As we all know, but not enough of us appreciate—especially White people—February is Black History Month. I feel obligated to focus on this because OffBeat has dedicated itself to the musicians of New Orleans, and honestly, the sound of this city has been created by the Black people of this community for centuries.

Just last week a press release came through to us about a Louisiana cemetery that denied a Black man the right to be buried in its grounds. For decades, this cemetery only, 300 miles away from New Orleans, tried to uphold a provision only allowing Whites to be interred there. The year is now 2021.

As we proceed through probably one of the worst times in recent history created by the pandemic, we must consider and recognize the impact that our musicians have had on New Orleans culture. There are certainly too many musicians, bands and professional music business people to name, but if anyone is crazy enough to think that the music that attracts the millions of visitors to the city is not created by predominantly Black people, they are deaf and blind…and dumb.

The heart and soul of a people that suffered so much (and are still suffering) for the color of their skin has created a language that literally the whole world understands and loves. If you do your homework, I would wager that most of the music you as an OffBeat reader listens to is by or influenced by Black artists.

Our musicians are suffering, and they are suffering much worse than many other workers here. They are—because even pre-Covid and pre-disasters like Hurricane Katrina—most of them subsist on the edge of poverty every single day to follow their hearts and do what they truly love with their lives. This fact applies of course to all musicians, of course, because music and the arts are not appreciated for the most part by the people who live here. But it’s the Black community that suffers even more. Yes, lovals and tourists might break out “Mardi Gras Mambo” and “Go To The Mardi Gras,” but I can guarantee you that the bulk of the population in New Orleans is clueless about the magic, heritage and importance of New Orleans musicians. They are ignored, or treated like third-class citizens.

As the music industry has shown us time and time again, musicians, especially Black artists, are asked to play for “exposure.” There’s little or no support for the hardships of our musicians and the ecosystem that creates our music scene on the municipal level.

Cha Wa sings in a furious and catchy chorus, demanding “Visible Means of Support.” A grant every now again is not the way to sustain a strong, growing, expanding music culture. This music community, especially the Black community, deserves a lot more than that. Visible means of support goes beyond changing street names and redesigning American currency.

Our musicians are barely surviving. They can’t pay the rent and so they are housing insecure (always, not just post-Covid). When they get sick and have no insurance, they can go to  the New Orleans Musicians Clinic for assistance, but where do they go when they can’t buy enough food because they can’t play anywhere? Live streaming does not pay the bills, the rent or pay for food. There are not enough charitable groups who help the very people who are the backbone of all of our celebrations: Mardi Gras, festivals, second line parades, Mardi Gras Indians, our live music culture, our very lifeblood feeding tourism.

During this month devoted to the history of the remarkable and profound influence that Black Americans have had on our culture, and on world culture, for that matter, especially remember our musicians. They’ve given us so much. It’s time to give back to them.