The JuJu Bag is a locally-owned cafe and barber salon, located at the intersection of Franklin and Filmore Avenues, directly across the street from the Milne's Boys Home.

Enjoy a relaxing evening of live Jazz every Friday night, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, wonderful coffee and beignets, dinner specials, wine and spirits!

*Rental Space available* Allow the JuJu Bag Cafe to host your next special event: Private Parties, Birthdays, Family Reunions, Baby Showers, Repasts, Art Shows, Release Parties, Book Signings, Wedding Dinners, Group Meetings.

The Cafe is open Tuesday - Sunday, at the hours listed below. 

Tuesday - Thursday	8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday	8:00 am - 11:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday	8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Call ahead for take-out orders and try our dinner specials! 

Come by and enjoy the oasis of our beautiful, shaded patio with a cool cocktail!

*Free WiFi*

I wouldn't call the JuJu Bag a soul food restaurant. Its menu is wrapped around a much more healthful and interesting fare, but oh my God, how soulfully delicious, and how professional and tasteful the presentation.

I had a taste for something different. One of the issues around supporting African American restaurants is the repetition on the menus. I love great soul / creole food, but not all the time. Sometimes my palate cries out for an adventure, but sometimes when we foray into a new food experience we end up disappointed. Well, lets face it, when your baseline for flavor satisfaction is our traditional cuisine, for food to excite us it has to standout and stand up to the full flavors of New Orleans regular everyday food... not an easy task.

This afternoon, I hadn't had lunch and needed a break. I wanted something different, but healthy and the JuJu bag came to mind as Anne and I have both been meaning to dine there and check out the menu. We had attended several functions there and enjoyed all that we had been able to sample, so we drove all the way from Algiers sat our selves down and just had ourselves a delicious ( and nutritious) time.

As we are prone to do, we shared an appetizer, a soup and an entree. The humus and pita chips on the bed of tomato and lettuce were superb and beautiful in their presentation. This was a delicious and very healthy alternative to a lot of fatty dips and chips and we really didn't feel like we were making any sacrifice... at all.

Next we shared a bowl of Avocado Chicken Soup. Anne claimed that she didn't like avocado... until she wanted the last bit in the bowl.

	Grilled Chicken Panini Sandwich

When I confronted her with her often stated dislike all my Boo could do was utter, "Well, I guess I can't say I don't like avocados any more. Floating with chicken bits in a well seasoned and spicy (not salty) broth, the soft creaminess of the "aligator pear" made each bite special depending on whether you chose to chew, squish or simply swallow the tender bits of this very healthful and delicious savory fruit swimming with the chicken and other ingredients (I know you think avocado is vegetable).

Our entree was the Grilled Chicken Panini Sandwich. The JuJu Bag makes your panini sandwich with flaky tender french bread, a stroke of genius and a brilliant marriage of cultures. It was crusty and tender and juicy and mouth watering, an obviously well designed and well tested recipe and preparation process. We were both raving about our food when arriving guest asked us about our order... and the service was both pleasant and efficient.

We have several food places that we return to periodically for what they do so well, and I'm telling you that the JuJu Bag is now on that list and well worth a special trip all the way from Algiers. Tommye Myrick has created a really memorable dining experience in the heart of Gentilly that makes me envy those of you who don't have to cross a river to get there... Guiltless, delicious gourmet fare that's as easy on your blood pressure as it is on your wallet.

Lloyd Dennis is an author, writer, columnist, motivational speaker, and founder of The Silverback Society ; a mentor program that trains and coordinates over 150 men who volunteer and are committed to making a positive impact on more than 600 boys and young men in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area. He may be reached via email at ld@lloyddennis.com or at www.lloyddennis.com  or www.crescentcitylive.com .

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• Broke all time high passenger record in 2015 by surpassing the 10 million passengers mark with 10.7 million passengers;
• Started construction work on a new 30 gate terminal;
• Partnered with the Office of the Inspector General to reform contracting, credit card and take home car policies;
• Increased revenue totals;
• Upgraded bond ratings;
• Expanded air service including 10 new airlines including Alaska, Allegiant, Branson Air Express, Frontier, GLO, and Spirit and 34 additions of non-stop destinations including Austin, Branson, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Oakland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle -- the Airport has an all-time record high of 57 non-stop destinations on 15 airlines;
• Expanded international air service including new airlines and destinations such as Air Canada to Toronto, Copa Airlines to Panama, Condor Airlines to Frankfurt, Germany, Delta to Cancun, Mexico, and Vacation Express to both Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and Montego Bay, Jamaica;
• Received approval to operate charter flights to Cuba;
• Completed $300M modernization project including food, beverage, retail and rental car improvements in time for the 2013 Super Bowl; and,
• Expanded restaurant and retail hours of operation from 8am-5pm to 5am-8pm daily.

