New Orleans Community Health Improvement Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

New Orleans Community Health Improvement Report New Orleans Community Health Improvement Report Community Health Profile & Community Health Improvement Plan Prepared by: the New Orleans Health Department January 2013 NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT REPORT LETTER FROM THE HEALTH COMMISSIONER In keeping with Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s commitment to improve the quality of life for the citizens of New Orleans, the Mayor and I are pleased to present this Community Health Improvement assessment and planning document. This booklet contains two reports, the Community Health Profile and Community Health Improvement Plan which are companion documents intended to complement each other and paint a broad picture of the state of community health in New Orleans. They are also available on the web at http://new.nola.gov/health. The reports are the result of a formal community health Improvement assessment and planning effort reflect over 18 months of collaborative work with agency partners and community stakeholders to establish a shared vision, conduct a comprehensive community health assessment, and develop an assets-based planning document. Using the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) framework as our guide we conducted four interdependent assessments that, when combined, provide a comprehensive snapshot of the specific health needs and opportunities in our community. Data from the community health assessment process was used to prioritize strategic issues to be included in the Community Health Improvement Plan. We are thankful for the support of over 100 stakeholders and partners from across multiple sectors and technical assistance provided by the National Association of County & City Health Officials, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and M Powered Strategies to develop this document. This is a living document and with the help of our partners, the plan will be implemented over the next five years. Through this effort we commit to rigorously measuring our processes and outcomes to evaluate and improve our planning efforts. We are also dedicated to developing data-driven targets and timely policies based on evidence-based interventions supported by sound research and/or practice. Most importantly, we are driven to see that this report is accessible to all who live, learn, work, and play in New Orleans. Our challenges are great, but so is our opportunity. We invite you to use this plan to help inform and enhance your knowledge of the work currently underway to improve community health in New Orleans. We also encourage everyone to get involved and contribute to this effort as we seek to establish New Orleans a model for community health improvement for the nation. Sincerely, Karen Bollinger DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc Health Commissioner NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT REPORT COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT STEERING COMMITTEE Michelle Alletto Birth Outcomes Project, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Eric Baumgartner Louisiana Public Health Institute Daesy Behrhorst Louisiana Language Access Coalition Theodore Callier Dillard University Nash Crews Recovery School District Karen DeSalvo City of New Orleans Lucas Diaz Office of Neighborhood Engagement, City of New Orleans Denise Graves Micah Project Avis Gray Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Stephanie Haynes Greater New Orleans Drug Demand Reduction Coalition Corey Hebert Tulane Hospital Ben Johnson New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Calvin Johnson Metropolitan Human Service District Jim Kelly Covenant House Flint Mitchell Greater New Orleans Foundation Tiffany Netters Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Minh Nguyen Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association Claire Norris Department of Sociology, Xavier University of Louisiana Lindsay Ordower 504HealthNet Charlotte Parent City of New Orleans, Health Department Kate Parker Prevention Research Center, Tulane University Jamilah Peters-Muhammad Ashe’ Cultural Arts Center Thena Robinson-Mock Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools Paul Salles Metropolitan Hospital Association Timolynn Sams Neighborhood Partnership Network Petrice Sams-Abiodun Lindy Boggs Literacy Center, Loyola University Liz Scheer Baptist Community Ministries Denese Shervington Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies Adrian Todd Kingsley House Yvette Wing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Beverly Wright Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Dillard University NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT IN NEW ORLEANS ........................................................ I BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................... i MOBILIZING FOR ACTION THROUGH PLANNING AND PARTNERSHIPS (MAPP) ......................................... ii NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH PROFILE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 1 FOUR MAPP ASSESSMENTS ............................................................................................................. 2 COMMUNITY HEALTH INDICATORS ...................................................................................................... 3 DEMOGRAPHICS ............................................................................................................................ 4 HEALTH STATUS, HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND LIFE EXPECTANCY ........................................ 13 ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE ............................................................................................................. 17 CHRONIC DISEASE ....................................................................................................................... 19 COMMUNICABLE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES .................................................................................. 21 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH ..................................................................................................... 23 PUBLIC SAFETY ........................................................................................................................... 25 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ................................................................................................................... 27 COMMUNITY INPUT ...................................................................................................................... 29 ASSETS AND BARRIERS TO COMMUNITY HEALTH ............................................................................... 29 COMMUNITY STRENGTHS AND ASSETS ............................................................................................. 37 Community Health Asset Map ................................................................................................... 40 NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 1 UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN ..................................... 2 What is a Community Health Improvement Plan? .......................................................................... 2 How Will We Use the CHIP? .......................................................................................................... 2 What is the relationship between the New Orleans CHIP and other Planning Efforts? .................. 2 Developing the New Orleans Community Health Improvement Plan ............................................. 3 What Policy Changes are needed for our CHIP to be Successful? ................................................ 