Author: Move The Mindset

Move the Mindset (MTM) is a nonprofit grassroots civil rights organization in Lafayette Louisiana committed to promoting racial and social justice through education, the arts, dialog and direct action.

Juneteenth Celebration 6-19-2020

Juneteenth 2020

The MTM Juneteenth Celebration held on Friday, June 19, 2020, in Lafayette, LA, was a huge success! Many people attended the event to commemorate the end of slavery and support the ongoing struggle against racism.

MTM President Fred Prejean speaks to a large crowd at the Juneteenth Celebration.

Juneteenth 2020 Photo Gallery

Lafayette in Black and White

Lafayette in Black and White; or A Tale of Two Cities: An Integrated History of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana 1770-1970

Dr. Rick Swanson, Professor of Political Science at UL Lafayette, presents his talk, Lafayette in Black and White; or A Tale of Two Cities: An Integrated History of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana 1770-1970. Drawing upon a plentitude of archival evidence from the region, Dr. Swanson debunks many myths about slavery and racism in Acadiana. His research establishes a solid foundation for truth and reconciliation in the region.

Why Learn?  Why Teach? Critical Thoughts.

Black history is American history. Full stop.

But somehow the narratives we’re taught often grossly misrepresent the history of black people in America. After all, a true and full history of the United States would require a reckoning of a not-so-great country, one that’s mired in hate and fear.

The history of the civil rights movement is no different.

Re-Blog Courtesy of The Root HERE

Doctors’ Orders

In the Spring of 1944, the town of New Iberia, Louisiana, threatened, beat, and expelled key leaders of the town’s black community – leaders who had recently formed a new NAACP branch and were in danger of getting, by some accounts, the “upper hand.” Among the expelled were the town’s only black physicians, and their removal left the town without a black doctor – or strong black community leadership – until the Civil Rights Movement.

A weekend of remembrance and storytelling was organized by Dr. Phoebe Hayes, founder of the Iberia African American Historical Society and funded by a 2019 Rebirth Grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.  Louisiana’s Poet Laureate, John Warner Smith, wrote a poem “Sermon of the Dreamers,” in memory of the expelled doctors, and debuted it live at the event. Louisiana civil rights historian Adam Fairclough spoke and Louisiana artist Paul Shexnayder unveiled a painting he created for the commemoration. And more than a dozen descendants of the expelled leaders told stories and shared memories about their ancestors.

Southern Hollows producer Stinson Liles traveled to New Iberia in November 2019 for the 75th Anniversary Memorial of the events. They recorded a live episode as part of this historic event. SEE AND HEAR ALL THE DETAILS OF THIS REMARKABLE EVENT