Just over a month ago, I wrote subsequent to the death of Archbishop Hannan and outlined some prayers that we all need to use. Today, as I sit here, while Rhett watches the tv and our friends are secluded in their homes out of fear, I recall the past week or so and the horrors particularly of Halloween night and the deaths and victims of the gunfire that erupted in this city. I read the words of those who post on news sites and I see some that continue the hatred that exists based on ancestry and my heart is heavy. It does exist in multiple ways - some blaming it on people of one ancestry and others on another but we fail to blame each other. It is time that we all understand that we are all responsible for what exists today, either because of our actions or because of our inactivity. In reality it is the result of decades of true inactivity and failure to improve the lives of all that is the cause.
On Sunday, the Brigade will attend religious services and gather on our verandah for brunch. We each will bring something different. We will discuss the same things. We will feel the heartbreak that exists in this city, and, yes, elsewhere. However, we still will believe what we have said time and time again - in
IN UNITY WILL COME VICTORY.
Our symbol of the fleur de lis in the colors of ancestries which created this city will remain as one of hope.
DANS
L'UNITÉ VIENDRA LA VICTOIRE; EN
LA UNIDAD VENDRÁ LA VICTORIA;
単一性で勝利は来る; and the translations can go on and on. This is a city of many cultures and languages over the centuries. It is time that we unify those cultures - choose the best moral and legal standards and bring that victory and a Nouveau New Orleans.
