NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Dozens of float lieutenants with the New Orleans-based Mystic Krewe of Nyx said they will resign over a social media post by its captain, which some current and former members say was racist.
Krewe of Nyx Captain Julie Lea posted an image of a black child holding the face of a white child with the words “Our souls are the same color” and the hashtag “All Lives Matter,” news outlets reported. The post has since been deleted, and Lea apologized, the reports said.
“As a former police officer and a leader, we don’t believe that you didn’t know the meaning of these statements and why they are offensive to the Black community and its allies,” a letter to Lea condemning the post stated.
The Krewe of Nyx is an all-female group that is the largest parading organization for Mardi Gras in New Orleans, news outlets reported. Its mission is to “unite women of diverse backgrounds for fun, friendship, and the merriment of the Mardi Gras season,” according to its website.
The post was shared last week amid nationwide protests and racial tensions over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
At least 27 float lieutenants vowed to leave the krewe if Lea didn’t step down by 5 p.m. Monday, news outlets reported. In a response to the letter issued by Lea’s attorney, Ronald Morrison Jr., the captain refused to resign.
“My client and I cannot help but point out that the outrage you are displaying is greatly disproportionate to the facts and events that have transpired,” Morrison wrote.
Lea co-founded the krewe, and, according to bylaws obtained by news outlets, cannot be ousted unless she decides to resign and appoints her successor.
The krewe faced tragedy during this year’s Mardi Gras celebrations when Geraldine Carmouche, 58, died in February after witnesses said she apparently tried to cross between two parts of a Krewe of Nyx tandem float, tripped over a hitch connecting the sections and was run over. Carmouche was related to two of the krewe’s members.
