[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6188-H6189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             LINCOLN BEACH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, let me paint a picture. It is 
the east side of New Orleans in 1959. A Black man at a swimming pool 
jumps off the high dive, arched in the sky. Fellow swimmers and 
passersby watch him from the shade of a palm tree. A Ferris wheel turns 
at the amusement park, and families picnic on the sandy shore of Lake 
Pontchartrain.
  That is what Lincoln Beach was like in its heyday: a beach, amusement 
park, performance area, and pool for the Black community of New Orleans 
who were not allowed at the all-White swimming pools in the area.
  Growing up, my community had fond memories of Lincoln Beach, as it 
was in the process of shutting down after courts decreed a racial 
nondiscrimination policy for private facilities on public lands, 
desegregating the all-White pools.
  Since its closure in the sixties, Lincoln Beach has fallen into 
decline. It was a site for picnics and outings. Without any 
maintenance, and over the decades, mountains of debris have piled up. 
This historic site, where so many Black kids and families built 
communities in New Orleans East, was fenced off and forgotten to many, 
but not to everyone.
  During COVID-19, some inspiring local activists and community members 
including Sage, Reggie, and Bliss, took it upon themselves to take the 
first steps toward reopening historic Lincoln Beach. They got into some 
good trouble and cleaned up the beach all by themselves, spending their 
own resources, time, energy, and money.
  All on their own time, their own dime, they removed hundreds of bags 
of garbage and debris. About 3 tons of refuse was removed by these 
good-doing volunteers. After Hurricane Ida, they are facing some 
setbacks once again with flooding that floated the more than a year's 
worth of trash collection away. However, these committed activists are 
already back to work, cleaning up the beach and trying to remove 
obstacles to the future of what can be a revitalized, renewed Lincoln 
Beach.
  After Hurricane Katrina, the primarily Black community of New Orleans 
East repopulated essentially at the same rate as the city of New 
Orleans, but businesses did not come back at the same strength. Many of 
the major commercial areas are full of vacant businesses in this 
thriving, rich, strong community of New Orleans East. The once-popular 
mall was razed instead of being rebuilt.
  In 2019, a report said that 19 percent of the homes are vacant. 
Reopening a beautiful beach on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain could 
be a catalyst that will attract a renaissance of economic development 
in a community that has historically been underserved and should have 
equitable investments.
  One of the most important things a Member of Congress can do is to 
fight for allocations to fund projects for development to improve the 
lives of the constituents in a particular area, like New Orleans East. 
This is an equity issue. This is a racial issue. This is an issue of 
economic development. This is an environmental issue and a recreation 
issue.
  Lincoln Beach has a rich history, important cultural significance, 
and a huge potential for the future of this great community. I support 
the efforts of the city of New Orleans to direct RESTORE Act funds 
toward the project and today, I reaffirm my commitment to support the 
renewal of Lincoln Beach in any way possible from Congress, State, and 
local resources.
  I came to Congress to fight for the people of the Second 
Congressional District, to fight for good jobs, healthy communities, 
equity and opportunities. One way to achieve this fight is for us to 
revitalize New Orleans East and to bring Lincoln Beach back to its full 
luster and beauty for the community to enjoy, to use as a catalyst for 
further economic development, to show what revitalization and community 
efforts, joining with Federal, local, and State resources, can do.
  We can and we will do better. The people of New Orleans, the people 
of Louisiana certainly deserve it, and we will fight to continue to 
bring those resources to bear.

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