Mission
Our mission is to enhance academic achievement and opportunities through leveraging the New Orleans cultural community.
The Opportunity
I used to be an elementary school teacher in the New Orleans school system, and it was natural for me to incorporate indigenous traditions in the classroom for the 25 years that I taught. The Mardi Gras Indians cultural tradition and jazz music was a big part of my life growing up, my father was a Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief, my siblings are jazz musicians, and I've spent years being involved in these traditions. My mother, who was a nursery school teacher, also had been incorporating indigenous traditions in the curriculum, so we've been doing this for a long time.
We've also known for a long time that enhancing the curriculum with indigenous New Orleans cultural traditions was a win-win situation since it helped our children get excited about academics, connect what they were learning to what they knew, and teach them the heritage and value of local customs. There was also the added benefit for the people who came in to share traditions, to help them become civically involved. I see it as a continuum of deepening and broadening our concept of teaching and enhancing the academic curriculum, specifically literacy, through authentic cultural traditions.
The Idea
Our idea was to combine book-giving ceremonies at New Orleans public schools with Mardi Gras Indians and local musicians. Students are unbelievably excited to see local heroes and well-known musicians come in, and when they see people they recognize and respect promoting reading and books, children get excited about reading and make a connection to the books we give them!
We also wanted to provide Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs and local musicians with a way to engage civically without making a huge time commitment. To commit to a school once a month or once a week doesn't require a huge amount of effort, but the impact is significant. Now, there is a movement within the Mardi Gras Indian community, where Big Chiefs are clamoring to bring books into their own communities. The unique and respected roles they hold in their own communities can really be leveraged to promote greater readership, literacy, and literature throughout the entire city. We really see the Big Chief Big Queen Book Project as pivotal to changing societal attitudes towards reading and to encouraging greater readership throughout New Orleans.
The Start-Up
We started as a formalized program in 2006. But, we had done what we do informally on a smaller scale with smaller distributions. Then, by a good stroke of fortune, Michael Valentino of Basin Street Station, found about what we were doing, and he said that they could fund us to expand. So, once they took us in as a community project, we just grew. He was a catalyst in getting us wider recognition, which led to supporters and funders. Then, once we started growing, we just couldn't stop. And even in times when we couldn't get funding for books or musicians, we just bought the books ourselves out of our own pockets.
Our Impact and Accomplishments
Our biggest accomplishment really has been the impact we have had on the children and teacher's classrooms. Teachers tell us all the time that our presentations are wonderful because children get so excited about respected members and local celebrities of their community coming in to give them a gift. Also, the books we provide are an added plus because the kids get to take the books home and keep them. Teachers use the books to give assignments that children can do at home, and children are able to interact with their parents over education.
All the time, children will recognize me and approach me in the grocery store. They will come and tell me that I came to their school, and they'll tell us how much they loved their book. The other day, we went to the Maggiore School in Jefferson Parish. Part of the audience was exceptional children. Children were given books according to their ability level, but there was one little girl who wanted the Paul McCartney High in the Clouds book, which was past her reading level. But, she really wanted it, so we gave her the book she wanted, and she just hugged the book and said thank you, thank you. And, maybe the book was above her reading level, but what we did was ignite a spark, a desire, and a connection to books and reading that will last for a long time. She connected to the book, and that is what we want.
Also, we are really proud of the fact that we have built a community within the Mardi Gras Indians of chiefs who are excited about being civically engaged and bringing educational resources to their own communities.
Challenges
Often, people who engage in the indigenous cultural traditions are considered exotic by outsiders. But, we've been able to overcome this challenge by making sure that people know that our program is not about the Mardi Gras Indians. Rather, we are about putting books into children's hands. The Mardi Gras Indians are here to support education, and anyone who comes to one of our events, knows that.
Fundraising was and still is a major challenge. People often want to donate books, but we also need funding for things like flyers and sound systems. Also, we've had very little general operational support for the program. We have no staff. It is basically just me and my mother. Everyone who works with us is on a volunteer basis. This was hard because people don't generally give for operating support and staff.
We're working on all of these issues, and I would say that our biggest inroads to overcoming our challenges has been in developing partnerships with other organizations. For example, the Musician's Clinic funds the musicians to participate, Basin Street Station provides general funding, and First Book-Greater New Orleans has provided thousands of new books that gave us the capacity to do our spring distributions.
Our Current Needs
1. Fundraising
2. Book donations of grade-level books from our book list. We really need people to donate a grade level or class set because we want to make sure that all the children in a class receive a book.
3. Storage Unit. When we get books, we have no place to store them.
4. Portable sound system. When we rent the sound systems, they typically cost us $150 per event.
5. Office space. We are currently working out of my house.
6. Periodically, we will need volunteers.
If you can help out with any of these needs or if you'd like to make a donation, please contact Cherice Harrison-Nelson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with "Book Project" in the subject line.