Uncovering the Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood
vintage 5969014 1920
Aired on February 2, 2023
Economy Hall was the meeting place for the Société d’Economie et d’Assistance Mutuelle (Mutual Aid). A benevolent society that was formed in the early 1800s by Louisiana Creoles and free people of color in response to oppressive whites’ efforts to diminish their rights and prosperity. The Economy Hall’s society brothers had a strong sense of community that endured through the era of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow terrorism. The brotherhood were activists, institutional builders and history makers who took care of their community.
In a story that is both personal and historical, Fatima takes us on a journey that begins with the rescue of the library of ledgers, journals and papers by her father in the 1950s. Further leading to the discovery that he had come to possess the documents that told the story of one of the most important institutions both for jazz and mutual aid for blacks in New Orleans—Economy Hall.
“Records and books from Economy Hall were in a dump truck until my father rescued them and put them in the closet where they lay for almost 50 years.”
Fatima Shaik
With records covering nearly a century starting in 1836, Fatima, while on a visit home to New Orleans in 1997—saw the journals sitting in a cabinet and decided to put them in chronological order on the dining table.
Join us as author Fatima Shaik uncovers the rich hidden history of a free Black brotherhood that was almost lost forever.
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FULL TRANSCRIPTS ARE IN LINK BELOW
Timestamps
[02:06] The Community Hall
[03:03] The Society Brothers
[03:27] The role of Economy Hall to the community of New Orleans
[04:24] Fatima’s personal story to the book: Economy Hall
[05:47] Who wrote The Society Brothers Journals?
[06:45] The business records of the journals
[07:27] The legacies of the journals
[12:36] The Black and White Creoles
[14:24] Fatima’s experience of growing in New Orleans during the Economy Hall
[16:43] Reader’s view of the New Orleans life
[17:31] Teachings from the Creoles Community and Black People
[18:41] The key takeaways from the journals
[19:53] What Fatima loves about New Orleans
Notable quotes
- “The goal of the Society Brothers was to take care of each other, educate each other, and help the suffering community.”
- “Many times when people look at black history, they see us as objects of history which is not the case. The men were activists of history. They took care of themselves and the community.”
- “The Society Brothers were an organization like Black Wall Street because they were so sufficient that they had business and cared for the community.”
- “Every time Black people get to a certain part of success, there would be some obstacles. However, the Economy Society was able to adapt and persevere throughout 400 years in the same neighborhood.”
- “Black people have to help each other and stay active. We don’t have to depend on anybody else. We have the resources to work with each other and help each other.”
- “Economy Hall does not exist today. It is actually a part of a community center school in New Orleans that has incorporated a playground. It is being used to serve the community.”
Resources
Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood
Fatima Shaik is the author of Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free, Black Brotherhood (The Historic New Orleans Collection, February 2021). She was born in the historic Seventh Ward of New Orleans and bred on the oral histories of Black Creoles told by her family and neighbors. Only after she read the records of the Economie—3,000 pages of handwritten French stored in her family’s home—did she realize this community’s impact. She spent two decades reading the journals and documenting events with real estate records, legal cases, old monographs, and articles. A former Assistant Professor at Saint Peter’s University and daily journalist, Shaik is a trustee of PEN America and member of The Writers Room in NYC. Economy Hallis her first work of nonfiction and her seventh book.
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