5 ACCESS TO PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE ....................................................... 6 Statement of Need....................................................................................................................... 7 Background ................................................................................................................................. 7 Objectives and Strategies ............................................................................................................ 8 SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ......................................................................................... 9 Statement of Need..................................................................................................................... 10 Background ............................................................................................................................... 10 Objectives and Strategies .......................................................................................................... 10 NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT REPORT VIOLENCE PREVENTION ............................................................................................................. 11 Statement of Need..................................................................................................................... 12 Background ............................................................................................................................... 12 Objectives and Strategies .......................................................................................................... 13 HEALTHY LIFESTYLES ................................................................................................................ 14 Statement of Need....................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Keepin' Your Head Above Water
    Know Your Flood Protection System Keepin’ Your Head Above Water Middle School Science Curriculum Published by the Flood Protection Authority – East floodauthority.org Copyright 2018 Keepin’ Your Head Above Water: Know Your Flood Protection System PREFACE Purpose and Mission Our mission is to ensure the physical and operational integrity of the regional flood risk management system in southeastern Louisiana as a defense against floods and storm surge from hurricanes. We accomplish this mission by working with local, regional, state, and federal partners to plan, design, construct, operate and maintain projects that will reduce the probability and risk of flooding for the residents and businesses within our jurisdiction. Middle School Science Curriculum This Middle School Science Curriculum is part of the Flood Protection Authority – East’s education program to enhance understanding of its mission. The purposes of the school program are to ensure that future generations are equipped to deal with the risks and challenges associated with living with water, gain an in-depth knowledge of the flood protection system, and share their learning experiences with family and friends. The curriculum was developed and taught by Anne Rheams, Flood Protection Authority – East’s Education Consultant, Gena Asevado, St. Bernard Parish Public Schools’ Science Director, and Alisha Capstick, 8th grade Science Teacher at Trist Middle School in Meraux. La. The program was encouraged and supported by Joe Hassinger, Board President of the Flood Protection Authority – East and Doris Voitier, St. Bernard Parish Public Schools Superintendent. The curriculum was developed in accordance with the National Next Generation Science Standards and the Louisiana Department of Education’s Performance Expectations.
    [Show full text]
  • After Hurricane Katrina: a Review of Community Engagement Activities and Initiatives
    After Hurricane Katrina: a review of community engagement activities and initiatives August 2019 Summary This review examines how communities took control of their response to Hurricane Katrina through intracommunity engagement initiatives and how communities affected by Hurricane Katrina were engaged by organisations after the disaster occurred. This examination includes an overview of what ‘went well’ and what problems arose in those engagement efforts. The review indicates that communities were not passive in accepting decisions made by authorities that had not engaged with their wishes: where intracommunity decisions had been made, those communities fought for those choices to be upheld by authorities. Where organisations launched engagement activities, several focused on poor neighbourhoods that were badly affected by Katrina, and the children and young people living there. Fewer examples were identified of older people’s engagement by organisations or programmes. Engagement initiatives identified were, in several cases, reflective of the cultural context of the areas affected by Katrina: in particular, music played a key role in successful community engagement initiatives. Background 1 Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005. New Orleans was flooded as a result of levees failing, and approximately 80 per cent of the city’s population was forced to evacuate.1 President George W Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi on 27 August 2005, which preceded mandatory evacuation orders in several affected areas of these states, including New Orleans. Many people living in poorer areas of the city were not 1 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (2015) Health, resilient, and sustainable communities after disasters: strategies, opportunities, and planning for recovery, available at: https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/291/docs/AdaptLA_Workshops/Healthy_Resilient_Sustainable_C ommunities_After_Disasters.pdf, at page 244.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emotional Context of Higher Education Community Engagement J
    The Emotional Context of Higher Education Community Engagement J. Ashleigh Ross and Randy Stoecker Abstract Higher education community engagement has an emotional context, especially when it focuses on people who have been traumatized by oppression, exploitation, and exclusion. The emotional trauma may be multiplied many times when those people are also dealing with the unequally imposed consequences of disasters. This paper is based on interviews with residents of the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans who experienced various forms of higher education community engagement in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The results are surprising. First, residents most appreciated the sense of emotional support they received from service learners and volunteers, rather than the direct service those outsiders attempted to engage in. Second, residents did not distinguish between traditional researchers and community-based researchers, and perceived researchers in general as insensitive to community needs. The article explores the implications of these findings for preparing students and conducting research in any context involving emotional trauma. The practices of higher education community The Case of the Lower 9th Ward engagement—service learning, community-based The Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans is east research, and similar practices going under and down river of the central city and the French different labels—have in common their focus on Quarter. Landowners originally built plantations people who are suffering from exclusion, oppres- in long strips extending from the river to the sion, and exploitation in contemporary society. Bayou Bienvenue for river access, and located In essence, the targets of our service are people plantation houses on the highest elevations.
