Yesterday I had the opportunity to shoot something a bit different than I normally do. I went with State Senator and Louisiana 2nd District Congressional Candidate, Troy Carter, to Lincoln Beach in New Orleans East to meet with community activists and discuss their revitalization project of this beautiful and historic landmark. Lincoln Beach, which was once the ‘Black’ alternative to Pontchartrain Beach, has officially been closed since desegregation in the mid-60s. After years of neglect, the area that was once a safe space for the African-American community is now billed by the city as flooded, gator infested, and dangerous​. We met with the incredible community activists Sage, Reggie, and Blyss of the ‘New Orleans for Lincoln Beach Project’ ourselves to find the real truth about this hallowed ground and get ourselves into some ‘good trouble’.

A bit of backstory, New Orleans East has been one of the most overlooked and neglected areas of the city since its inception around the 1950’s. It is separated from the rest of New Orleans by the Industrial Canal that runs from Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. As ‘The East’ (as it’s affectionately known by residents) has always been underfunded and left partially undeveloped by the city, there is a special sense of community that runs deep in the area. It’s this deep rooted passion for the community that inspired the community activists who we met with to begin cleaning up the area when COVID hit. Since then, they have cleaned up hundreds of bags worth of trash, removed trees and debris, and hand picked all the litter and glass shards from the pristine white sand beach.

Senator Troy Carter had himself tried to get Lincoln Beach reopened when he served as City Councilman but he was thwarted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was inspiring to see an elected official, and a Democratic Congressional Candidate, hop over the fence with us and listen to the needs of these activists. They had incredible and productive dialogue about ways in which the Senator could help them see their project come to fruition from a federal level if he were to be elected. Senator Carter is a man of the people and a true voice for us all. During our visit, activist Sage Michael said it best; “this man gets it! He gets everything already!” I couldn’t agree more, Senator Carter is the epitome of the kind of boots on the ground leadership that we need in Washington.

We need leadership that is willing to go the extra mile to fight for what’s right. We need a leader who we know will always have the door open to listen to our concerns. We need Troy Carter representing Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District in Washington. It was an honor to visit such a special place with Sen. Carter and his team and get to know him on a more personal level. To learn more about Sen. Troy Carter, please visit his website here at: ​troycarter4congress.com​.

| Mo Davis Photography | Troy Carter |