There is much more to Mardi Gras than meets the eye. There are societies, traditions, and an entire hierarchy that is behind the celebration. The issue with these Mardi Gras societies is that, for the most part, they are still segregated.
We watched a movie highlighting this segregation and it was disturbing to say the least. The two societies were aware of each other, but never intended to mix- mainly from the white side. The white hierarchy was made up of a king and a queen that were almost pedigreed to become Mardi Gras royalty. They had lavish parties and a very big social life before the start of Mardi Gras. The African American society was more family oriented and it seemed to be more of an all-encompassing community event.
The most disturbing thing to me was the wait staff at the white parties. The fact that the queen's family was a former slave owner is just the icing on the racism plate. In one scene they have all African-American men wearing tiny cowboy hats serving the food and cleaning up.
Although we are very focused on being a free and equal society, acts like these prove this sentiment to be false.
