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... entering New Orleans from the highway ...
New Orleans - the island in the swamp - is much more metropolitan than
one would expect after finding it on the map. Accordingly, we were given
a leaflet by the Police Department informing tourists about safe areas
and areas we should avoid entering.
Xavier University (ks)
At Xavier University we were invited to a German class. Only a few students
took part in that class; we outnumbered them. After introducing ourselves,
the American students, all of whom were Afro-Americans, said a few sentences
about themselves in German which was not too easy for them because they
had only had five weeks of German. Afterwards, we could ask the students
questions about the university. We also watched a film about Xavier University
which was produced to be shown at high schools in order to attract students.
 From
the film and the conversation with the students we learned that among
235 Catholic colleges Xavier is the only black school. It was established
by a Catholic women's order in 1925. We were told that students at Xavier
achieve extraordinary results and more students from this university are
admitted to medical schools than from other universities. This might be
due to the fact that the university staff has made it its aim to prepare
young people for leadership. The professor-student ratio of 1:15 is also
very impressive. In the film one student even talked of a family-like
atmosphere at the university.
Professor Eskew had organized for us to have lunch in the main cafeteria
with some of the students. So we had the opportunity to informally discuss
topics that did not come up during the more official talk. After lunch
some Xavier students led us about their campus.
Being enrolled at a Catholic institution, students are required to take
two semesters of theology. In addition we were told that the university
chapel is very active. Even interfaith revivals are taking place, and
retreat weekends are planned on a regular basis. Of course, we wanted
to know whether students have to be Catholic, which is not the case as
we learned. This openness probably takes into consideration that many
African-Americans are Baptists.
The students and also their professor, Dr. Margaret Eskew, seemed to be
proud that there is a great interest among students to study abroad which
is not necessarily the case throughout the United States (as we learned
for example at Savannah State University). Xavier has links with universities
in Mexico City, in Quebec and in France. A German program was also introduced
two years ago. One Xavier student is in Berlin on a Fulbright grant at
the moment.
Many foreign students enroll at Xavier, too. In the past there have been
many Nigerians, but also students from Vietnam. At present students of
23 foreign nationalities are attending Xavier University.
October 15
City and grave yard tour guided by Joseph Logsdon (br)
Prof Logsdon and Gail Williams (van driver and owner) met us for
a guided bus tour through New Orleans.  We
stopped several times, for example at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 and Lafayette
Cemetery No. 1.
Various old Cemeteries, scattered throughout the city, were originally
built because of the moist soil. Water would fill the graves even before
the coffins were lowered. Most burials are still above ground because
of custom rather than necessity.
After a very informative city tour we went to Dooky Chase's Restaurant
for lunch. It is a famous restaurant. Ms. Chase, the owner and a great
cook, told us that formerly it was a meeting place of civil rights movement
activists.
We would encounter the name Chase again the next day when we were to meet
her son, Edgar Chase, during a talk at Liberty bank
.
October 17
Liberty Bank (sb/br)
Participants: - Ann D. Duplessis, Vice President Retail Banking, Regional
Manager N. O.
- Kevin Williams, Business Lending & Economic Development, Vice President
- Edgar Chase, Chairperson Division of Business, Dillard University
- L. D. Lang , Accountant with Leon - Fulton Insurance
- Don De Vore, Executive Director Amistad Research Center
 Edgar
Chase welcomed us and gave a short report on the development in the
banking business. Until 1964 the United States was an economically segregated
society. This started to change with the Civil Rights Act in 1964 with
its important Title VII that guaranteed Equal Employment Opportunity.
Now it became easier for Black owned businesses to survive. Prior to 1964
the banking business was controlled by whites. After 1964 there was much
more competition so that some banks failed whereas Liberty Bank was able
to survive. Today, Liberty Bank and Trust Company ranks among the top
African-American owned banks in the United States.
Ann Duplessis provided some information on creating a minority-owned
bank. She mentioned that the Federal Government regulates all banks. There
is a law, the CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) that requires banks to
reinvest in the community. In order to acquire wealth and build assets
you need resources. The community aspect is not only financial; among
others, Liberty Bank supports Louisiana Young Bankers, The Louisiana Black
Heritage Festival, and the Annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive. Every year
there is a "Save Our Schools"-raffle where 80 cents of each
dollar are used for schools.
Kevin Williams, who graduated from Xavier University, stated that
the majority of jobs are created in small businesses in the country now.
Manufacturing operations are shipped overseas, there is an out-migration
to Korea, Japan and China. Large corporations are dealing with major downsizing,
as it is described by the employees in contrast to the management that
calls it "rightsizing". Small businesses have a high failure
rate (60 to 80 per cent). Mr. Williams introduced Business Assistance
Resources that Liberty Bank has to offer such as Management and Technical
Assistance, Business Incubators, Special Financing Programs, Tax Credit
& Incentives, Procurement Assistance & Networking, and International
Trade Opportunities.
