E-mail a friendJuly 17, 2007
Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward: in Part 2, "Guardians of the Flame," Jonathan Demme and Tavis visit with New Orleans resident Herreast Harrison and her daughter, Cherice Harrison-Nelson.
Herreast Harrison
Herreast Harrison
Herreast Harrison is dedicated to the preservation of Mardi Gras Indian culture. She speaks and teaches nationally, including at New Orleans' Tulane University, works with school children doing expressive projects and has two of her costumes exhibited in the Smithsonian. She's the widow of Donald Harrison, Sr., a Mardi Gras Indian chief, the mother of well-known jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr. and grandmother of Grammy-nominated jazz composer Christian Scott.
Cherice Harrison-Nelson
Cherice Harrison-Nelson
"They told me I should go to Houston. New Orleans is my home. Why shouldn't I come back here?" (3:09)
A teacher in the New Orleans public schools, Cherice Harrison-Nelson is an activist in preserving the city's unique culture. She's a third generation Mardi Gras Indian, the daughter of the late Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, Donald Harrison, Sr., and curator of the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame. Harrison-Nelson was one of the first residents of the new Musicians' Village.