674. Leslie Bary, Part 2

674. Part 2 of our conversation about prison reform with returning guest Leslie Bary. In this episode, we discuss Leslie Bary’s recent article, “From Angola with Love: Activism, Academics, and the Abolitionist Future,” which chronicles her thirty-year journey providing post-conviction relief and solidarity for death row and maximum-security prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Leslie examines the intersection of praxis and theory, the limitations of the prison-industrial complex, and the evolving relationship between academic work and abolitionist activism.Leslie Bary is an Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she specializes in Latin American literature and cultural theory. A Comparative Literature scholar with a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, her work often bridges the gap between literary studies and humanitarian support, including recent efforts assisting ICE detainees in Louisiana.

1. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today!
2. This week in the Louisiana Anthology.
   Judge Felix Voorhies. Acadian Reminiscences.
       In the cold winter days the family assembled in the hall, where a goodly fire blazed on the hearth, and while the wind whistled outside, our grandmother, an exile from Acadia, would relate to us the stirring scenes she had witnessed when her people were driven from their homes by the British, their sufferings during their long pilgrimage overland from Maryland to the wilds of Louisiana, the dangers that beset them on their long journey through endless forests, along the precipitous banks of rivers too deep to be forded.
       And as she spoke, we drew closer to her, and grouped around her and stirred not, lest we lose one of her words.
       When she spoke of Acadia, her face brightened, her eyes beamed with a strange brilliancy, and she kept us spellbound, so eloquent and yet so sad were her words, and then tears trickled down her aged cheeks and her voice trembled with emotion.
   
3. This week in Louisiana history. April 17, 1811. Attakapas Parish abolished, became St. Martin & St. Mary.
4. This week in New Orleans history. April 17, 1964: The Ford Mustang made its local debut at New Orleans dealerships, sparking a massive automotive craze across the Gulf South.
5. This week in Louisiana.
   Visit the Bienvenue Lafayette Exhibition at the Cabildo.
   701 Chartres Street (Jackson Square)
   New Orleans, LA 70130
   Hours: Tuesday ' Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
   Website: louisianastatemuseum.org
   Email: info@louisianastatemuseum.org
   Phone: (504) 568-6968
   April marks the exactly 200th anniversary month of the Marquis de Lafayette's arrival in New Orleans:
   
• Historical Commemoration: This special exhibit runs from April 10, 2025, to January 18, 2026, honoring the bicentennial of Lafayette's "triumphant tour" of the United States.
• The Cabildo Transformation: Learn how city officials spent the equivalent of $450,000 in 1825 to transform the Cabildo into lavish accommodations for the Marquis. 
• Artifacts of Liberty: The exhibition features unique documents and works of art that explore Lafayette's legacy as a champion of democracy and the abolition of slavery.
6. Postcards from Louisiana. Court of 2 Sisters Brunch Band. 

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