Mardi Gras

Princess Tiana, now a restaurateur, is throwing a Mardi Gras party, and we need to get there at once.

Set in New Orleans, it references slave plantations, segregation, Hurricane Katrina and police brutality, while simultaneously celebrating southern culture - from Mardi Gras and step-dancing to black cowboys and marching bands.

Their romance has inspired a Mardi Gras float, been referenced in Australia's education syllabus, and even featured in the Netflix series Atypical.

Her parents were big participants in Mobile Mardi Gras, each in a parading organization — her mom a Polka Dot, her dad a Striper — and they brought the party to the Island most every weekend.

These pieces provide an insider’s view of the city’s legendary Mardi Gras Indians, as well as Mississippi’s Free Southern Theater during the Black Arts movement.