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Category
Opinion

Perspectives and reflections that challenge, question, and inspire.

A cluster of empty black chairs arranged haphazardly in a circle on a linoleum school floor symbolizes disorder and instability.

Success for whom? Twenty years of school reform.

The writers, an educator and a parent who works as an advocate within schools, contend that the state takeover removed Black teachers who provided continuity and did not improve academic outcomes for Black students who too often changed schools frequently.
by Ashana Bigard and Elizabeth K. Jeffers October 7, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025

Whatever we want to achieve in our city can be undermined by the lack of public safety

In recent months, public officials rushed to the microphone to take credit when the crime rate dropped. Will they now rush back to the microphone and take blame when the crime rate rises?
by Arthur Hunter Jr. October 5, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
Exterior of the NOLA Cannabis Co. dispensary on South Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, with a red sign on the building behind a chain-link fence and large oak trees framing the sidewalk.

Smoke and mirrors in cannabis zoning

In New Orleans, marijuana dispensaries — like the one opening soon in our community — can be granted a permit without any neighborhood notice. And in Louisiana, unlike other neighboring states, dispensaries can open up next to a library, elementary school, church, or daycare.
by Betty DiMarco and Lane Trippe September 30, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025

Keep the Guard in reserve. Build on what works.

If a limited deployment is ordered, there are ways to do this right, Arthur Hunter writes. Guard personnel could assume tasks to increase public safety by putting more officers on streets, and improve our infrastructure by attacking the places that invite crime.
by Arthur Hunter Jr. September 25, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
This editorial-style illustration emphasizes the absence of environmental issues in the 2025 New Orleans elections. At the center, a clipboard lists the campaign focus areas—economic development, government services, public safety, and affordable housing—under the hashtag #livingwithwater. Surrounding the clipboard are silhouettes of political candidates framed by Democratic and Republican symbols. Below, the illustration highlights the city’s existential threats: flooding, saltwater intrusion, sinking levees, and overwhelmed floodwalls, reminding viewers that water and environment remain critical yet often overlooked priorities.

Casting votes for sustainability

In this city surrounded by water, we need to know each candidate’s position to address New Orleans’ environmental vulnerabilities, says the writer, an urban designer and educator who has long focused on water issues in the city.
by Aron Chang September 23, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025

New Orleans was not disposable after Katrina; its children are not disposable now

"We knew that our city was worth investment and protection," writes Cierra Chenier. "The same must be true for our children."
by Cierra Chenier August 27, 2025 Updated September 5, 2025
Colin Kennedy, owner of the Lone Coyote restaurant on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, sits outside beneath a vibrant mural of his company’s wolf logo.

Power out, profits gone: how Louisiana’s grid failures harm local businesses

Lost Coyote restaurant in Treme was on track for its first record-profit day during Memorial Day weekend, when a sudden blackout brought it all to a standstill.
by Katy Reckdahl August 23, 2025 Updated August 23, 2025

Let’s acknowledge the Alabo Wharf’s place in history

In a lawsuit about a slaughterhouse that once stood at the Alabo site, the U.S. Supreme Court first interpreted the 14th Amendment, which later became pivotal in civil rights rulings, and led to four little 9th Ward girls desegregating the first public schools in the Deep South.
by Dr. Mary Berry and Dr. Melinda Chateauvert August 12, 2025 Updated August 18, 2025

The Cry That Wasn’t Heard Could Be the Cry That Lights the Awakening

That day, I could hear the baby crying. I could hear Nicholas unraveling. Then the phone went dead. Looking back, I see the baby’s death as an indictment.
by Maryam Henderson-Uloho August 6, 2025 Updated August 21, 2025

No Papers! No Fear!

Artist and poet José Torres-Tama created his new Katrina @ 20 exhibition: No Papers! No Fear!, which opens on Friday, to commemorate the immigrants who contributed to an epic New Orleans rebirth — despite the city’s extreme cruelties.
by José Torres-Tama  August 5, 2025 Updated August 3, 2025

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For more than a decade, we have reported on issues as well as public policy meant to address the needs of residents. The Lens seeks to focus on the inherent inequality that has created a multi-tiered system. We, at The Lens seek to uncover, illuminate, inform and take part in a forward-looking community. Join us.

 
 

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