Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse: New Monuments for New Orleans

“Homer Plessy deserves a monument because he doesn’t have one and he’s brave and strong with words.” —Jibril

“Crawfish need a monument because the crawfish are the food of the state. Crawfish are yummy to some people and lots of people eat crawfish here in New Orleans.”  —Nataleigh

“Ellen deserves a monument because she is awesome. How do you feel about Ellen DeGeneres?” —Blake

Written by third graders at Homer A. Plessy Community School and filled with who and what they believe should replace the Confederate monuments in New Orleans, Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse is now available for purchase!

Ms. Amy’s third grade class spent two weeks selecting, researching, and writing with Big Class volunteers and staff. They also made original art pieces for the book, showing what their monuments would look like in place of the removed Confederate ones. From Ruby Bridges to alligators, Trombone Shorty to beignets, pelicans to Eli Manning, this book is a celebration of a new era of New Orleans’s public space—space meant for all people.

Click here to order Courageous Eccentric, Diverse in time for the holiday season.