The first time I saw the Original Big Nine Social Aid and Pleasure Club second line parade was on a beautiful Sunday in December 2006, the year after Hurricane Katrina. A small group of club members dressed in crisp white suits proudly marched down Forstall Street in their Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood. They were whooping it up, shuffling and sliding their feet to the brass band, holding up matching parasols. Empty houses with the spray-painted search-and-rescue X markings formed the backdrop. It was a powerful experience of strength and resilience in the face of disaster.

The spirit of that day stayed with me. I knew this tradition was something I wanted to revisit as part of my look at