|
|
 |
The Audacity of Corporate New Orleans; Name Change an insult to
memory of Mayor Ernest N. Morial
By Vincent Sylvain / The New Orleans Agenda
 NEW
ORLEANS - Last year when I received word that officials at the Ernest
N. Morial Convention Center were considering changing the name its
name I was assured by the communication department that my information
was incorrect and was assured that no such discussions were being
entertained. To my disbelief it was announced this week that the
"Convention Center has been renamed in promotional and advertising
material in an attempt to better market it in an increasingly
competitive environment center will now be called the New Orleans Morial
Convention Center in brochures, pamphlets and on the uniforms and badges
of employees, among other places."
The Times-Picayune 3/26/2008 article, Convention Center gets new name
for marketing purposes adds, "however, the
convention center's legal name, the Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center-New Orleans, which appears on contracts and in audited
financial reports, will not change." Are we to now take solace in that
assurance? The audacity of 'Corporate New Orleans.'
On the eve of the 30th Anniversary of his inauguration as the city's
first African-American mayor, removing
Morial's full name from the Convention Center is the ultimate insult to
Dutch's many contribution to New Orleans. It is a continuation of the
1992 conflict surrounding naming the building in his honor.
Robert D. Bullard is the Director of the Environmental Justice Resource
Center at Clark Atlanta University touch upon the importance of culture
in his report; KATRINA AND THE SECOND DISASTER:A Twenty-Point Plan
to Destroy Black New Orleans with point #16. He suggested that a
part of "corporate New Orleans" plan was to "Downplay the Black Cultural
Heritage of New Orleans. Promote rebuilding and the vision of a "new"
New Orleans as if the rich Black Culture did not matter or act as if it
can be replaced or replicated in a "theme park" type redevelopment
scenario. Developers should capture and market the "black essence" of
New Orleans without including black people."
The Convention Center Authority is composed of a 12- member board of
commissioners, nine appointed by the Governor of Louisiana, and three
appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans. The gubernatorial appointees
serve at the pleasure of the Governor, while the Mayor's appointees
serve four-year terms. According to NOMCC's website, as one of America's
leading destinations for conventions and tradeshows, NOMCC event
activity has produced $37.86 billion in economic impact since its 1985
opening, including $2.09 billion in new tax revenue.
While recognizing the need to re-establish New Orleans in the market,
the success of recent events such as the NBA All-Star Game, the NCAA
Football title game, the return of Essence Festival, and a host of other
major events at the Center suggest that people are finding their way to
New Orleans in spite of the Convention Center's false claims of being at
a competitive disadvantage in trying to promote New Orleans because of
the name of the facility.
Those very same arguments were advanced by the late Dr. Merv Trail on
behalf of the business community during the initial debate about naming
the building in honor of Dutch. It was pointed out then that the Jacob
K. Javits Convention Center in New York, McCormick Place in Chicago, and
the Staples Center in Los Angeles among others all seem to overcome the
challenge of having its facilities named in honor of humans.
In 1992 the Louisiana Legislature past legislation which officially
authorized the legal named of the Exhibition Hall Authority to honor the
memory and contributions of the late Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial, New
Orleans' first African American mayor. That fact was historic enough,
but the legislature believed that this was an appropriate designation
particularly because of Dutch's role is assuring that the Center would
be constructed.
Turning a Vision into Reality
When Dutch campaigned for mayor in 1977, economic development and job
creation was the main trust of his platform. Concerned that the
Rivergate which until that date had served as the hub for conventions
and conferences had become too small for the growing size of major
conventions, Morial and other business leaders believed that the
construction of a new and larger facility was paramount to the growth of
New Orleans economic development.
Several potential sites were debated before settling on a 12 acre track
owned by the City, but the big question that remained was how such a
project would obtain financing. Many vowed that "the convention center
would never be completed." One business leader even put his prediction
in writing on a yellow slip of paper and handed it to Dutch. Never to
back down from a challenge, Dutch saved that yellow scrap of paper as a
reminder of the doubters.
Dutch focused on the newly created Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG)
developed by President Jimmy Carter's Administration. The City set out
to seek $20 million in UDAG funds by using the undeveloped Sheraton
Hotel as the local private sector leverage requirements combined with a
mix of proposed local taxes. After several attempts, the project seemed
doomed following several rejections of the City's application. The
States-Item, one of New Orleans local newspapers proclaimed that Dutch
had put the all of the city's eggs in the UDAG basket and had failed.
Undeterred Dutch remained steadfast.
