Gallery
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
But all of the bead-tossing revelry and bejeweled masks can sometimes conceal an ugly truth: there are still two distinct Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, one white and one black. Mardi Gras season is a stark reminder that segregation still permeates all aspects of life in this Southern city. Segregation in Mobile’s Mardi Gras . Parts of Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations continue to have long-standing customs that date back to the days of segregation. (We have no written or direct knowledge of this other than what we can see and experience as observers). The Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association (formerly named the Colored Carnival In 2007, the royal courts of the MCA and MAMGA began to rub shoulders, as explained in the documentary film "Order of Myths," which in 2008 brought the issue of Mobile Carnival segregation into Opinions vary among Mobile residents, with some acknowledging the need for change and others defending the traditions and historical significance. 5. Have any new Mardi Gras organizations emerged to challenge the existing racial segregation? No new organizations have emerged to challenge the racial segregation in Mobile’s Mardi Gras. 6. In 2008, the Order of Myths documentary, named after Mobile’s oldest Mardi Gras society, was released to critical acclaim. It revealed how the different carnival societies within white and Black Mardi Gras were tied to socioeconomics and racial stratification, but it also showed the first signs of change as the Black and White groups began to interact and mix. Turned out that the old city, where early settlers first celebrated Mardi Gras in 1703 and where the first slave ship docked with its sad human cargo in 1721, was home to two carnivals - one white Few people outside of the South know that the first Mardi Gras celebration was held in Mobile, Alabama in 1703, 15 years before New Orleans was a city. A 2008 documentary, The Order of Myths, chronicles the politics of the town’s Mardi Gras celebration today, which remains almost entirely segregated by race. The black and white communities Stefannie Lucas is the black Mobile Mardi Gras Queen of 2007. She is a teacher at Maryvale Elementary School in a neighborhood that has an 80 percent poverty rate. During February—when most of Mardi Gras takes place and which is also Black History Month—Stefannie teaches the fifth-graders about segregation in the South. Mobile native Margaret Brown trained her cameras on the city's Mardi Gras tradition, and she found two worlds shaped by racial segregation. She joins Farai Chideya to talk about her new Starting in 1938, a number of black families formed the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association (MAMGA) to do exactly the same. And so every year there is an MCA queen and a MAMGA queen, one white and Mardi Gras This is for all things Mardi Gras related along the Gulf Coast. Local Businesses If you live in the Mobile, Alabama region and you’re looking for a certain type of business, this is the category for you. Revised and re-posted in honor of Mardi Gras. If you attend a Mardi Gras parade this year, you’ll likely notice that the float riders will be all-White or all-Black and all-female or all-male. In fact, the majority of krewes — clubs that sponsor parades and other festivities — are race- and gender-segregated. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Although most Mardi Gras parades in Mobile use one route, there are multiple routes that parade-goers should know before heading out the door. Most of the Mobile The film received critical acclaim and sparked conversations about racial segregation beyond Mobile’s borders. 11. How has the documentary influenced other cities’ Mardi Gras celebrations? The impact on other cities’ Mardi Gras celebrations has been limited, as Mobile’s racial segregation is unique to its historical traditions. 12. Have Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations have a long history of segregation. In the past, black residents were not allowed to participate in the parades or attend the balls. Even today, some black residents say they feel like they are not part of the festivities. The city of Mobile has taken steps to try to address the issue of segregation at Mardi Gras. View and download the 2025 Mobile Mardi Gras parade schedule, complete with dates, times and routes for all Mobile & Baldwin County parades. It was not until 1992 that New Orleans passed legislation to desegregate Mardi Gras krewes, which remained largely or exclusively white with the exception of a few Black krewes founded in a complicated response to segregation and discrimination. Mardi Gras, ZULU Parade, 2012 (Photo: bradleyscircus, Flickr). Excerpt from the book “The Story of Alabama in Fourteen Foods” In 1940, following a parade in their honor, the first Mobile Mardi Gras king and queen of color proceeded to the home of Dr. J. A. Franklin. The city of Mobile, Alabama’s Mardi Gras celebrations is even older than New Orleans – and they’re also segregated into a black Mardi Gras and a white Mardi Gras. A new documentary, "The
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |