The KneauxLA Podcast

On this episode we chat with newly elected Councilwoman Lesli Harris who represents one of the most diverse districts in the city of New Orleans. Two of the city’s most famous streets - St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street - is in District B. We learn about her top priorities for the city, and how she plans to help tackle issues like crime, blight, and keeping the best and brightest minds at home in her adopted city.

On this episode we get down with singer and musician Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., son of famed Mardi Gras Indian Bo Dollis of the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indian tribe. We talk about his new released "My Name is Bo", the history of Madi Gras Indians, and the challenge of filling the shoes (and suit) of his famous father.

In this episode we build with activist, actor, comedian, philanthropist and New Orleans native Lucky Johnson, who’s worked along side stars like The Rock, Denzel Washington and even his first cousin Tyler Perry, among others. We talk about his continuing activism in the wake of Hurricane IDA and what he’s doing to try to help the city he was born and bread in.

Exactly 16 years to the day after Katrina hit, the people of New Orleans met hurricane Ida. On this episode of the KneauxLA Podcast we get a first hand account from someone who experienced both. Samantha Beaulieu, a writer, radio host and actress who has stared in shows like HBO's "Treme"; "American Horror Story"; and "NCIS: New Orleans, takes us through what you actually do when you realize a hurricane is about to hit, the little silver linings you discover in a disaster, and what happens to all of that food left in your refrigerator when there’s no power for weeks on end.

This episode we vibe with acclaimed trombonist, producer and all around cool brotha Delfeayo Marsalis. We discuss his upbringing being raised in one of New Orleans most famous musical families, his latest production the Jazz at Congo Square Festival, as well as how he strives to follow in his famous fathers footsteps and keep it real.

In this edition of the Kneauxla podcast we talk with Angel Chung Cutno - a renown community organizer, artist, social chameleon and youth mentor. We discuss her passion for improving literacy in New Orleans, the state of charter schools, and her unique perspective on building bridges between cultures.

Tyra G. Morrison “Tyra The Creative” is an actress who may be best known for the award winning Netflix show Family Reunion. Originally from a small town outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana - she is an Actress, Content Creator and a Plant Based Pastry Chef on the side. We talk about her life and how a bit of “Black Girl Magic” is continuing to help her become a rising star on film/TV and in the world of Social Media.

In 1960, six years after Brown v. Board of Education was struck down, three 6 years old black girls were escorted by Federal Marshals through a crowd of protesters to attend McDonogh #19. Known as the McDonogh Three, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost became among the first to desegregate formerly all white Elementary Public Schools in New Orleans. In this episode we speak with Leona Tate, who has acquired McDonogh 19, the school she and her fellow pioneers help desegregate. She has worked for many years to reopen the building which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and was shuttered for many years. We talk about her journey, how she’s continuing to fight for justice, and how she is working to make the school a monument to the vital history it represents.

This episode features Big Chief Shaka Zulu, a renown culture bearer/keeper from New Orleans. We discuss Voices of Congo Square, his stage play that tells the authentic story of Black New Orleans, as well as the history, importance and future of the Black Carnival traditions of the region. Throughout his life, Shaka has been involved in many aspects of the creative cultural community of New Orleans acting as an ambassador for the city across the globe.

In this episode we talk with the parents of Jamere Alfred, a 14-year-old boy who had a bright future - who enjoyed playing in the band and on the football team and who tragically, on Christmas Day was shot and killed on his way to a local Walgreens. LaRicha and John share memories of their son, thoughts on the senseless violence in New Orleans, and what they intend to do about it.