New Orleans:

The most interesting thing about New Orleans is that it’s basically like the ingredients of a pot of Gumbo. 

They have cities all over the world and each one of them has their own culture and uniqueness. When you take a look in the United States alone you see that many cities have similar characteristics but are different in their way. New Orleans is one of those cities where you feel the presence of its culture when you enter. This city was built, in its later years, on different artistic measures that currently serve as the backbone of the community. The creatives that were born here and will forever live on are due to the work they created. New Orleans artists are honored all across the world and allowed the city of their own to receive the recognition it deserves. There are many layers to peel back in this unique city. New Orleans and heir residents have been through so much as a community but still can thrive and live past the adversities. As New Orleans continues to build, the population fluctuates but the food and culture will never diminish. Let's dive into the food specifically that lives in New Orleans. Many dishes that are curated in New Orleans or are New Orleans-inspired come from a particular background. The flavors are received from a Cajun and creole background. This heritage is so famous for its flavors and spices, that companies have created seasoning with the name cajon and creole in them. That level of flavor and spice can be found in almost all dishes served in the city. Many cook these same meals consistently for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and more. The most known and respected dishes would be red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya. These are the most common but there are more that stand out specifically due to our impressive seafood. These include crawfish eutouffe, shrimp scampi, and oysters that can be raw or chargrilled. The best thing about eating well in New Orleans is that you can find good music to go along with your good food. The music history in New Orleans is still one of the most fascinating to me. The birthplace of jazz, the music carries this city and its citizens. It gives people in this city a sense of hope even through the troubled times. Sometimes the music is created to make sure we as a community don’t forget our disparities. The culture wouldn’t be what it is today without what music has done for the city of New Orleans. 

The most interesting thing about New Orleans is that it’s basically like the ingredients of a pot of Gumbo. With there being cities all over the world, each one of them has its own culture and uniqueness. When you take a look in the United States alone you see that many cities have similar characteristics but are different in their way. New Orleans is one of those cities where you feel the presence of its culture when you enter. This city was built, in its later years, on different artistic measures that currently serve as the backbone of the community. The creatives that were born here and will forever live on are due to the work they created. New Orleans artists are honored all across the world and allowed the city of their own to receive the recognition it deserves. There are many layers to peel back in this unique city. New Orleans and heir residents have been through so much as a community but still can thrive and live past the adversities. As New Orleans continues to build, the population fluctuates but the food and culture will never diminish. 

Let's dive into the food specifically that lives in New Orleans. Many dishes that are curated in New Orleans or are New Orleans-inspired come from a particular background. The flavors are received from a Cajun and Creole background. This heritage is so famous for its flavors and spices, that companies have created seasoning with the name cajon and creole in them. That level of flavor and spice can be found in almost all dishes served in the city. Many cook these same meals consistently for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and more. The most known and respected dishes would be red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya. These are the most common but there are more that stand out specifically due to our impressive seafood. These include crawfish eutouffe, shrimp scampi, and oysters that can be raw or chargrilled. The best thing about eating well in New Orleans is that you can find good music to go along with your good food. 

The music history in New Orleans is still one of the most fascinating to me. The birthplace of jazz, the music carries this city and its citizens. It gives people in this city a sense of hope even through troubled times. Sometimes the music is created to make sure we as a community don’t forget our disparities. The culture wouldn’t be what it is today without what music has done for the city of New Orleans. New Orleans's influence in the music industry is undeniably noticed everywhere. One of the best rappers to ever do it was born and raised here and he goes by the name of Lil Wayne. The evolution of music alone has helped the city with notoriety. It also has saved us from the dark times we lived in time after time. 

I believe New Orleans is a place that lives on due to the hearts of its citizens. Even in moments where many feel that the politicians don’t care about them, they still choose to go all in for their city because it’s a place they call home. There’s an old saying that says it may not be the prettiest but it’s mine. The owner shit new orleanians take for their city is something you don’t see often specifically in this day in age. To this day, I still hear stories that my parents and older family members tell me about their upbringing in the city. I find it fascinating that many of the traditions are still around. Due to the change in how we live including technology of course some of the things they used to do, don’t exist anymore but for the most part, we can find similarities. 

The best example of this would be when my grandparents told me about their experience with Hurricane Camille. Hurricane Camille struck New Orleans back in 1969. They said the damage was catastrophic and the city had to rebuild itself from the ground up. My grandparents traveled to Jackson, Mississippi to get away from the storm and came back to major damage done to their home. That caused them to have to reside in Mississippi just until they could get themselves back together. The city as a whole was in full distraught. People lost their homes, their lives, and their family members. This caused people to begin to live in a brand new way because the life they once knew didn’t exist anymore. Being told this story, especially at an age when I understood the world a little more was hard to wrap my head around. The similarities and characteristics were so common, especially during a time of despair. My grandmother told me they had music to hold them together. With the strength of the community New Orleans was able to rebuild again but not knowing what would be in their future. 

