Black Paris in the 2nd Arrondissement

Last weekend, Tom and I had the pleasure of staying in an apartment in the 2nd arrondisement that is managed by Habitat Parisien. The address is 44, rue Vivienne. We had a lovely stay there, including a fabulous chocolate tasting that we hosted for friends and fellow bloggers.

I am always looking for evidence of the influence of the African Diaspora on the Paris landscape and this neighborhood did not disappoint me. Rue Vivienne intersects boulevard Montmartre - part of the Grands Boulevards created in the wake of the destruction of the city ramparts during the reign of Louis XIV - at its northern end. It just so happens that the Théatre des Varietés and the Musée Grévin, both of which lie on this trendy section of the boulevards, are within a two-minute walk from the apartment.

L'Argent du Diable (The Devil's Money), a play by 19th century playwrights Victor Séjour and Adolphe Jaime fils, was performed at the Théâtre des Variétés in 1854. Victor Séjour was a free man of color from the Louisiana Territory, son of a Santo Domingan (Haïtian) father and a New Orleans-born mother. He came to Paris in 1836 to pursue a career as a writer. A contemporary and friend of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, he enjoyed considerable success, but died a pauper. He is buried at Père Lachaise cemetery.

Théâtre des Varietés
© Discover Paris!
The famous Musée Grévin features wax representations of royals and politicians as well as celebrities from stage, screen, and sports. Michael Jackson found his place among the replicas in 1997. The museum's statues of Josephine Baker are on view at her château Les Milandes in the Dordogne region of France. More recently, replicas of President Barack Obama, César winner Omar Sy, basketball player Tony Parker, and Olympic judo medalist Teddy Riner have been added to the collection.

Musée Grévin
© Discover Paris!
On rue Vivienne itself, an American-style bistro called Lefty boasts a huge photograph of Mos Def holding the November 8, 2008 edition of the left-leaning French newspaper Libération. President Obama's photo is on the first page of this edition of the paper; the headline reads "We Have a Dream".

Photo of Mos Def by Liroy Photography
© Discover Paris!
A smaller photo of Prince can be found to the left of the bar.

President Obama is a recurring theme in this tiny area of the 2nd arrondissement - an image of him on a business card appears in the window of a tailor's shop alongside a photo of Elizabeth Taylor and two photos of Joy Villa.

President Obama, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joy Villa
© Discover Paris!
Finally, and most astonishing for me, was a poster of the Black Panther Party in the window of an old-fashioned wine bar called Le Gavroche:

Black Panther Party at Cave Le Gavroche
© Discover Paris!
It turns out that this is a flier for a photography exhibit held at Galerie La B.A.N.K on rue Volta in the 3rd arrondissement (now closed) that featured photos by Pirkle Jones and others in 2011. Jones and his wife Ruth-Marion Baruch photographed the Panthers from July to October 1968.

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Armistice Day Homage to Soldiers from France's Overseas Territories, Africa, and Indochina

Tirailleurs Sénégalais - 43rd Battalion 1916
Approximately 200 people gathered for the annual Armistice Day ceremony honoring foreign soldiers who have given their lives for France took place on quai Henri IV on Monday, November 11th.

Attendees at the ceremony
© Discover Paris!
Attendees who could not be seated beneath the tent sat on a nearby bench on the sidewalk.

More attendees
© Discover Paris!
Flag bearers flanked the plaque that commemorates soldiers from Africa, the French territories, and Indochina as the proceedings began.

Commemorative plaque
© Discover Paris!
Mme Danielle Apocale, General Delegate to the Overseas Departments of the City of Paris, led the ceremony.

General Delegate Danielle Apocale
© Discover Paris!
Flowers were laid, followed by music and a minute of silence.

Deputy Mayor Philippe Ducloux lays flowers
© Discover Paris!

Municipal Councilor Omer Mas Capitolin and Deputy Mayor Philippe Ducloux
stand before the plaque
© Discover Paris!
A young student named Thomas Ghysdel read a message from the Union Françaises des Anciens Combattants (French Union of Old Soldiers).

Thomas Ghysdel reads a message from l'UFAC
© Discover Paris!
There was a poetry reading by actor Pierre Heintz followed by an impassioned speech by Philippe Ducloux, deputy to the Mayor of Paris.

Pierre Heintz
© Discover Paris!

Deputy Mayor Philippe Ducloux
© Discover Paris!
The highlight of the ceremony was a poetry recitation by slammer Jean Yves Bertogal.

Jean Yves Bertogal
© Discover Paris!
After the event, local dignitaries posed with the leaders of numerous veterans' associations.

After the event
© Discover Paris!
Then everyone was invited to enjoy spicy hot chocolate and brioche. It was a warm, convivial end to a solemn ceremony on a bright, cold day.

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Sounds of the Luxembourg Garden at the British Museum

In April 2013, I was honored to have been asked to participate in a very special series of interviews called Paris – A Personal View. Des Coulam, whose passion is to record the sounds of Paris, is the creative genius behind the series. He recorded my observations of the Luxembourg Garden—my favorite place in Paris—as we took a leisurely walk through it.

Des Coulam and Monique Y. Wells
© Discover Paris!

Des fits Monique with a microphone
© Discover Paris!
I took Des to several of my preferred spots in the garden. Among them were the eastern terrace near the boat basin, where I showed Des an image of Loïs Mailou Jones’ 1948 painting of the Luxembourg Palace and the towers of Saint-Sulpice beyond, and the southernmost point of the parterre where I talked about Gaston Monnerville, brilliant legal mind and President of the French Senate. (A bust of Monnerville stands just outside the garden.)

