Two local high schools commemorate Homer Plessy Day on Saturday, June 7. The celebration marks the anniversary of Plessy’s arrest in 1892, leading to the landmark Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court decision that established “separate but equal” laws. In the end, Plessy lost his case when the Supreme Court upheld Louisiana’s ruling. After losing at the local, state and national levels between 1892 and 1896, a legal foundation for segregating schools and other facilities had been established and would be maintained in the United States for more than 50 years. The decision was reversed in 1954 by the Brown vs. Board of Education case.

The Plessy celebration is scheduled to begin at Frederick Douglass High School at 10 a.m. There will be a tour of the facilities led by some of its students and a presentation of two plaques on the school’s campus one of which commemorates the Plessy vs. Ferguson case, the other, the Citizens’ Committee formed in 1891 in response to the Louisiana Separate Car Act. Afterward, the group of participants and guests will walk to the corner of Press St. & Royal St., which is a reserved memorial space that was included in a recent land purchase by NOCCA Institute. It is at this location that students will present workshop creations they made with the assistance of students from the Los Angeles’ MFA Public program at Otis College of Art & Design and an open discussion. Read the rest of this entry »

DeLaune Michel’s upcoming book-tour stop in New Orleans is a sort of dual homecoming. The New Yorker was born and raised in south Louisiana, but her new novel, The Safety of Secrets, set in Lake Charles, proves that she has never truly left her Southern roots. The novel tells the story of Fiona and Patricia, whose childhood friendship grows strong in the shadows of their family hardships, and who share the same dream of becoming actresses. When they both move to LA, however, Patricia skyrockets to fame while Fiona struggles. Both Hollywood and difficult marriages test the true nature of their relationship, but a secret from the past ultimately threatens its survival as well as their careers. Says Michel of her inspiration, “I wanted to explore deep-rooted loyalty between women, and how sometimes it can be a sword that cuts both ways, opening up whole worlds of safety within the friendship while exacting a price, as well.”

Michel’s family has the sort of legendary and colorful history that anchors this author’s strong connection to the region and to New Orleans. The ten published writers in only two generations of Michel’s family is a notable and incredible statistic, and her relative Helene DeLauné’s activity in Marie Antoinette’s court and her escape to Louisiana earned the family a place in the history books. Michel’s personal journey is just as illustrious, including a modeling stint in Europe and acting in Los Angeles before she began her literary career. Reviews so far label her as a promising contemporary author.

DeLauné Michel also is the author of Aftermath of Dreaming. She reads from The Safety of Secrets and signs books at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Garden District Book Shop (2727 Prytania St.). — Allison Good

As We Could Be Famous pointed out, presidential candidate John McCain is a little confused about his Katrina votes. When a reporter asked McCain if he supported an 8/29 commission, similar to the 9/11 Commission, that would fully investigate the levee failures, he replied that he’s supported “every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy.”

When McCain visited the Lower Ninth Ward in late April, he vowed to continue funding the recovery effort and to “learn the lessons of Katrina…and vow that never again, never again will we experience such mishandling of a natural disaster and the suffering that ensued from it.”

So where does he stand on this “natural disaster” and an 8/29 commission? Read the rest of this entry »

SOME BILE WITH YOUR MORNING COFFEE?: Salon excerpts the Katrina chapter from Paul Alexander’s new biography of Karl Rove, Machiavelli’s Shadow. Watch your elected officials tear each other to shreds in print! For instance, Sen. Mary on Sen. David:

“As soon as Vitter said he had just gotten off the phone with Rove and other Republican officials,” Landrieu says, “he started in on the first talking point to come out of the ordeal. I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe the White House has already given David Vitter talking points to talk about this.’

DITCHED!: Obama punks the press corpse, letting his campaign plane full of reporters fly off to Chicago while he has an after-dinner meeting with Hillary Clinton…

SPEAKING OF: You can now buy Barack Obama underwear.

SHUT UP AND DRIVE: A state senate committee has approved legislation banning Louisiana motorists from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Now it’s off to the full Senate. WIZZZZARD!…

OPENING THIS WEEKEND I: The Fall, Kung Fu Panda, and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, of which A.O. Scott of The New York Times says “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is the finest post-Zionist action-hairdressing sex comedy I have ever seen.” (Time to resubscribe to Netflix.)…

OPENING THIS WEEKEND II: Ron Forman debuts his big bug collection for Audubon members only this weekend; it opens to the gen-pub on Fri. the 13th. Cockroaches and mosquitos? It’s gotta be better than Zohan.