645 David Ballantyne, Part 2.
26 September 2025

645 David Ballantyne, Part 2.

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

About
645. Part 2 of our interview with David Ballantyne about post
Civil-War Reconstruction of the Red River Valley. He has given the history on the area in his book, Fractured
Freedoms: Reconstruction in Central Louisiana
. “Fractured Freedoms is a riveting history of
central Louisiana from the 1860s to the 1890s, focusing on
majority-Black Rapides Parish during Reconstruction. Using the
region as a case study, Ballantyne reveals what is, in part, a
rural Reconstruction success story, emphasizing the resilience
of Black politics and the persistence of significant divisions
among white residents that allowed the Republican Party to gain
and maintain power there. It was only with the collapse of
state-level Republican power in 1877 that Democratic forces in
the parish were able to dismantle local Republican political
control and gradually constrict Black freedoms" (LSU

Press).



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    as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in
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    This week in the Louisiana
    Anthology
    . Rebecca van Laer, "First Date."
        She orders oysters, of course I don’t know how to do
    this,

    to slip a three-pronged fork under the white flesh of some
    mollusk

    and wiggle soft globes of muscle from the black mass

    of shell, the lemongrass broth the dense gem swims in — 
        how to pop it

    out and into my mouth and then suck, savor the dense slip of
    it,

    then again:

    a sequence of teasing, eating, repeating, and this is only
        our appetizer. I’m gulping

    My glass of pinot grigio, wet fingerprints along the stem

    because I can’t pronounce the name of a single entrée,

    meet her eyes across a candelabra with the weight

        of a fresco above her head, ridiculous

    cherubs entreating with their fat blue eyes. Beside,

    the dark drapes and the billowing shapes of tablecloths
    curtain

    off any eaves this conversation could fade into, so it’s
    spotlight

        perspective, precarious. She’s tongue

    tumbling into me, an outpouring of asks until I spill

    sauce, a thin line of it down the buttons

    on my blouse — she dabs

        at me with her burgundy napkin, freshly dampened

    for the task. I shut my eyes and feel

    the whirl of the room, the orangey angels and her dry palms
    pressed

    against my chest, wonder if I’ll open up full-mouthed and
    mind-tied.  
    This week in Louisiana history. September 27, 1902. N.O.
    streetcar employees strike for 8-hr days and 25 cent per hr.
    minimum wage.
    This week in New Orleans history. The historic Saenger
    Theater reopened for the first time since Hurriane Katrina on
    September 27, 2013 with three performances by comedian Jerry
    Seinfeld; one on September 27 and two on September 28. The
    opening gala would be held October 3-6.

    This week in Louisiana.

    La
    Fête des Vieux Temps


    OCT 03 - 05, 2025

    Friday 6PM

    Saturday 10AM

    Sunday 9AM

    4484 Hwy 1,

    Raceland, LA. 70394

    985-637-2166

    Called the "Festival of Old Times" this event features a
    celebration of music, dancing, Cajun food, and arts &
    crafts show. This long standing event is a local favorite and
    showcases the true authentic Cajun culture of Lafourche
    Parish.

    Postcards from Louisiana. Royal Street Band.





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