Bust of Gaston Monnerville
© Discover Paris!
We ended at the gate nearest the rear of the Odéon Theater, where crocuses were in bloom.

Several days ago, Des wrote me to inform me that:

...the recording you made of your personal view of the Jardin de Luxembourg has now been ingested into the British Library Sound & Moving Image Archive in London. The catalogue reference is:

027A-C1540X0003XX-0100M0.WAV - Jardin de Luxembourg: A Personal View by Dr. Monique Y. Wells

Whilst the catalogue reference is available to everyone, the recording itself is only available for scientific, educational or other non-commercial purposes upon request to the British Library. The British Library only provide a listening service so the recording will not be made available for download.

So now your voice and your wonderful exposition of the Jardin de Luxembourg will be available for future generations to explore, to study and to enjoy. Bravo!

For those of you who are so inclined, I hope that you'll ask to listen to the audio when you visit the British Library. For those who'd like to enjoy the audio tour (and the beautiful photos that accompany it) from the comfort of your own home, click here!

Finally, I encourage all of you - whether residents or visitors - to take time to listen to the city at Des' Soundlandscapes' blog. You'll discover Paris from a fascinating new perspective!

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Follow-up: Racial Discrimination and Lynching Conference at Dorothy's Gallery

On September 26, Doria Johnson and Nathalie Loison gave presentations on the topics of racial discrimination and lynching at Dorothy's Gallery.

Both women were moved by the experience. They share their reflections below.

Doria Johnson:

I was more than humbled by my experiences there in Paris. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the cityscape, the architecture, the cobblestone streets, the parks, the river, and even the street-style clothing.

Doria on the Champs de Mars
Photo courtesy of Doria Johnson

Doria and Michael
Photo courtesy of Doria Johnson
Also, I could immediately identify with the urban experience of seeing many folks who looked like me in public spaces. I felt comfortable there, and kept thinking of the Black American intellectuals, artists, and even the proletariat, or working-class folks who preceded my visit, and understood why they felt compelled to stay, or "quit America" as many say.

More than anything, I was struck by the welcoming atmosphere that surrounded our visit. My partner, Michael, kept commenting on the kindness, genuine and warm personality of Nathalie Loison, who facilitated our visit. She was interested in making us feel comfortable, and was very concerned about our desires. She tempered that with pointing out what she loved about Paris. Of course, I had worked with her for a few years, so I sensed her spirit, but I did not expect to connect with her on so many levels. I confirmed what I suspected: women share experiences that transpire cultures and borders, and for those honest conversations I was most grateful. We shared how our mothers lived, and from that, we learned how to survive and live healthy lives.

The talk at Dorothy's Gallery exposed me to the public, albeit those mostly intellectually interested in my take on race in the U.S. The space was intimate, which allowed me the opportunity to visually take in people's responses--unlike an academic lecture hall. The questions that followed my talk were thought-provoking, and pushed back some of my theories such as the legal codification of the murder of Black boys and men based on racial profiling.

Doria addresses the crowd
Photo courtesy of Nathalie Loison
As an example, Romain Sinclair, an undergrad student studying in Paris and Northwestern University in Illinois, thought I went too far. He said he didn't believe that the U.S. actually sanctioned lynching, and this made me question the way I presented my case as well as my own socialization about America. As a result, I agreed to take a look at how I articulate with my analysis, and how I construct it for public consumption.

Speaking with the French press also provided me another avenue to disrupt the sometimes global miscalculated U.S. identity as post-racial--I have an opposite opinion of my home, especially with the confusing backdrop of the Obama presidency. These conversations force me to think more deeply about these issues, and these opportunities can only happen when a historian performs publicly. I treasure those moments, indeed, as I envision expanding my identity as a public historian.

Nathalie Loison:

We were first interviewed by two journalists. Doria started her talk showing and commenting on photos of lynched people. She told us a few facts about the history of lynching, then compared today's situation (Trayvon Martin's case) to the murders of Emmett Till and her great-great grandfather Anthony Crawford. She was asked several questions.

Talking about lynching
Photo courtesy of Nathalie Loison
There was a break, then I talked for half an hour about the way [Jennifer] Beals, [Tiger] Woods and [President] Obama's multiracial identities were depicted in the press (The New York Times, USA Today, US Weekly, The Huffington Post, People, the specialized press - Sports Illustrated, Ebony, Town and Country Mag, Curve Magazine, etc ... - the digital press, the local press - from Chicago, NY, Japan, Canada ..., InStyle, etc ...) from 1997 to 2009.

Nathalie Loison and Dorothy Polley
Photo courtesy of Nathalie Loison
1997 was the year when Woods declared he was multiracial; 2009 was the election of a biracial president; and from 2003 and 2009, Beals played the first openly biracial and gay female character. It appears that they were shown as models, heroes and icons that are perfect because they are mixed-race, but also as "the Other," marginalized and suspicious individuals difficult to categorize. Lastly, they were depicted as "deracialized" personalities (whose racial identity has been "erased" in a way).

Doria and I share a lot because as the daughter of a Cambodian mother (my father was French), I understand how difficult it is for immigrant women (or at least, my late mum) to feel integrated to a foreign society and culture. As a mixed-race person, I also feel close to the multiracial personalities (and anonymous citizens) I mentioned in my talk because I, too, have never fully felt part of a community or another.

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