Welcome to New Orleans where Big Freedia, the Queen Diva herself, is presenting her city her way. In this season finale of A New Greenbook, Big Freedia creates a modern day New Greenbook that is our most colorful, vibrant, and loudest one yet!
Big Freedia hits the road with real perspective of what it was like to be an entertainer during segregation before heading to the stunningly opulent Nopsi Hotel. Upon arrival, Lead Bellmen Kevin Cheneau takes us on a tour of the Nopsi’s history and gives her a taste of the food New Orleans is famous for. The Second Line Parade tradition is broken down by Hollis Burton, the founder/owner of Treme Luxury Experience Tours & Transportation who gives a thought-provoking look at Mardi Gras during the Jim Crow era.
Big Freedia then heads to the famous Blue Nile bar and talks to the Treme Brass Band and bandleader, Benny Jones, about the history of jazz and the part the Blue Nile played in its birth. But it’s not over yet as she’s off for a welcoming margarita at the legendary Page Bar, a Black-owned LGBTQ+ establishment that offers the community everything from drinks to counseling to even HIV testing, and discusses what the gay scene was like during segregation.
The tour wraps up at the Faith Impact Church where Big Freedia leads a church gospel choir and talks to Pastor Linda F. Magee about how the church sits at the cornerstone of the Black community.
