Jazz funeral procession, second line honors Louisiana lives lost during COVID pandemic

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Stepping in time, the walking track at City Park became a memorial long overdue for the many local lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Saturday (May 25) jazz funeral and second line through City Park provided the chance to properly grieve those not formally laid to rest because of public health restrictions preventing large gatherings.

The Krewe of Black and Gold hosted this inaugural event.

With those lost loved ones in mind, the day brought closure to many in a way that is uniquely New Orleans.

“I’m a COVID ventilator survivor. I spent a month on it,” said Marvin Belisle, the Wild Man of the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indian tribe. “I mean I had a 20 percent chance to live. So, it touched me deeply. And so, I had to participate in this.”

The illness touched so many in New Orleans, sparking a call to action even in Saturday’s stifling heat.

“The fact that we lost a lot of culture bearers, it touched me dearly,” said Belisle.

Fernando Rivera, CEO of the VA healthcare system’s southeastern Louisiana branch, remembers the earliest days of the 2020 pandemic.

The new VA hospital on Tulane Avenue saw some of the very first U.S. disease cases.

“We diagnosed, about 12 days after Mardi Gras, the first hospitalized COVID patient in Louisiana.

Rivera says the hospital quickly became inundated and overwhelmed as case numbers skyrocketed.

“As you can imagine, becoming the second epicenter after New York, New Orleans was a hotbed,” said Rivera.

The CDC reports more than 18,000 deaths statewide from COVID-19.

Those following close behind the TBC Brass Band say Saturday’s tribute brought mixed emotions.

“Great memories from second lines of the past. And sad, because of what we’re thinking about,” said one longtime resident of New Orleans. “And then celebrating the resilience of people, getting out and doing it in the hot sun!”

The event attracted a few visitors experiencing the New Orleans tradition for the first time, like Zeke Davis, making his first visit to the city and selected from the crowd to lead the procession.

“I wasn’t expecting anything like this!” said Davis. “I’ve seen all these parades on tv and stuff, but this was a blast!”

With the memory of those who passed and the gratitude for frontline workers who risked their lives to keep them comfortable came a reminder that New Orleans will always rebuild.

Kim Bergeron//Krewe of Black and Gold, founder

“How many times have we been knocked down? We always get back up,” said event organizer Kim Bergeron. “And we do so stronger and better, and we keep bringing our joy and our unique culture to the world. And so, that’s what this story is about. It’s a love letter to the city, basically.”

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