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Carnival Edition

Carnival Edition

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 It’s our carnival edition, and Hy and Christopher explore the new exhibit at the Presbytere on the Illinois Clubs.Illinois Club exhibit at the Presbytere Tells of 231 Years of Black Carnival Aspiration & TriumphBy Christopher TidmoreJust as The Louisiana Weekly celebrates its centenary this year, so will the Young Men’s Illinois club reach that milestone this Mardi Gras season. The history of that landmark African-American carnival crew and its progenitor, the Original Illinois Club, are the subject of a brilliant new exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum at Jackson Square. One enters the Presbytere‘s second floor into the special exhibition hall to be greeted by the resplendent dress of Dr. Karen Becnel Moore, Queen of Young Men’s Illinois in 1966, backed by a picture of her court. Another glittering gown worn by three generations of the Rhodes family stands sentinel before that case. Kings costumes, videos of balls, and the brilliant backdrop of the Old French Opera House from the 1968 YMI Ball takes up seven full walls. As exhibit advisory member and key contributor Carolyn Duvigneaud Thomas described, “These dresses are just simply beautiful…You have an assortment of dresses and crowns and scepters. It’s it’s just a wonderful collection, and you also have two Kings costumes. The Original Illinois is the only organization that has kings, and so we have two of their costumes on display.” “I’m just happy this story is being told. It’s been a secret. A hidden secret, and it’s time for this story to be out, and for everyone to know it.” Along the way, visitors learn how a former Pullman porter working the Illinois Central Railroad, Wiley J. Knight, arrived in New Orleans in 1894 and revolutionized carnival. As the exhibit explains, “A native of Bolivar, Tennessee, he worked in close proximity to wealthy whites, earning a living as a butler, a valet, a waiter, and a railroad chef. In his eyes, Blacks had limited knowledge of the social graces. Knight believed that the only formal dance familiar to African Americans was the quadrille…Wiley Knight founded Knight's School of Dance, where Black families enrolled their children to learn etiquette and dancing. His students suggested staging a carnival dance, which was so successful that it quickly gave rise to the formation of the Illinois Club. According to club lore, Knight founded the organization at the home of Erona Doley, whose great-nephew Harold Doley Sr. would later become a prominent member of the Young Men Illinois Club….The Illinois Club became the most important African American carnival organization in New Orleans, known for its annual balls, debutantes, and its signature dance, the Chicago Glide.” The First Club would spawn an equally dynamic organization, as the exhibit dioramas explain. “As Illinois Club membership expanded, controversy arose, resulting in a rift in 1926. The exact cause of the split remains uncertain, with two stories surviving. According to one account, some of the newer, younger members no longer wanted to follow founder Wiley Knight's policies. It was said that Knight ‘ruled with an iron hand.’ The other belief is that two members disagreed about the selection of the queen of the ball.” “Regardless of the reason for the breakup, the new organization's name-Young Men Illinois Club (YMI)- implies a generational difference. The founding group became the Original Illinois Club. Longtime YMI member Ernest M. Thomas often stated that YMI was organized at his 1920 Bienville Streethome in March 1926. On February 26, 1927, the Young Men Illinois staged their first ball with Mabel Saulsby reigning as queen. The 1920s tensions faded over time. Despite having two separate organizations, it was not uncommon for men to be members of both clubs simultaneously. Today, the clubs recognize the presence of each other's members and wives at their annual balls.” Dr. Karen Becnel Moore observed, “The original Illinois was founded in 1895 and the young men’s Illinois in 1926, and it is the centennial anniversary that we are celebrating this year, and also we’re celebrating the history of both clubs and the origin of both clubs,” but she added the lessons of serving in those courts went far beyond Mardi Gras sequins. “Queenship and being presented as a debutante means to us service and commitment to our society, to enhancing our community, and to enhancing the country. It is not just party/party/ party. This is an introduction to society for the purpose of working with the society and being dedicated just to serve. Our debutantes and queens— whether young people or senior citizens—we’re still serving and we are still persons who are doctors, lawyers, educators, and businesswomen in the community. People who are determined to contribute to elevating society and elevating the community whether it is Black...
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