> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 'The Conversation' Brings Black Men Together to Talk Voting, Accountability and the Future of New Orleans - URL: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/the-conversation-brings-black-men-together-to-talk-voting-accountability-and-the-future-of-new-orleans/ - Published: 2026-08-19T03:24:12.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T03:24:12.000Z - Description: There was no panel and no formal program, just about 60 Black men in a New Orleans coffee shop working through a hard question: why keep voting when you doubt government is delivering? Elected officials and residents pushed each other on accountability, and on what comes after Election Day. - Author: Kim M. Braud - Tags: Civic Accountability, All Stories CIVIC ENGAGEMENT *Black men across New Orleans gathered at St. Noir for "The Conversation," a candid talk on voting, accountability and the city's future.* *Kim M. Braud | August 18, 2025* **NEW ORLEANS -** There was no panel, no formal presentation and no shortage of opinions. Tuesday evening, Black men from across New Orleans gathered at St. Noir, a Black-owned coffee shop, for "The Conversation," the first in what organizer James Baker described as a continuing series of informal discussions centered on what men can do to strengthen their communities and make the city better. The room, which held about 60 people, included elected officials, judges and judicial candidates, business owners, community leaders and residents. Among those in attendance were New Orleans City Councilmembers Jason Hughes, Matthew Willard and Freddie King III, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, Senator Royce Duplessis and State Rep. Shaun Mena. But the evening was designed to be less about speeches from elected officials and more about conversation. Much of that conversation centered on voting: why some residents have stopped participating, what it will take to bring them back and whether people believe their participation in government produces a meaningful return. One concern involved voters who have been placed on the inactive voter list and may eventually be at risk of losing their registration. Participants discussed developing a strategy to reconnect with those voters. Willard referenced a list of inactive voters published by *The Advocate* and the need to intentionally reach people who have fallen away from the process. The discussion quickly moved beyond voter registration. Participants talked about precincts with low voter participation, engaging students before they reach voting age, involving churches and bringing together men from different communities across the city to encourage civic participation. Young people, several attendees said, need to feel that they are part of the political process rather than simply being asked to participate in it when an election arrives. There was also a larger question hanging over the discussion: **Why should people continue to vote when they do not believe government is delivering for their communities?** Some participants questioned the return on their investment in voting. Others pointed to campaign promises they believe have gone unfulfilled and argued that rebuilding trust requires elected officials to demonstrate tangible investment in the communities asking residents to show up at the polls. Elected officials in the room pushed back on the idea that every unmet expectation represents a lack of effort. They spoke about political realities at the state level and other limitations that can affect what local officials and members of the legislative delegation are able to accomplish. Councilman Jason Hughes addressed that tension directly. "I think it's a beautiful thing, no offense to the sisters that's in the room, but to see so many Black men in this room together," Hughes said. "I hope this is the beginning of us being accountability partners." Hughes acknowledged the frustration surrounding government and politics, saying, "Baton Rouge is a tricky place right now, no doubt about it." He also cautioned against expecting members of the city's delegation to win every political battle in a Legislature where Democrats are in the minority. "We put a lot of unfair pressure on them," Hughes said. "Yeah, we want people that's going to go up there and fight, but when you are in a super minority, when you are a Democrat in the super minority, there's a fine line that we have to walk." "Every fight can't be our fight," he added, arguing that elected officials have to determine which battles are most important and where their efforts can have an impact. The conversation also touched on the role social media plays in shaping public expectations of elected officials, including criticism that some are not fighting hard enough. Hughes argued that constituents cannot simultaneously demand visible confrontation on every issue while expecting lawmakers to produce results in an environment where they do not have the votes to control outcomes. The evening was not solely about what elected officials should do. Participants repeatedly returned to what residents themselves can do, from engaging neighbors and young people to working through churches and community organizations and helping people understand how government works. The voting rights of formerly incarcerated residents were also discussed. Willard raised the issue as part of the broader conversation about bringing people back into the electoral process. The situation involving Calvin Duncan was raised during the discussion as participants talked about why some residents have come to believe their vote does not matter. Duncan, a formerly incarcerated jailhouse lawyer, won the race for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court clerk in November with more than 68 percent of the vote. Before he could be sworn in, the Louisiana Legislature passed a law, known as Act 15, that merged the parish's criminal and civil clerk offices into one and handed the duties to the sitting civil clerk instead of to Duncan. The result has been months of dueling court rulings. A federal judge briefly blocked the law, but a federal appeals court reinstated it within hours of Duncan reporting to work, and the Louisiana Supreme Court has since upheld it. Duncan is now pursuing a federal lawsuit seeking to be restored to the office voters elected him to, a case that remains undecided. For a room questioning whether voting produces a meaningful return, it was a pointed example: an outcome voters chose by a wide margin, undone before the winner could take the seat. Speakers repeatedly countered the sense of futility with a simple message: every vote matters. Several judges and judicial candidates in attendance reinforced the importance of participating in elections, particularly races that may receive less attention than contests at the top of the ballot. Yet one of the most pointed observations of the evening had little to do with any individual election. Participants acknowledged that New Orleans, and Blacks in general have seen plenty of meetings before. People gather. Concerns are aired. Ideas are exchanged. Then, too often, there is little follow-up. Several men said they wanted to become more involved and help their communities but did not necessarily know where to begin. That exposed a challenge that extends beyond convincing people to care: creating clear pathways for residents who already care to participate. If "The Conversation" is to become more than another meeting, that may ultimately be its test. The first gathering identified many of the issues: political distrust, low voter participation, disengaged young people, community investment, accountability and the gap between campaign promises and governing realities. It also put elected officials and residents in the same room without the structure of a traditional political forum. What comes next will determine whether the conversation becomes something more. For a gathering centered heavily on accountability, participants appeared to recognize that accountability will have to work in both directions: elected officials being accountable to the people who put them in office, and residents remaining engaged long after Election Day. --- *Kim M. Braud is the Founder & Editor of Evans Cutchmore Press, an independent newsroom covering Louisiana and the Gulf South. Her reporting focuses on government accountability, infrastructure, business, culture, and the public policies that shape communities. Her work combines investigative journalism, public records research, and documentary storytelling.* *© 2026 Evans Cutchmore Press. All rights reserved.* --- # [SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSROOM](https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/subscribe/)