I found similarities in those Hurricane Camille stories because of the stories I’ve lived through regarding hurricanes. This includes but is not limited to Katrina, Issac, Ida, and more. It became an everlasting memory and occurrence for me. It’s not something you can mentally prepare yourself for because you never know what the outcome may be each time. When Hurricane Katrina hit, My family and I evacuated to Baton Rouge, LA to be with my grandfather. We felt the storm as it was passing but I could only imagine what it may have been like for those still in the city. After everything passed, my parents went to assess the damage and that’s when they knew, we weren’t going home for a while. The city was a mess, nothing was open, and power was out for a while. There was only one way in and out and you had to be gone by dusk. Knowing this information, my parents shipped me and my brother to New York City to live with my Aunt and Uncle for a while. The transition to living in a different state was hard for me, especially in a city like New York. At times especially in the situation you’re in, you feel like an outsider. That’s what I was essentially. It grew on me as time passed. When we finally made it back to New Orleans the city was very shaky but I could tell people were working hard to find some stability even after being put in high-risk situations. Hearing stories about hurricanes whether it was my generation or another is very haunting when you hear the similarities. When I speak about Hurricane Issac and Ida the stories give me chills. Then I look at the citizens of New Orleans and realize you must always have faith and hope. This city is full of those things and more. 

In conclusion, New Orleans rebuilt itself time and time again. Nothing has stopped this city from still being one of the most world-renowned and known cities. The culture, food, and community speak volumes. The music and art hold it together like glue. Everyone plays their part and even though it may not be perfect, it’s still our city and we love it dearly.  

The Film & Television Industry Pay Gap:

Pay in the entertainment industry is always a circulating discussion and I never understood it until now. 

How is it that in 2023, women in Hollywood are still fighting for fairness and pay alongside their male counterparts? It seems like such an old-school way of thinking and conducting business, yet women in Hollywood are battling every day to walk away with the pay they deserve for doing a job. While it is a well-known fact that women’s compensation is less than men doing the same posts across all areas of the workforce, it has been an enormous outcry bringing awareness to the pay gap in Hollywood. The insulting difference in pay between men and women in Hollywood has been made known many times over, whether it’s the upfront earnings or the money received on the backend. This topic can create discrepancies and unethical situations for workers which can lead to how effective organizations are and the outcomes that could come because of such unfairness. It’s astonishing how in many instances the female is the leading character in a movie or television series, often having more screen time than their male counterpart, yet they walk away with a fraction of the male actor’s pay. Several arguments state why this is still taking place even with so many eyes and ears paying such close attention to this issue. Is it that the powers that be are, for the most part, chauvinistic pigs that don’t value the work women bring to the screen as highly as they do men; or is it safe to say women are typically shy around confrontation and do not fight for the money they feel they deserve? Maybe one can argue that most women in Hollywood have become complacent with the way things are and don’t see or feel the need to fight for change. Whatever the reason, no more are the days of ignorance or privacy. Nowadays, more women are putting out there what they made off of that movie, and this is what he made. This study can benefit communication research because of the level of interpersonal communication people in this industry share. This study deals with gender a lot. In communication studying gender, communication could quickly solve problems in the world that people go through every day at their jobs or even domestic violence. At one point we, the general public, would have never gotten wind of how much money George Clooney made off of a movie. We would have never been made aware of how much money Scarlett Johansson walked away with for any given film. At one point, these things were private, and no one spoke of them. However, times have changed and men and women, alike, are putting their wages out there for the world to bear witness and are clamoring for the ladies in Hollywood to receive fair compensation for their work. 

How is it that in 2023, women in Hollywood are still fighting for fairness and pay alongside their male counterparts? It seems like such an old-school way of thinking and conducting business, yet women in Hollywood are battling every day to walk away with the pay they deserve for doing a job. While it is a well-known fact that women’s compensation is less than men doing the same posts across all areas of the workforce, it has been an enormous outcry bringing awareness to the pay gap in Hollywood. The insulting difference in pay between men and women in Hollywood has been made known many times over, whether it’s the upfront earnings or the money received on the backend. This topic can create discrepancies and unethical situations for workers which can lead to how effective organizations are and the outcomes that could come because of such unfairness. It’s astonishing how in many instances the female is the leading character in a movie or television series, often having more screen time than their male counterpart, yet they walk away with a fraction of the male actor’s pay. 

Several arguments state why this is still taking place even with so many eyes and ears paying such close attention to this issue. Is it that the powers that be are, for the most part, chauvinistic pigs that don’t value the work women bring to the screen as highly as they do men; or is it safe to say women are typically shy around confrontation and do not fight for the money they feel they deserve? Maybe one can argue that most women in Hollywood have become complacent with the way things are and don’t see or feel the need to fight for change. Whatever the reason, no more are the days of ignorance or privacy. Nowadays, more women are putting out there what they made off of that movie, and this is what he made. This study can benefit communication research because of the level of interpersonal communication people in this industry share. This study deals with gender a lot. In communication studying gender, communication could quickly solve problems in the world that people go through every day at their jobs or even domestic violence. At one point we, the general public, would have never gotten wind of how much money George Clooney made off of a movie. We would have never been made aware of how much money Scarlett Johansson walked away with for any given film. At one point, these things were private, and no one spoke of them. However, times have changed and men and women, alike, are putting their wages out there for the world to bear witness and are clamoring for the ladies in Hollywood to receive fair compensation for their work. 