NEW ORLEANS - Yesterday, HousingNOLA released its first report card on the state of housing in New Orleans. HousingNOLA Executive Director, Andreanecia Morris, was joined by public, non-profit and civic leaders in a round table discussion centered around the progress the city has made, where improvements are still needed and future goals for 2017.

"The HousingNOLA 10 Year Plan is not just another pretty book for a shelf in your office," said Morris. "This first report card is being released so we can hold ourselves and the city accountable when it comes to addressing the diverse housing needs of New Orleanians."

HousingNOLA is responsible for developing, executing and monitoring the 10 Year Strategy and Implementation Plan. Since releasing the HousingNOLA Preliminary Report in August 2015, HousingNOLA and the city have earned a "B" based on the progress of the following six goals outlined in the aforementioned report: (1) Preserve Existing Housing and Increase Overall Supply of Affordable Housing, (2) Prevent Future Displacement Through Development Activities, Continued Study and Policy Review, (3) Enforce and Promote Fair Housing Policies Throughout New Orleans, (4) Encourage Sustainable Design and Infrastructure for all New Orleanians, (5) Increase Accessibility for All Walks of Life, Including Special Needs Residents, and (6) Strategic Goals.

	Andreanecia Morris

"Mayor Landrieu has made increasing availability of affordable housing for our residents a priority," said Ellen Lee, Director of Housing Policy and Community Development for the City of New Orleans. "Through the City's Housing for a Resilient New Orleans five-year strategy, our goal is to build or preserve 7,500 affordable housing units. We look forward to continuing our work with HousingNOLA to promote more affordable housing options for all our residents."

In 2016 alone, the public agencies responsible for funding housing have either created or preserved 1,991 new affordable housing opportunities for residents in the city. It is through a joint cooperation between HousingNOLA, those public partners, and the community that these numbers were obtainable.

	Ellen Lee

Additionally, HousingNOLA was able to ensure equitable access to housing by addressing the systemic problems that prevent houses from being built and deal with the prejudices and derogatory attitude associated with affordable housing. By helping to change this perception, the possibilities of locations for future affordable housing developments has expanded.

Among a multitude of other accomplishments achieved in 2016, there were some areas that fell short. As a result of these shortcomings, HousingNOLA has reevaluated parts of its action plan moving forward for 2017, which is detailed completely in the 2016 Report Card.

About HousingNOLA
HousingNOLA's mission is to provide a roadmap to maximize the effectiveness of scarce government resources, increasing non-traditional resources, and assisting private sector investors in making strategic choices. HousingNOLA is a 10-year partnership between the community leaders, and dozens of public, private, and nonprofit organizations working to solve New Orleans' affordable housing crisis.

HousingNOLA partners with the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA), a collaborative of home builders, community development organizations, and homebuyer education agencies advocating for the preservation and production of affordable housing.

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NEW ORLEANS (9/29/16) - The ways in which the youth of America are being educated is evolving from day to day. Similarly, the roles of traditional educational institutions are also evolving due to changes in technology, governing laws, and influence from groups outside the hierarchy of an educational body. Principals are often considered to be metaphorical "captains" with a school existing as their ship. Principals can be hired, removed from office, replaced, etc. but the school remains behind and the legacy of a principal remains with it. While the role of a principal is changing with the times, by analyzing how the position is evolving and the role in which the position plays in the lives of students as well as faculty within a school, it is obvious that being a principal means serving in a number of positions in order to create positive change and make an impact.

 
What is the role of a principal in the modern world? This question initially seems simple and straight forward but upon closer examination it is obvious that this is no longer the case. Closer examination of the position of a principal in modern society lends to the idea that the role of a principal has grown "to include that of entrepreneur, community organizer, and negotiator in addition to that of instructional and moral leader" (White-Smith & White, 2009). The number of stakeholders in a school no longer includes just the faculty and administration. With the advent of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and the increased scrutiny of education institutions in the media, many parents and guardians now hold active roles in the decisions of how their children are educated. Principals are held accountable for what goes on under their guidance and, subsequently, they act as pedagogical leaders "responsible for defining school missions and visions, preparing annual programs, implementing the curriculum, overseeing instruction quality, and creating a climate conducive to high-quality teaching and learning (Sentoenik & Rupar, 2009). Further examination places the role of a principal into two categories: that of the leader, the facilitator/mediator.

