The African American Experience in Louisiana

suddenly being free with no wealth in an atmosphere of constant disease and inaccessible
medical care. Benevolent societies, which had been established in Louisiana well before the
Civil War, in the postbellum years exploded in popularity among both blacks and whites as a
means to secure medical care and a funeral and internment. In this period, there were of course
no insurance or government welfare programs that would cover these types of costs, so working
class people were often without the means to cover expenses in times of medical emergencies or
death. Benevolent societies largely functioned as insurance for these matters by charging
membership fees and providing benefits for illnesses, wakes and internments. But they were also
social organizations.
The membership of societies typically focused on a certain demographic or area of
interest, and they often promoted a program of moral and industrious living. As the name of the
Do Right Benevolent Society of Geismar, Louisiana indicates, “right living” was something,
along with hard work and self reliance, that was encouraged by many benevolent societies. For
freed people who had not had prior experience in such things, running societies provided useful
experience with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, and organizational skills. Finally, society
halls also served as important venues for jazz performances during the emergence of this original
American art form. Societies that could do so had their own buildings for society purposes and
these buildings typically included halls where music could be played. Oral histories collected
from jazz musicians recall many performances at halls of organizations such as the Perseverance
Benevolent Mutual Aid Association, the Bulls’ Aid and Pleasure Club, the Society of
Inseperable Friends, La Société Bienfaisance Mutuelle “L’Equité,” and La des Jeaunes Amis. 199
The argument has been made that fraternal organization did not merely provide venues for jazz,
but were indeed greatly responsible for the growth of this influential African American art. 200
The banquets and funerals of these organizations provided constant employment for brass bands
and opportunities for improvisation.
Akin to the benevolent societies were Masonic organizations. They were not formed
specifically to provide the same medical and death benefits as the former, but they provided the
advantages of social fraternity and networking and too promoted moral behavior and mutual
support. Two prominent African American Masonic groups were the Colored Knights of Pythias
and Prince Hall. In the twentieth century, the temples of these groups provided elegant venues
for entertainment when segregation restricted African Americans from other ballrooms and
auditoriums. Some multi-storied temple buildings in the bigger cities were designed with roof
top gardens that hosted legendary jazz musicians and other entertainers. Less grand, but equally
important were many small-town Masonic lodges. These buildings sheltered many community
activities, from schools to civil rights work like voter registration training. 201
There is yet another important African American fraternal organization that is not
benevolent, but rather rooted in Catholicism. The Knights of Peter Claver, headquartered in
199 Ann Woodruff, “Society Halls in New Orleans: A Survey of Jazz Landmarks, Part I,” The Jazz Archivist 20
(2007): 11-28; Ann Woodruff, “Society Halls in New Orleans: A Survey of Jazz Landmarks, Part II,” The Jazz
Archivist 21 (2008): 19-36.
200 Marshall W. Stearns, “Jazz Begins,” in The African American Experience in Louisiana: Part C, ed. Charles
Vincent (Lafayette: University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2002), 136-37, first published in Marshall W. Stearns, The
Story of Jazz (New York: Oxford University Press, 1956).
201 Bob Adelman, “Birth of a Voter: Louisiana Parish Registers 1 st Negro Voter in 61 Years,” Ebony, February 1964.
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