Family & Community Life

The family unit has always been at the center of the African American community in Iberia Parish. While many African Americans had minimal access to certain goods and services, it did not deter them from creating a sense of communal welfare within their environment. Throughout the 1900s, many African Americans in Iberia Parish lived spatially segregated from white residents in areas like Freetown, Olivier, Morbihan, Jeanerette, Lil’ Brooklyn, and the West End. For many of the locals who participated in these interviews, much of their experiences as residents of Iberia Parish was impacted by Jim Crow laws. Although many lived in underdeveloped areas in their early lives, community members often came together to host baseball games, house parties, and church services. While it is true that many locals who participated in these interviews state that there was not much racial tension between Blacks and whites in Iberia Parish, the obvious divisions of lifestyles between the races were clear.

Music has also been an important aspect of community life for African Americans in Iberia Parish. The notoriety of renowned jazz trumpeter Willie Gary “Bunk” Johnson, who was a resident of New Iberia, strengthened the connection between the Black community and music. Black locals often traveled to nightclubs on Hopkins Street to celebrate life through dance and live music. Artists like Ike and Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and the Temptations also traveled to New Iberia to perform at clubs like Leo’s Rendezvous.

The narratives below provide more information on the local experiences with family and community life in Iberia Parish.