    [Show full text]
  • City of New Orleans
    New Orleans Community Health Improvement Plan Second Revision November 2016 Second Revision, August 2016 1300 Perdido St., Suite 8E18 I New Orleans, LA, 70112 I www.nola.gov/health Front Cover Photo Credit: P1& P2: Whitney Mitchell, Fit NOLA Partnership P3: Greater New Orleans Breastfeeding Awareness Coalition P4: The GIFT Program, Louisiana Department of Health, Bureau of Family Health P5 & P6: NOLA For Life, City of New Orleans New Orleans Community Health Improvement Plan Second Revision November 2016 Acknowledgements This document would not be possible without the contributions and support of the Community Health Improvement Steering Committee, Core Advisory Team, NOHD Administration, NOHD Program Managers, previous CHIP authors Yvette Wing and Liz Burpee, and the countless community partners who dedicate their work to improving the health of New Orleans . The Health Department thanks you for your commitment to our shared vision. COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT STEERING COMMITTEE Adrian Todd Director, Office of Children Youth and Families, Total Community Action Avis Gray Regional Administrator, Bureau of Family Health, Louisiana Department of Health Ben Johnson President and CEO, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Christy Ross VP Health Grants, Baptist Community Ministries Daesy Behrhorst Co-Chair, Louisiana Language Access Coalition Denese Shervington President and CEO, Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies Dr. Flint Mitchell Program Officer, Greater New Orleans Foundation Dr. Kathryn Parker Executive Director, Market Umbrella Jim Kelly
    [Show full text]
  • The Kamp Katrina Project: a Conversation with the Filmmakers
    The Kamp Katrina Project: A Conversation with the Filmmakers Charles Gentry, Ashley Sabin, and David Redmon “Kamp Katrina” was supposed to provide a communal shelter in the aftermath of the devastating storm of late summer 2005. The tent village was located in the garden backyard of a house on Alvar Street, in the post-Katrina “melting pot” of New Orleans’ Upper 9th Ward. The inhabitants included the homeowners—an eclectic Native American woman known as Ms. Pearl and her husband David Cross, the owner of a home-repair business—and their traumatized guests, who are mostly poor, white, working-class addicts and survivors. Although it is inspiring to witness the dedication and generosity of the hosts, there is also a necessary toughness in their mission, as campers are evicted for fighting, stealing, or substance abuse. Maybe most viewers are not surprised to see the social order break down as it surely does at Kamp Katrina, yet many critics have noted the film’s unexpected beauty and artfulness. This is what makes the documentary Kamp Katrina so compelling; the filmmakers have an uncanny knack for capturing the dogged spirit of the modern city that Joseph Roach described as a “behavioral vortex” in his book Cities of the Dead (Columbia UP, 1996). Kamp Katrina is the follow-up film to Redmon’s Mardi Gras: Made in China (2006), which is an enlightening portrait of the culture of pre-Katrina New Orleans that juxtaposes the “girls gone wild” revelry of the city’s carnival atmosphere with the poverty and exploitative working conditions of Chinese laborers.
    [Show full text]
  • Rhythm, Dance, and Resistance in the New Orleans Second Line
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles “We Made It Through That Water”: Rhythm, Dance, and Resistance in the New Orleans Second Line A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology by Benjamin Grant Doleac 2018 © Copyright by Benjamin Grant Doleac 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION “We Made It Through That Water”: Rhythm, Dance, and Resistance in the New Orleans Second Line by Benjamin Grant Doleac Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology University of California, Los Angeles, 2018 Professor Cheryl L. Keyes, Chair The black brass band parade known as the second line has been a staple of New Orleans culture for nearly 150 years. Through more than a century of social, political and demographic upheaval, the second line has persisted as an institution in the city’s black community, with its swinging march beats and emphasis on collective improvisation eventually giving rise to jazz, funk, and a multitude of other popular genres both locally and around the world. More than any other local custom, the second line served as a crucible in which the participatory, syncretic character of black music in New Orleans took shape. While the beat of the second line reverberates far beyond the city limits today, the neighborhoods that provide the parade’s sustenance face grave challenges to their existence. Ten years after Hurricane Katrina tore up the economic and cultural fabric of New Orleans, these largely poor communities are plagued on one side by underfunded schools and internecine violence, and on the other by the rising tide of post-disaster gentrification and the redlining-in- disguise of neoliberal urban policy.
