Black Indians are a Mardi Gras tradition important in New Orleans’ Black community. Because racism and discrimination limited participation in Mardi Gras parades, Black communities developed their own tradition. The parade features elaborately decorated outfits.

In August 2005, a Category 5 tropical cyclone called Hurricane Katrina landed in New Orleans. 80 percent of the city of was flooded after the flood protection system, known as levees, failed. The flood destroyed transportation routes and communications systems, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded. As of 2020, Katrina remains the most expensive Atlantic hurricane on record.

A shotgun house is a style of house that was common in the American South during the first half of the 20th century. The houses are narrow in the front and stretch back in a long rectangle.