Ann Duplessis added that Liberty or other minority banks more readily
lend money since they understand the lifestyle of their customers better.
L.D. Lang who represented the largest Black insurance company in
Louisiana said that today the adaptability to changing markets is higher.
The history of Black business stands in close connection to the Civil
Rights Movement and its achievements. It might even be possible to say
that it was dependent on its progress. Before 1964 the country was divided
into white and black and so was the economy. People lived in an economically
segregated society. As we learned from the explanations of our discussion
partners this was not too bad for Blacks in business. Their customers
would have hardly succeeded in going to white shops. They were captives
of the laws of segregation. This changed after the Civil Rights Act and
after release of Title VII. It became much harder for Black-owned businesses
to survive, not to mention to grow and expand. Black people were no longer
bound to the businesses in their communities but could choose where to
go. This meant much more competition and forced many Black businesses
to merge in order to survive.
The demand of minority-owned banks grew rapidly. Because there were only
banks owned by whites it was very hard for members of minorities to find
any financing. This is to be explained by the fact, that white-owned banks
simply did not have the understanding of the community and its problems
and would hardly accept the higher risks of financing businesses from
poorer communities because banks cannot afford to work with a loss rate
higher than one per cent. It became vital to Black business people to
have their own banks which could understand their community and problems
and accept higher risks. In New Orleans the Republic National Bank developed
as the first African-American bank, Liberty Bank, which we visited, developed
second.
Banks do not exclusively deal with money problems. Especially for banks
with minorities as customers it is very important to have connections
to other institutions as is realized in such programs like the Community
Reinvestment Act (CRA) or Retail Banking. Retail Banking for instance
means cooperating with social institutions such as schools. In this example
banks provide money for education. This is an essential point to the Black
communities, because without proper education it is impossible to be competitive
on the job market as was the fact in former years for the African-American
society.
The huge companies are a problem for small Black-owned businesses (as
well as for any other small businesses) and African-American society.
Though most jobs in the US are created by small businesses it is hard
for these small businesses to survive. High labor costs result in many
manufacturing systems being shipped overseas. To avoid this there are
several programs to prevent companies from growing too big (downsizing,
rightsizing) in order to keep the small businesses competitive enough
to survive. In addition to preventing big companies from growing too large
there are programs to help small businesses to overcome the critical first
year (most new businesses fail in the first year). One of these programs
provides an office for several small businesses that takes care of all
the paperwork for the business and thus makes it possible for them to
save money. Furthermore, all the cities and counties try to keep taxes
for companies as low as possible or tax breaks high in order to attract
new businesses and keep existing ones from moving away. Unfortunately
though, the larger companies do have their share of these programs as
well.
Because Black businesses and workers were excluded from basic health insurance
and services for a long time, this was another branch that promised profit
to minority-owned businesses. The Leon-Fulton Insurance Company developed
and obtained big parts of this sector for African-Americans. It is based
on the premise that "nothing goes out unless something comes in".
In the eyes of our discussion partners the key to business is adaptability
to market changes. For businesses it is important to accept and adopt
things from the environment. But above all, it is important to be aware
of their African-American identity and that the core market for African-American
businesses still remains African-American.
Houmas House Plantation and Gardens (kb)
On our last day in New Orleans we visited Houmas House,
a plantation on an island in the Mississippi River. Surrounded by swamp
area, the ground welcomed us with its beautiful garden and the bright
white facade of the main building. We were guided on our tour by a Southern
Belle dressed in pink, who told us about Southern lifestyle in great details.
 Houmas
House derived its name from the Houmas Indians, who originally held this
strip of land. Colonial archives show that Houmas Plantation was part
of the land Maurice Conway and Alexandre Latil purchased from them. Latil
built the rear house in the last quarter of the eighteenth century while
Louisiana was under Spanish domination. Therefore, the original structure
has many Spanish characteristics. Furthermore, several buildings reveal
French influences. In 1812, the tract was purchased by a famous Revolutionary
War hero, General Wade Hampton of South Carolina. His daughter, Caroline
Preston, built the magnificent Greek revival mansion known as Houmas House
in 1840. The original four-room dwelling was preserved and attached to
the main building by an arched carriage way. From 1858 onwards the plantation
was the possession of an Irishman, John Burnside. Under his direction,
Houmas Plantation grew to 20,000 acres, and became the largest sugar plantation
in the United States at that time. The changing history of Houmas House
ended in 1940, when Dr. George B. Crozat purchased the house and the remaining
grounds from the previous owners. Dr. Crozat restored the buildings, rejuvenated
the gardens, and designed new ones. He devoted the last twenty-five years
of his life to reviving the plantation's beauty. His heirs have opened
this historic mansion for visitors and admirers.
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