We don't have parades this year, but New Orleans is still celebrating Mardi Gras – safely, of course. Fox News contributor, Democratic political strategist, and native New Orleanian Donna Brazile joined Scoot share some of her Carnival memories.
Related
“Who dat, who dat,” Brazile said. “I really, really miss New Orleans, especially at this time of the year. There is no greater celebration, no greater experience than to be home with your family, preparing to celebrate this [most] wonderful of seasons. As a child growing up in Canada, my mother would often call one of her siblings, one of her cousins to come and pick up all nine of her children alone with my parents.
“We would head downtown right off in Napoleon Avenue where we would sit for hours,” she continued. “The kids brought, of course, their candy, the cotton candy, the, the popcorn balls, of course the candy apples, [the] roasted peanuts. My grandmother made the red beans; and, of course, we had hot dogs. But once we got to the corner of Napoleon and Liberty, we were there for hours. The only time we went back to the house was in between the REx and before the truck parades. So while I love Bacchus, so on Sunday, I love Tucks, I love all of the other parades, my favorite Mardi Gras moment was being with my family on a Carnival day, celebrating, eating, drinking, and just having a really good time.”
Some of our best memories can be from when we were growing up; but the good times keep rolling as you get older, too. You keep that Mardi Gras spirit.
“It never goes away,” Brazile agreed. “And you know, you're always a child. I mean, two years ago, I was downtown on St. Charles Avenue, not far from Gallier Hall. I was with some friends on their balcony. And here I was, of course, you know, a woman of a certain age. And there were kids on the front row, as the children should be on the front row, the adults, you know, toward the back, because, you know, we were closer to the cooler.
Related
“I found myself jumping in front of kids when I saw, you know, like the stuffed animals or, you know, even a toilet paper rolls,” Brazile went on. “And I'm like, “Oh my God, you're almost 60. Stop it. Stop acting like a child.' And of course I was so embarrassed. I said, “Oh, here, I caught this for you.' Crazy. I was catching it for myself.”
Brazile then shared another of her favorite moments.
“Another memory I have is when I actually I had an opportunity to be on St. Charles Avenue, this time near Jackson,” she said. “So I was able to see, you know, the Zulu parade; and now my niece is involved. She's a part of the Zulu club. And I was in the right place at the right time. I was able to grab a lot of coconuts. And then my friend, I went over to my friend's house. I took a nap.
“Because you know, you stay up all night and you drank all day,” Brazile went on. “And then by the time I got back on the street, guess what? I mean, Rex was starting. And then, again, my favorite, the truck parades. Because when the truck parade starts, I mean, it's hours upon hours. I mean, of course people love Bacchus. They love Orpheus. They love, you know, those grand floats; but I love those trucks. I just love the truck parades.”
Brazile also explained how you end up celebrating with more than just your friends and family. At Mardi Gras, you're celebrating with a whole community, even with people you normally may disagree with on a bunch of issues.
Related
“It wasn't just being with friends and family eating a lot,” Brazile said. “It was also the feeling you got at Mardi Gras. The feeling that you were part of something big; and that, you know, this was like the way we did it. Louisiana is so special. Even up here in [Washington,] D.C., I hold Mardi Gras parties. I used to go to the Washington Mardi Gras with Mary Landrieu, and, of course, Steve Scalise. I don't care who I hang out with just as long as you drink wine.”
That coming of a whole community is a feeling that really resonates with Brazile.
“I always felt the bond with the people of Louisiana, a bond with my fellow New Orleanians,” Brazile said. “It's so funny, no matter what part of the city, or what part of the state [you're from], when you say, 'I'm from Louisiana,' we start talking football, we start talking family. And, then of course, we start talking about food and recipes. The bond that you felt growing up is the bond that you take with you throughout your entire life.”
Brazile believes this spirit can be used to bridge divides – at least some of them.
“The inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, I went with Steve Scalise,” she said. “And many of my friends said, “Well, he's a Republican.” I'm like, 'Yeah, but he's my homeboy.' He's from Louisiana. He went to LSU like me. And why not?
“Why not find ways to celebrate our diversity, [ to] celebrate who we are,” Brazile continued. “And growing up in Louisiana, you felt special. I still feel special when I tell people I am a native born Louisianian. And there's something about that Gulf, that smell, the bayou, the river. I just want to be home.”
Mardi Gras lets us come together and forget our differences. We may not have the parades or big gatherings this year, but we can still have that spirit.
Watch the full interview below.
Related
