An exhibition titled 'Origins of New Orleans Black Carnival Society: The Story of the Illinois Clubs' has opened at The Presbytère in New Orleans. It chronicles the history of The Original Illinois Club, the first Black Carnival club and the first to host a debutante cotillion, and coincides with the centennial of its offshoot, the Young Men Illinois Club. The show features regalia, gowns, photographs, and historical artifacts, including a segregated 'White Section' sign from the Municipal Auditorium.
The exhibition provides a crucial counter-narrative to the dominant, exclusionary history of New Orleans Carnival. It highlights how Black Carnival societies created their own traditions of regality and pageantry in defiance of racist exclusion from elite white krewes like Rex and Comus. By showcasing this often-overlooked history, the show asserts Black New Orleans's integral place within Carnival and challenges the framing of Black traditions as mere imitations of white ones.