Category
In the N.O.

In 1966, Karen Becnel made civil-rights history, as the first Black Carnival queen to be presented at Municipal Auditorium – a place where her grandfather had helped to dress the kings of the traditional old-line krewes like Rex and Comus.

As my mom and two aunts prepared food for us 10 cousins, we worried that we were missing out on the fun on St. Charles Avenue. We weren’t worried about seeing Rex, the krewe that parades after Zulu. In the eyes of a 10-year-old, that was boring.