Why Reawaken in New Orleans
When Kate Chopin situated a dissatisfied Edna Pontellier in New Orleans, she knew the city's resilient and culturally rich history, even as she recognized that the setting would stir in her main character a desire for a rebirth into a new life. But the Crescent City inspires awakenings and reawakenings of all kinds, beyond any one text, culture, or individual life.
New Orleans has been the birthplace of a variety of Americana: Dixieland, an early style of jazz; Creole, the blending of French and Caribbean cultures; Cajun culture, arising from Canadians exiled from their Arcadian homeland; even, arguably, American multiculturalism. The "Big Easy" embraces diversity, with Native Americans and migrants from Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean the earliest contributors to the music, food, language, and design of the region. These influences are reflected in the neighborhoods as distinct as the French Quarter, the elegant Garden District, and historic Tremé, the oldest black neighborhood in the United States. Yet the city's unique history allows disparate cultures to come together to experience and to celebrate.
As much as New Orleans has represented resilience, the city has also proven a fertile Crescent City. Most powerful in its repertoire, however, is New Orleans' ability to reawaken—after strife and fragmentation and tragedy, rising out of the very waters that make it the ideal birthplace for a uniquely American experience. And this year, from February 29 to March 3, New Orleans will provide the backdrop for diverse speakers, engaging sessions, informative workshops, and inspiring roundtables—promising to reawaken us all at the 2012 Sigma Tau Delta Convention.
For more information about things to do in New Orleans, visit the New Orleans Convention and Visitor's Bureau website.