    [Show full text]
  • An Abbreviated Article, Part 1
    An Abbreviated Article The title of this article might indicate to the reader that this may be a shortened offering from yours truly, but instead it is on the topic of abbreviations commonly used in the Crescent City, or as some might say: NOLA. Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or longer phrases found in almost every field or discipline of our daily lives, from commonly used abbreviations in names or titles, such as Mr., as in Mr. Bingle, or Dr., as in Dr. John., to quite commonly used local abbreviations, such as MB for Maison Blanche, and KB or K&B for Katz and Besthoff. They are commonplace in the use of weights and measures, distances, medicine, cooking and baking. And if you need directions, it’s best you know location abbreviations such as Blvd. and Ave. That’s where New Orleans’ neutral grounds are usually located. These ads ran side by side in the New Orleans Item, September 21, 1938. On the same page was an ad for the L & L Shop at 622 Canal. Many abbreviations have been used for so many years in New Orleans that we have forgotten what the original letters stood for. For example, there’s P&J’s Oysters, key supplier of oysters to restaurants locally as well as nationally. John Popich was the “P” and Joe Jurisich was the “J”, but Alfred Sunseri, a cousin of Joe Jurisich, was the driving force, and all these many years later, P&J’s is still run by the Sunseri family. And the A&G Cafeterias, just like K&B and MB, “ain’t dere no more”.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid to the Historymakers ® Video Oral History with Michael White
    Finding Aid to The HistoryMakers ® Video Oral History with Michael White Overview of the Collection Repository: The HistoryMakers®1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60616 [email protected] www.thehistorymakers.com Creator: White, Michael G. Title: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Michael White, Dates: June 7, 2010 Bulk Dates: 2010 Physical 9 uncompressed MOV digital video files (4:27:02). Description: Abstract: Jazz musician and music professor Michael White (1954 - ) was professor of Spanish and African American music at Xavier University of Louisiana, and bandleader of the Original Liberty Jazz Band in New Orleans, Louisiana. White was interviewed by The HistoryMakers® on June 7, 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana. This collection is comprised of the original video footage of the interview. Identification: A2010_041 Language: The interview and records are in English. Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers® Music professor and jazz musician Michael White was born on November 29, 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Descended from early jazz notables such as bassist Papa John Joseph and clarinetist Willie “Kaiser” Joseph, White did not know of his background, but saw his aunt, who played classical clarinet, as his influence. White too played clarinet in the noted St. Augustine’s High School Marching Band and took private lessons from the band’s esteemed director, Lionel Hampton, for three years. White balanced school with his interest in the clarinet. He went on to obtain his B.A. degree from Xavier University in 1976 and his M.A. degree in Spanish from Tulane University in 1979. That same year, White joined the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, and two years later, White founded The Original Liberty Jazz Band with the aim of preserving the musical heritage of New Orleans.