 
As a leader, a principal is in charge of all actions and well being of teachers and students in their care. Disciplinary actions, staff leadership and competency, and effective teaching and learning all fall in their jurisdiction. While external pressures have increased due to advents in technology during the last quarter century, the thought that their work has not always been scrutinized is not logical. Historically, successful principals "have always had to manage the demands of a range of stakeholders, but in the twenty-first century, these stakeholders have more power to influence and intervene" (Day, 2007). Due to the high stress level and often quick turnover of individuals in these positions, the leadership role has also begun to change. The hierarchy of a school has always been important to effective teaching and separation of duties. However, recently there has been a flattening of the school hierarchy which "has recently begun to be viewed as a means of broad-based school capacity building that could help sustain change efforts" (Sentoenik & Rupar, 2009). Even with the dispersal of duties among Vice Principals and Department heads, principals are still the ones who are held accountable for the state of affairs within a school. This means that even though their roles are changing, they must still ensure competency, "across all content areas, including science, math, history, and the arts" (Kinney, 2007). If a school is found to be lacking, then the leadership is questioned and, more often than not, the principal will take the blame as leader of the governing body within the institution.

 
Since a principal is the leader of the school, he or she must also act as facilitator/mediator when there is a question of change or how s procedure must be carried out. As education requirements are shifted and analyzed to improve results on standardized tests and other markers of excellence, principals must keep their staff up to date and informed on what changes will occur. Recent changes have increased accountability of all sectors within the education industry. Now, all public schools are held accountable for " (a) a standards-based state curriculum; (b) teachers who are highly qualified in their teaching content and trained to use scientifically based, research-supported strategies; and (c) a series of adequate yearly progress benchmarks for raising all students to levels of proficiency in the core content areas" (Shen, Cooley, Reeves, Burt, Rainey, & Yuan, 2011). While increasing standards create added pressure on administrators, it is the job of a principal to have a firm grasp on how teachers are preparing their students to meet these standards head on.

 
Department heads must take control of their area within the institution and effectively communicate any questions or concerns to the principal who, in turn, makes necessary changes or concessions to better the overall atmosphere. This leads to a clear division of responsibilities and duties across all levels which creates a more efficient system since the "most effective leadership teams were those that felt the need to discuss their role and define individual responsibilities from the start" (Sentoenik & Rupar, 2009). The principal keeps all other departments alert and up to date and happy. When a dispute arises between two faculty members or between a faculty member and a student, the principal then must become a mediator. In studies completed worldwide, "some principals felt that it took a lot of skill to persuade people, and most saw their most important role in opening the channels of communication and letting people voice their concerns" (Sentoenik & Rupar, 2009). Keeping communication pathways clear and having a healthy dialogue between agitated groups helps keep any organization running smoothly and schools are no different. While not seen as a mediator by many, this role is no less important than that of a leader and is integral to being a successful principal.

 
The question of why someone would want to take on such a dynamic and stressful role must be asked when discussing the pros and cons of the role. Many people become principals because of the desire to help students while others want the power given by the position to facilitate change. The most common reason that many principals take on this role is the desire to help students achieve higher standards and receive a good education. When dealing with education, it is also important that the most positive results occur when educators "encourage students to hold a growth mind-set" and focus more on improvement and "efforts instead of how smart they are" (Hoerr, 2010). Educating students is no less a part of the daily life of a principal than that of a teacher. Even though there is less direct contact in a classroom setting, the educational well being and advancement of all students under a principal's care are of primary importance.

 
According to two organizations who attempt to influence lawmakers, "Good principals are just as important to student achievement as good teachers, and federal education policy should make explicit efforts to recruit, train, and retain them" (Samuels, 2011). Even though principals must maintain a balance between all of their roles within an educational institution, the role of providing a positive outlet for students and working for their betterment is always paramount. Whether acting as a leader creating change within the hierarchy, acting as a mediator in conflicts between individuals, or in facilitating a smoother functioning school, principals always work to better the lives of their students. This primary reason for becoming a principal comes from the same desire that people have when becoming a teacher, although the road to taking this position is longer and requires more education, experience, and responsibility with a marginal increase in pay.

 
The desire to help and encourage students is often the reason that many principals also take their position in a desire to lead and make a change. As a leader in a school, a principal must adhere to several core leadership practices which include ""setting directions," "developing people," and "redesigning the organization" to develop one that supports the performance of administrators, teachers, and students" (Shen et al., 2011). Within the practices of developing people and redesigning the organization, principals facilitate change by creating new programs and maintaining strong relations with all members of the school whether teacher or student. Each school situation is different and must be developed in a unique way leading to the principal guiding the change as he or she sees fit. In order to be successful in this role as navigator and leader, principals must "apply contextually sensitive combinations of the basic leadership practices to their workplaces" (Day, 2007). By understanding the social and political climates surrounding school policies, principals can create a strategic plan on implementing change. The individuals who are most successful at implementing new initiatives, "often have a clear vision to guide themselves and their schools toward their goals" (White-Smith & White, 2009). While the desire to make change is one reason that many people become principals, the implementation of change takes time, effort, and a clear plan to be executed over a specified timeline all of which must be taken into consideration when taking this position.

