebrating the historical and contemporary contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans to our country in the arts, food, politics from the local to global level, healthcare, journalism and activism.

Take this month to brush up on your history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Expand your roots, knowledge and capacity for empathy now and always.

April is National Poetry Month. At 821, we see the connection between poetry and global citizenship. It is through poetic expression that we build bridges, break down walls and speak truths about the human condition. Every culture across the globe has a poetic tradition, ranging from poetry slams and open mics in the United States to the Mahabarata epic poem in India.

To read some of our past braided poems from past NPM workshops, check out our website!

Ramadan Mubarak to everyone in the Muslim community who is celebrating in southeast Louisiana and beyond!

We are wishing you a blessed holiday filled with peace, community, and restoration.

The war in Ukraine has us disturbed and disheartened. There are no winners on either side of an armed conflict.

War and violence cannot fill a void left by an absence of peace.

March 8th is International Women’s Day! We are celebrating by achievements of women worldwide and the ongoing journey to achieve true equality and equity for women locally and internationally.

It is also Women’s History Month. While we consider every month to be Women’s History Month, March is a great time to brush up on all the exciting advancements women have made throughout human history in the arts, music, religion, science, literature, politics, sports and activism.

In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Annie Allen. In 1976, she became the first African-American woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was also appointed Poet Laureate for the state of Illinois and the U.S. Poet Laureate for the 1985-1986 term.

In 1967, Carl Strokes was elected mayor of Cleveland, becoming the first Black mayor of Cleveland and one of the first Black mayors of America’s top 10 largest cities. After serving as mayor, he was an anchorman in New York City and was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador for the Republic of Seychelles in 1994. His greatest legacy was preserving the Cuyahoga River and expanding the environmentalism movement to include intersections with race and class.

Carol Moseley Braun is the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, serving from 1993-1999 for the state of Illinois. She was also the first female senator to be elected in the state of Illinois. Following her time as senator, she was appointed as the Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa from 1999 to 2001.

Andre Leon Talley was Vogue’s first African American male creative director from 1988 to 1995, and then its editor at large from 1998 to 2013. In 2020, France awarded him the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres honor for arts and letters. Also being a native of Durham, North Carolina, he received the North Carolina Award for his role in literature in 2021.

Ebony Fashion Fair was a famous Black fashion fair that traveled internationally from 1958 until 2009. The traveling showcased both Black designers and haute couture equally, making fashion accessible for African Americans. Today, the Fashion Fair has a cosmetics line.

Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate, representing the state of Mississippi in 1870 and 1871. After this achievement, he became the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College.

In 1963, Diahann Carroll became the first African American to be nominated for an Emmy. She was nominated for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role. She would also be nominated for 3 more Emmys throughout her lifetime, receiving her final honor in 2011 when she was inducted in the Emmys Hall of Fame.

In 1876, Edward Alexander Bouchet became the first African-American to earn a doctorate degree from an American university when he completed a PHD in Physics. He was also the first African American to graduate from Yale in 1874.

Here’s a Black History Fact that may be relevant to Peace Corps Alums. In 1977, Dr. Carolyn R. Payton became the first African-American and the first woman, appointed director of the Peace Corps. She was also a psychologist who was a pioneer within the American Psychological Association for Black women.

Jay Jaxon is often overlooked in the fashion world. He was one of the first African American fashion designers to work in Parisian fashion houses like Jean-Louis Scherrer, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior. He is also known for having designed for many major stars like Annie Lennox and for films like the 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

In 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney graduated from the New England Hospital For Women and Children, and in turn became the first African-American to graduate from a formal American nursing school.

In 2016, Dr. Carla Hayden became the first African-American to serve as the Librarian of Congress. She is also the first professional librarian to hold the position since 1974.