    [Show full text]
  • 2013 New Orleans Cultural Economy Snapshot, the Fourth Edition of the Groundbreaking Report Created at the Beginning of My Term As Mayor in 2010
    May 2014 Dear Friends and Colleagues: I am pleased to present the 2013 New Orleans Cultural Economy Snapshot, the fourth edition of the groundbreaking report created at the beginning of my term as Mayor in 2010. My Administration has offered this unique, comprehensive annual review of our city’s cultural economy not only to document the real contributions of the creative community to our economy, but also to provide them with the information they need to get funding, create programming, start a business, and much more. This report outlines the cultural business and non-profit landscape of New Orleans extensively to achieve that goal. As I begin my second term as Mayor, the cultural economy is more important than ever. The cultural sector has 34,200 jobs, an increase of 14% since 2010. New Orleans’ cultural businesses have added jobs each and every year, and jobs have now exceeded the 2004 high. The city hosted 60 total feature film and television tax credit projects in 2013, a 62% increase from 2010. Musicians in the city played 29,000 gigs in 2013 at clubs, theatres, or at many of the city’s 136 annual festivals. This active cultural economy injects millions into our economy, as well as an invaluable contribution to our quality of life. The City will continue to craft policies and streamline processes that benefit cultural businesses, organizations, and individuals over the next 4 years. There also is no doubt that cultural workers, business owners, producers, and traditional cultural bearers will persist in having a strong and indelible impact on our economy and our lives.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Orleans Press-Radio War and Huey P. Long, 1922-1936
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Louisiana State University Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2002 The ewN Orleans press-radio war and Huey P. Long, 1922-1936 Brian David Collins Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Collins, Brian David, "The eN w Orleans press-radio war and Huey P. Long, 1922-1936" (2002). LSU Master's Theses. 3415. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3415 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE NEW ORLEANS PRESS-RADIO WAR AND HUEY P. LONG, 1922-1936. A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In The Department of History By Brian David Collins B.A., Louisiana State University, 2000 August, 2002 Acknowledgements I have incurred debts from many people throughout the course of writing this thesis, without whose help, it would have never been finished. I’d like to thank the staff of the Paul Hebert Louisiana State University Law Library, particularly Government Documents Librarian Charlene Cain and Librarian Services Coordinator Randy Thompson, as well as Arthur Carpenter, Archivist at Loyola University in New Orleans.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly to the Myth That These Books Were Explicit
    VOLUME XXXIV The Historic New Orleans NUMBER 1 Collection Quarterly WINTER 2017 Shop online at www.hnoc.org/shop BLUE NOTES: The World of Storyville EVENT CALENDAR EXHIBITIONS & TOURS CREOLE CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOURS All exhibitions are free unless noted otherwise. Tour The Collection’s Williams Residence as part of the Friends of the Cabildo’s annual holiday home tour. CURRENT Tuesday–Thursday, December 27–29, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; last tour begins at 3 p.m. Holiday Home and Courtyard Tour Tours depart from 523 St. Ann Street Through December 30; closed December 24–25 $25; tickets available through Friends of the Cabildo, (504) 523- 3939 Tuesday–Saturday, 10 and 11 a.m., 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m., 2 and 3 p.m. “FROM THE QUEEN CITY TO THE CRESCENT CITY: CINCINNATI 533 Royal Street DECORATIVE ARTS IN NEW ORLEANS, 1825–1900” $5 admission; free for THNOC members Join us for a lecture with decorative arts historian Andrew Richmond and learn about the furniture, glass, and other goods that traveled down the Mississippi River to be sold in Clarence John Laughlin and His Contemporaries: A Picture and a New Orleans. Thousand Words Wednesday, February 1, 6–7:30 p.m. Through March 25, 2017 533 Royal Street Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street Free; reservations encouraged. Please visit www.hnoc.org or call (504) 523- 4662 for more information. Goods of Every Description: Shopping in New Orleans, 1825–1925 GUIDEBOOKS TO SIN LAUNCH PARTY Through April 9, 2017 Author Pamela D. Arceneaux will present a lecture and sign books as we launch THNOC's Williams Gallery, 533 Royal Street newest title, Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans.
    [Show full text]
  • A Medley of Cultures: Louisiana History at the Cabildo
    A Medley of Cultures: Louisiana History at the Cabildo Chapter 1 Introduction This book is the result of research conducted for an exhibition on Louisiana history prepared by the Louisiana State Museum and presented within the walls of the historic Spanish Cabildo, constructed in the 1790s. All the words written for the exhibition script would not fit on those walls, however, so these pages augment that text. The exhibition presents a chronological and thematic view of Louisiana history from early contact between American Indians and Europeans through the era of Reconstruction. One of the main themes is the long history of ethnic and racial diversity that shaped Louisiana. Thus, the exhibition—and this book—are heavily social and economic, rather than political, in their subject matter. They incorporate the findings of the "new" social history to examine the everyday lives of "common folk" rather than concentrate solely upon the historical markers of "great white men." In this work I chose a topical, rather than a chronological, approach to Louisiana's history. Each chapter focuses on a particular subject such as recreation and leisure, disease and death, ethnicity and race, or education. In addition, individual chapters look at three major events in Louisiana history: the Battle of New Orleans, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Organization by topic allows the reader to peruse the entire work or look in depth only at subjects of special interest. For readers interested in learning even more about a particular topic, a list of additional readings follows each chapter. Before we journey into the social and economic past of Louisiana, let us look briefly at the state's political history.
    [Show full text]