       The study of the gender and race pay gap came before the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The goal of this was to close the pay gap between genders. Actors have been dealing with inequalities in Hollywood for years. Women have worked for just as long as their male coworkers on a project only to get paid less. This phenomenon of white actresses getting paid less than their male counterparts is only half the battle.

Further down the ladder, you have black actresses who only get paid half of what the white actresses are. According to “Everything You Need to Know About The Gender Pay Gap in Hollywood,” Jennifer Lawrence made an enormous amount of fifty-two million dollars but compared to Robert Downey Jr. who made eighty-two million dollars it is a thirty million dollar difference. Socially people will argue the films that were made and justify that for the pay gap, but does that make it acceptable? Others believe that Jennifer being the top paid actress in the nation, should try to fix the pay gap within her gender. “The earnings disparity is even worse for women of color. While, on average, women in this country make an average of 78% of their male counterparts, African American and Native American women make 64 cents and 59 cents, respectively, for every dollar made by white men, and Hispanic women earn just 56 cents to a white man’s dollar (Berg, 2016).” Black women like Viola Davis are making nowhere near the amount Jennifer is making. Having to deal with the pay gap on top of trying to find opportunities in Hollywood is a challenge for women of color. 

In the film industry, there is a pay gap between genders and men dominate that pay gap. Women haven’t always been seen equipped to do activities that society sees as a man’s job. Women of color are in a critical position when it pertains to a pay gap in the film industry. Researchers suggests that the subordinate group which in the film industry in which topic is black women has a lot to say but doesn’t have much power to say much and might result in them getting in trouble. Black actress’s words are deemed inadequate to make a verdict on the vast pay gap. Customary language practices were constructed by men, for men putting women in a position of being “muted.” 

Actresses of color have been working to change the inequalities in Hollywood for generations. Change comes with unity and numbers. An actress who doesn’t work as much doesn’t get the opportunity to build their resume and fan base to help support their career. Actresses whose worth is just as good as others who lack melanin feel disrespected because the same roles are getting played, but the same amount of money is not distributed. This is important because so many factors could be a reason why there is a gap. Children may want to go into this field one day. Making everything equal keeps the tension down for companies and keeps everyone happy. These women work hard to deliver quality work in films for the fans. They should get paid what they are worth. Viola Davis said, “If Caucasian women are getting 50 percent of what men are getting paid, we’re not even getting a quarter of what white women are getting paid (Metz, 2018).” 

This study came into existence because the numbers were not adding up, and people started to speak out. Actresses with substantial fan bases can easily influence their fans to boycott a film. That’s why the field must be equal all the way around. Black Panther alone made over one billion dollars in the box office less than a month, hitting the box office (Desta, 2018). If the influence of African American actors and actresses wasn’t present, there was no way it would have made that much money at the speed that it did. It’s important to remember that the civil rights movement was a few decades ago, and people fought for rights that they believed they deserved. These actresses deserve the same with the pay they receive.

Research has been done on the inequality lifestyles of women in the film industry for years. The pay gap is a topic that is discussed because of its differences and its longevity. According to “Collectif: A Space Dedicated to the Advancement of Women and Girls”, The fight for women has slowed down in progression. The focus of the study of women in Hollywood is to see in particular, why has been a progressive decrease in speed (Heldman et al., 2018). Women of color are so far down the bracket it’s hard to fight for equal pay for your gender when you don’t even have it for your race. They had been a couple of women who have spoken up about the pay gap in the industry. Still, most of the attention was turned to a blind eye and somehow made these black women seem aggressive or too demanding portraying them as ungrateful for wanting equal. According to Silencing the Silence: A Study of Women at Workplace--” The study established that males make use of official language because of which females feel reluctant to share their thoughts openly due to the fear of being rejected at the workplace. They conform to male domination and in this way, appease the macho ego of males.

Ask them: 1 Did they understand it? 2 Did you make it sound interesting? J What could you have changed? It's also worth thinking carefully about the writing process. What did you find hard and easy for each one? Where did you struggle? What skills do you need to improve? 

I showed it to my friend that’s from North Carolina. She knows nothing about New Orleans or the Film Industry Pay Gap. She said my storytelling in my New Orleans writing was amazing. She couldn’t believe that was my experience and says she was able to envision everything. She said the Film Industry side did get a s=little boring but very informative. I feel like I personally could have changed my approach with the film pay gap because I went at it in a more formal way. The New Orleans story, which is the one I knew about, was the easiest for me. It’s a part of who I am so I was able to speak freely about that topic. I struggled putting together information for the second portion which was the pay gap. I need to improve on turning research into more digestible information and content.