Being a principal yields a unique set of rewards which are not seen by teachers, other administrators, or School Board members. Taking on this dynamic and diverse role is not something which should be taken lightly, but instead needs to be considered carefully. Although the increase in pay does not necessarily equate to the added stress and time commitment professors undertake, the non-monetary rewards, desire to help students, and implement change as the leader of a school draws many. Without principals, schools would be ships without captains and navigators and would be set adrift in the metaphorical sea of education around the world. 

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Dr. Christopher A. Williams, Ed.D. is CEO of 3V LLC, a development entity specializing in the area of U.S. Veterans.  He may be reached via email at drarsteal@gmail.com or by phone at 504-258-2444.

WASHINGTON, DC (September 29, 2016) - I have always been fascinated by the term "white collar crime." It makes it seem as if stealing lots of money is not as bad as stealing a small amount. It rarely results in punishment that fits the crime. Yet the small-time thief is often thrown under the jail, like the guy who stole $20 from a parking meter and was sentenced to 10 years.

Contrast that with the fallout from the recently exposed Wells Fargo Bank scam, in which two million credit cards and customer accounts were opened using phony signatures and email addresses. More than 5,000 low-level employees got fired for trying to meet impossible sales targets set by their supervisors. The CEO said it was all their fault, as if thousands of bank workers making $12 an hour woke up one morning and decided to defraud their customers. Not one manager was terminated. And even if the CEO eventually loses his job, he will reportedly walk away with company stock that grew to be worth more than $200 million because of the scam. That's on top of the $19.3 million salary he was paid last year.

Isn't America great if you wear a white collar? Stockholders want high returns on their investments. The members of the board of directors, who often own much of the stock, set performance goals for the CEO. The CEO wins bonuses if he meets those goals, and in turn guarantees bonuses for his vice presidents if they help him reach his target. And so it goes down the line. But the financial incentive is very small by the time it reaches tellers and other low-paid employees. According to them, their incentive at Wells Fargo was being told to hit their targets or lose their jobs.

When schemes like this are uncovered - whether at Wells Fargo, or in the mortgage business, at savings and loans, in the auto industry, or countless other segments of the economy - the process has become familiar. Congress investigates, CEOs testify in their crisp white collars, and the media report about it. We watch and we listen and we say to ourselves, "That's not right." Then we wait for the next time. Along the way, stockholders made money, board members made money, CEOs and upper-level managers made money. The 5,300 employees who feared losing their jobs? They are unemployed and can't find work because they were terminated for violating company policy.

The values of dog-eat-dog competition, anything-for-a-profit, and materialistic consumerism destroy the human spirit. They eat at our souls. Something is wrong when thousands of people are laid off and stock prices rise. Pleasure for the wealthy should not be paid for with the hourly worker's pain. The America of our dreams would not abide such an outcome. The America we live in expects it.

What bothers me most is that everyone knows the truth. Board members, CEOs, and the members of Congress who investigate them will discuss it over cocktails or on the golf course. Some may even chuckle about how they got away with it as they buy their new yacht. Then when they return from vacation, they will put on another crisp white collar and conjure up another scheme to defraud the unsuspecting public and blame it on employees who can't say no.

Even the 5,300 "bad" employees must have known that they were crossing the line. But with a wink from their supervisor, a nod from his boss, and praise from the vice president for a job well done, I guess they went along with the program. It was their job. What they should have realized, after seeing it on TV so many times, was that in the end, they would be left holding the bag.

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Ronald Mason, Jr., J.D. is president of the University of the District of Columbia.  A native of New Orleans, President Mason received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Columbia University in New York City. He attended the Harvard Institute of Educational Management and is the recipient of the Mayor's Medal of Honor from the City of New Orleans, the Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award from Dillard, Loyola, Tulane, and Xavier universities, and was one of five recipients of Columbia University's 2008 John Jay Award for distinguished alumni.  He may be reached via email at ronald.mason@udc.edu.

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Online Voter Registration is now AVAILABLE

For more information please call 202.659.4929 or email blackyouthvote@ncbcp.org

   

Sandra McCollum is a part of the Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Diaspora. She currently lives in Chicago, Ill but New Orleans will always be her home. She may be reached via email at sandraannmccollum@yahoo.com.

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by Laura Barron-Lopez, The Huffington Post

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What's At Stake

About Unity'16

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