(Donna Murch – History) In terms of my interests, New Orleans  and Lousiana have a very special place in the history of Black power and cultural nationalism broadly defined.  The state has a long-standing militant strain, found both in the Deacons of Defense and the Black Panther Party.  Historic dynamics of outmigration, African retention, and the cultural specificity of Louisana has made it unique repository of African American sensibility and identity formation.