Monday, February 20, 2017

At 5:30, we awoke with a sense of urgency for the day.  Everyone started their day in a variety of manners, such as basketball, jogging, showering, or packing their lunch. After a sight-filled, hour-long drive over Lake Pontchartrain, we arrived at Green Light New Orleans. After receiving our directions from Mia, the director, we were ready to start our extraordinary adventure.

Green Light New Orleans is a non-profit group organized to provide people with energy efficient light bulbs. These are designed to lower the electric bills of those in need and reduce the carbon footprint citywide. After giving the resident of Jefferson Parish receiving light bulbs a call, we headed over to install the lights in any lamp that didn’t already have an energy efficient light. This journey was filled with gratefulness and gratitude from those who received our help.

Green Light New Orleans

How many BC High students does it take to change a light bulb?

Bulbs again

After completing our list of assignments, we traveled to the heart and soul of New Orleans; the French Market. Here we saw dishes and cultures that were unique to New Orleans. This included, bands, solo artists, and street performers, along with the taste testing of alligator on a stick, and some sweets such as pralines. In addition there were numerous stores that caught our attention. Here many souvenirs, clothing, and other commodities were being sold. 

French Market - Gator on a stick, Gator bites

After roaming the streets of New Orleans, Christian Unity Baptist Church was our next destination for the Justice and Beyond meeting.   Here, we started in a fashion similar to always, in prayer.  After joining hands, the Church gifted us with a well-cooked meal of rice, chicken, and beans. We began introducing ourselves to everyone present. Once everyone became familiar with one another, we began listening to Dr. Alan Colon. He gave us an informative, historical presentation on Black History and how it applies to life today. One major concept we took out of this talk was the idea of looking back on the past in order to create our own history, and a better future. We finished this experience off by introducing ourselves personally to Dr. Colon, and we discovered how we can bring what we learned back into our personal lives.

Justice and Beyond Meeting with Rev. Deanna Vandiver and Rev. Dwight Webster

By: Tommy O’Heir and Max Murphy