Our Mammy's

10/17/2026

Awesome 😎

In partnership with the University of Louisiana Monroe, LTHP will assist in locating sites in northeast Louisiana which were used to seek relief from the 1927 Mississippi River Flood. If you know of locations, artifacts or have photos or stories to share, please let us know at https://1927flood.lthp.org/get-involved/

As part of Archaeology Month, Dr. Diana Greenlee will present a free talk at the Museum of Natural History on the ULM campus on Thursday, October 22, at 5:30 p.m. Join us to learn more about the flood and this project.

10/16/2026

Preparing for Netflix to call me 🤙. I can’t wait to tell them about my amazing grandma Lizzy.

Dress👗
📍
📸 B. Brady

10/12/2026

OMG!!

10/12/2026

More Than Just Mammy: A Dress for Lizzy

This dress was created to honor my third great-grandmother, Lizzy Nixon Riley, a woman who survived slavery and became a domestic servant and midwife in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Lizzy was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in the late 1830s.

None of Lizzy’s personal belongings were handed down to me. Yet, her story constantly reminds me of the importance of motherhood, sisterhood, and community.

In 2025, an amazing seamstress, in Texas, reached out to tell me that a generous donor had funded a dress for me. With gratitude, I accepted the gift and decided the dress would honor my 3rd-great-grandma, Lizzy Nixon. Lizzy has been on my mind for quite some time. I have been feverishly researching Lizzy to ensure that I was interpreting her story properly. The funny thing about genealogy is—when you are researching your ancestors, they have a way of putting the information in front of you. (I will share more about that process in another post). Today, I wanted to introduce the dress.

This isn’t the first time I presented the dress in public. This is the first time I was urged to share the story with you. I had the opportunity to wear it while making a guest appearance at (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550587005035 ) Rain Drop Naturalist, Monique's NAI Certified Interpretive Guide course and at the West Baton Rouge Museum's Annual Sugar Festival.

Sending the utmost gratitude to Stitch in Addiction and the generous donor. Thank you for helping me honor a woman whose story deserves to be remembered.

Lizzy was more than just Mammy. Lizzy healed, protected, nurtured, and provided for her community. Lizzy’s descendants live in West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, Orleans, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, and East Baton Rouge parishes.

Engage. Construct. Learn.

10/09/2026

Use your voice

Speak up NOW to stop the dismantling of the Section 106 Process, which considers the impact Federally-funded projects could have on the resources which tell our nation's history. These proposed changes to the process are included in the "Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act" scheduled for a Senate vote on Nov. 9.

At stake is your right to public notification about a project in your community. You will learn about it when construction equipment and supplies arrive at the site. You will not have an opportunity to participate in consulting party meetings or to comment about impacts and resources which may be unknown. For the very few projects which would be reviewed under the new guidelines, only existing historic sites which have been recorded will be considered. If a historic site has not been recorded previously or an archaeological site is discovered, a review of impacts to them will not be necessary. PLEASE reach out to your US Senators and Representative today and share this with others who understand the importance of history to our communities and culture.

Section 106: Myth vs. Fact https://savingplaces.org/stories/section-106-myth-vs-fact

More info and how you can help: https://savingplaces.org/section106

Quick link to your US Senators and Congressional Representative: https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/findmylegislators.aspx

09/26/2026

Happy to support Healthy Community Services and Dr. Angela Chalk at tonight’s reception for WEFTEC 2026. It was so wonderful to see so many people. Dr. Chalk is mitigating water across New Orleans Healthy Community Services

09/20/2026

Thank you all for all of the birthday wishes and love. I tried my best to return all of the calls, text messages, and emails. I am giving myself permission to rest and spend Family Sunday with my family and friends. Have a beautiful day everyone.

With gratitude,
Me

Photo: Sara Lowenberg

09/19/2026

Today is my birthday, but I started celebrating last week. I have been spending time with amazing people who encourage and inspire me. Let the birthday shenanigans begin 🎂🎊🎉🎉🎉🎂🎊🎊