NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — Hundreds of members of the Mystic Krewe of Nyx signed onto a letter addressed to their captain denouncing their membership because of a controversial social media post.
Saturday morning a protest was held outside of the Nyx headquarters.
The post was made earlier this week by Captain Julia Lea in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. She posted a photo on Instagram showing an African American girl holding a white girl’s face with the caption “Our souls are the same color” along with the hashtag #AllLivesMatter.
Lea said in a follow-up statement that the post was “tone deaf” and that she now realizes the post was divisive. That statement has since been deleted and Lea has remained silent.
The Nyx members — nearly 300 — expressed their disappointment with Lea, explaining that the mission of the krewe hasn’t been held up by Lea.
NEW: Hundreds of current/former members demand full refund & denounce @KreweofNyx after captain’s #AllLivesMatter post: “A leader like you, in a predominantly black city, has no excuse to be that ignorant. This racist statement does not represent us.” @wdsu #Nyx pic.twitter.com/rWfnnZWgIK
— Christina Watkins (@CWatkinsWDSU) June 5, 2020
“We felt ignored, mistreated and silenced by you for a while now but for us — members of a krewe with such a large population of black women — the use of the hashtag #AllLivesMatter, along with the statement “our souls are the same color” on an official Nyx social media pages that are supposed to represent us, made us feel even more silenced by you,” the members said in their letter.
The members said they plan to leave the krewe. They are also asking for a full refund on their funds paid to the carnival organization.
More than 3,000 riders join the Nyx parade for Mardi Gras each year.
By: WDSU Digital Team
