My name is Brianna Thurman and I am a sophomore at Wesleyan University. At Wesleyan, I am an African American Studies and Government double major. This webpage came as a result of my time spent in an Early African American History course I took this past fall semester. As someone that originates from New Orleans, Louisiana, I was interested in exploring the history and evolution of celebrations-namely Mardi Gras parades- in slave culture and connecting it to modern day black Mardi Gras, while also incorporating my personal experiences with carnival. I felt that as someone that grew up in this culture, I did not know much about it, its origins, significance, or evolution. This web page is for New Orleanians to learn a little bit of history behind the way black people celebrate mardi gras the way we do.