It goes without saying that Mardi Gras is a special time of year in New Orleans when the city comes together to celebrate one of the most historic cultural events in America. Unfortunately, this year's festivities took a dark turn when a young black girl experienced overt racism for the first time.
According to NOLARailyn Lee was celebrating her 7th birthday with her family on Sunday when she caught a black doll with Mardi Gras beads tied around its neck in a noose-like fashion. The racist effigy was thrown from a parade float called “Crack Pipe” that was operated by Krewe van Tucks, an irreverent Mardi Gras group known for satire, political parody, and over-the-top behavior. The girl's father, George Lee, did not realize what the doll was until taking inventory of the items they had collected throughout the day.
“At first I was pretty sad,” he said.
“Her innocence had to be taken away from her. She didn't understand why she couldn't. And that's not a conversation to have with a 7-year-old.”
A post on social media showing the doll in question sparked outrage and demands for accountability.
Shayna Lee, Railyn's mother, also released a statement expressing her anger and sadness that her child was tackled this way on her birthday.
The righteous outrage became so loud that the mayor of the city, Helena Moreno, responded and invited the family to watch another parade with them.
Community leaders and civil rights activists representing SCLC, NAACP, ACORN, and National Action Now gathered publicly to demand consequences for Krewe of Tucks.
“We want accountability,” said Janet Tobias of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “We want the krewe to pay a $5,000 fine. We also want to meet with that organization (the Krewe of Tucks) and we want them to be on probation.”
WWLTV reports that Krewe of Trucks has confirmed that it has fired two of its crew members over the incident.
“Given the history of racism in the country, state, city, and Mardi Gras itself, we know that the image of beads tied around the neck of a black doll is evocative of painful history,” the krewe said in the statement.
“We also recognize that racism is not a thing of the past, but continues to plague our community and our country. It is very important that any racist gesture or sentiment is swiftly addressed.”
The krewe added that they are contacting New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, Council President JP Morrell, and Attorney General Liz Murrill to discuss the matter further.
We will continue to follow this story for updates.
