The Two Louisianas

I describe my family as being from the“Two Louisianas.” My mother’s family hails from Anglophone,Protestant Louisiana( De Soto,Natchitoches and East Carroll parish) . Her ancestors migrated into Louisiana from Georgia, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina before and after the Civil War. She is a 4th-generation Louisianian.

My father’s family originated in Francophone,Catholic Louisiana(St. Landry, Evangeline,St. Mary,Orleans,St. Charles) and his ancestors have been in Louisiana for 300 years.

My parents met in Houston-a huge cosmopolitan city where Louisiana Creoles and African-Americans from Northern Louisiana and Texas encountered each other. I grew up surrounded by this cultural gumbo. My roots in the boot are deep and my ancestors’ steps are embedded in the swamps, marshes, bayous and cotton fields of that place.

My ancestors’ voices linger in the air of Baptist,Methodist and Catholic churches and they pray to the Saints and kneel to Jesus at the altar. Their spirits dine on fried fish,gumbo, crayfish,meat pies,okra and boudin. They dance to country music, moan to the blues, shout to gospel and groove to zydeco and jazz music.Their bodies rest in cemeteries in rural towns and cities all over Louisiana.