He continued to press HUD and then Secretary Moon Landrieu, who had
preceded Dutch as mayor of New Orleans. After gathering a large
delegation of local and state leaders, he was successful in lobbying
Congress for an increased funding of the UDAG. Soon all of the stars
would line up and New Orleans received a $17.5 million UDAG award, it
was at that time the largest UDAG award ever granted. According to
Anthony Mumphrey, "In the meantime, the hotel- motel tax was passed and
the state funding was arranged using the 1984 World's Fair need for a
building to house the Louisiana Pavillion as the vehicle for state
participation.
The facility was completed on time to host the Louisiana Pavillion in
1984. and has since been expanded into today's configuration and making
it one of the most successful convention center in the world. Mayor
Sidney Barthelemy led the efforts for the additional expansion.
A review of recent history reflects that while most community leaders
supported the initial efforts to dedicate the facility in honor of
Morial, there was some opposition from certain members of corporate New
Orleans. A December 8, 1992 letter written by Warren Reuther to Mrs.
Sybil Morial and then Senator Marc Morial seems to document that debate.
Reuther wrote, "When the idea of changing the name first came before the
New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority, the Board had discussed how many
fine people were involved in making the Hall a reality.
After looking into and better understanding exactly what Dutch had to
personally do in order for the Convention Center to be built, I now
realize that the name that is now on the building is the name that
should be on the building. The Convention Center in New Orleans is most
deserving of his name."
The Louisiana Legislature appropriately recognized Morial's
accomplishments and this week's announcement to alter the name without
even going before the legislature is a replay of that initial debate
under the disguised of marketing and branding the New Orleans name.
"For us to get New Orleans into the title is a positive thing," said
Melvin Rodrigue, newly named president of the Ernest N. Morial New
Orleans Exhibition Authority, the board that runs the convention center.
"New Orleans is what most people associate with."
This battle may also be an extension of the battle to re- make New
Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Christopher Cooper, staff report of The Wall Street Journal in his
September 8, 2005 article quoted James Reiss, chairman of the Regional
Transportation Authority and a descendent of an old- line Uptown family
as saying, "The new city must be something very different, ... with
better services and fewer poor people. "Those who want to see this city
rebuilt want to see it done in a completely different way:
demographically, geographically and politically," he says. "I'm not just
speaking for myself here. The way we've been living is not going to
happen again, or we're out.
He says he has been in contact with about 40 other New Orleans business
leaders since the storm. Tomorrow, he says, he and some of those leaders
plan to be in Dallas, meeting with Mr. Nagin to begin mapping out a
future for the city." To date there has been no public disclosure of
what was discussed or of who attended that Dallas meeting but the
implications seems to indicate a reversal of New Orleans racial mix.
Since the Dallas meeting, New Orleans have witnessed attacks on many
fronts to reduce both the influence and numbers of Blacks living in its
community; creating barriers for Katrina survivors to cast a ballot
during election; the attempt to rename schools honoring African
Americans heroes; the demolishing of public and affordable housing; the
continuing debate over the future of Charity Hospital which served low
income citizens; attempts not to rebuild the city east of the Industrial
Canal (Lower 9th Ward and East New Orleans, predominately African
American communities) based on the suggestion of plans proposed by the
Urban Land Institute and some members of the Bring New Orleans Back
Commission; the firing of 7000 teachers and para- professionals and
takeover of the public school system; merging and elimination of offices
held by Black officials and the list continues; rumblings of moving to a
system of merit appointed judges; and the insensitive design of the
Louisiana Road Home program which was created to aid homeowners in the
recovery of their homes.
In the Wall Street Journal interview Mr. Reiss added that "The power
elite of New Orleans -- whether they are still in the city or have moved
temporarily to enclaves such as Destin, Fla., and Vail, Colo. -- insist
the remade city won't simply restore the old order.
In human rights lawyer and law professor Bill Quigley's Lesson From
Katrina: How to Destroy an African American City in 33 Steps, he could
have added step 34, attack Black New Orleans's symbol of hope. Who is
next, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Mahalia
Jackson Theatre of Performing Arts?
On March 27, 2008, newly elected Governor Bobby Jindal announced his new
appointments to the Center's governing board. They are Melvin Rodrigue,
who has served on the Convention Center's board since 2005, was
appointed president. The governor's appointees also include: Jay H.
Banks, James "Jim" Besselman, Klara B. Cvitanovich, Anthony Dileo, J.D.,
Edward D. Markle, Frederick W. Sawyers III, Carroll Wilson Suggs, and
James Bryan Wagner.
The New Orleans Agenda newsletter is the leading local alternative
for information on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region.
A provider of turnkey Web-Based Internet Marketing Services, we
specialize in servicing faith-based entities, community groups,
professional organizations, and arts & cultural interest events.
|
