Lede New Orleans

07/23/2026

What happens to our photos, videos, voice notes and memories as social media and technology evolves?

Digital preservation isn't just for museums or archives. It's a way to protect the stories, relationships, and moments that shape our lives. While social media helps us share memories, it shouldn't be the only place they're stored.

In this resource from ask me to remember, we're sharing simple ways to begin preserving your digital legacy and preparing your memories for the future.

Want to learn more? Join us next Tuesday for part three of ~ask me to remember~, a free community learning series presented by Lede New Orleans and Preservation Hall Foundation exploring community archiving, digital preservation and the importance of protecting our stories.

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992462937281?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/22/2026

With Tropical Storm Bertha approaching, we've made the decision to reschedule part 3 of our ask me to remember community archiving workshop to help keep our community safe. We will gather next week on Tuesday, July 28th.

Thank you for your understanding. In the meantime, please make your preparations, take care of one another, and stay safe. 💙

07/21/2026

Third spaces like rec centers, churches, libraries or parks are where we gather, grow, and learn what it means to belong.

For Community Reporting Fellow Kyle Fulton, that looked like returning to Union Bethel A.M.E. Church, a place that shaped his childhood, and reflecting on Studio BE, a creative community that helped him reconnect with art, culture, and New Orleans as an adult.

In “The Erosion of Third Spaces,” Kyle explores what happens when the places that once brought people together begin to disappear, and why preserving spaces for connection matters in a city navigating changing neighborhoods and an affordable housing crisis.

Read More: https://www.ledeneworleans.org/stories/the-erosion-of-third-spaces

07/18/2026

If young people are our future, why are they so often left out of the conversations shaping it?

In our latest Co-Lede conversation, Cy Salvant and Mandy Ortiz sit down with Youth Development Specialist Déja Jones of the New Orleans CYPB to explore what meaningful youth collaboration really looks like.

From the Youth Master Plan to community-centered leadership, theirthis conversation challenges us to rethink who gets a seat at the table and why young people aren't just participants, but partners in building a better New Orleans.

Read the full conversation and hear directly from those working to create a city where youth voices shape the future.

🔗 Read more: https://ledeneworleans.medium.com/if-young-people-are-our-future-how-do-we-include-them-in-our-solutions-851ce8af53cb

Our Co-Lede program sat down with the Children and Youth Planning Board’s Deja Jones to discuss local youth advocacy and why it matters…

07/09/2026

Join us for Part III of ask me to remember, a collaborative learning series by Lede New Orleans in partnership with Preservation Hall Foundation, where participants learn tools to build, share, and care for community archives.

This session asks: What does it mean to preserve our histories in physical form?

Together, we'll explore the foundations of physical archiving and learn how photographs, recipes, letters, family records, and other keepsakes can become part of a lasting personal archive.

Bring photos, documents or other items you'd like to begin preserving. Every participant will receive a take-home archiving kit to support their learning and continue this work beyond the session.

Everyone has a history worth preserving. We hope you'll join us.

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992462937281?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/01/2026

📣 Deadline Extended!

We know great stories take time. Applications for Lede New Orleans' 2026-27 Community Reporting Fellowship are now open through Friday, July 3 at 11:59 PM. Join our paid fellowship to strengthen your reporting and storytelling skills, receive mentorship from experienced journalists, and create stories that reflect the people, histories, and futures of New Orleans.

If you've been thinking about applying, now's your chance.
🗓 Deadline: Friday, July 3 at 11:59 PM
🔗 Apply now: ledenola.org/fellowship

06/30/2026

As part of our reporting on local housing issues, Community Reporting Fellow Lauryn Hinton explored how community land trusts are helping New Orleans residents find long-term housing stability in a city shaped by displacement, rising costs and housing insecurity.

Through the stories of residents and housing advocates, the piece examines an alternative approach to housing that prioritizes permanence, community stewardship and keeping homes affordable for future generations.

Read More: https://www.ledeneworleans.org/stories/community-land-trusts

06/29/2026

Just one day left to apply.

Tomorrow is the final day to apply for Lede New Orleans' 2026-27 Community Reporting Fellowship. If you've been waiting for the right time to share your perspective, strengthen your reporting skills, and tell stories rooted in New Orleans, this is your moment.

Through this paid fellowship, emerging storytellers work alongside editors, journalists, and community members to develop meaningful stories that reflect the people, histories, and futures of our city.

We can't wait to meet our next cohort of community storytellers.
Apply now: www.ledenola.org/fellowships

06/23/2026

At Lede New Orleans, we believe the people closest to our communities are the ones best equipped to tell their stories.

Each year, our Community Reporting Fellowship creates space for emerging storytellers to develop their voices, build reporting skills, and document the histories, challenges, and joys that shape New Orleans. We've watched fellows grow into journalists, filmmakers, producers, and community leaders, and we're excited to welcome the next cohort.

If you've been thinking about applying, consider this your invitation.
Applications for the 2026–27 Community Reporting Fellowship close in one week, on June 30. We can't wait to see what stories you'll bring with you.

Click the link to apply: ledenola.org/fellowship

06/23/2026

How do you photograph/write about a place that no one is ready to talk about?

In “The Stoops That Survived the Storm,” Community Reporting Fellow Kai A. Davis turned her lens toward the concrete stoops that survived Hurricane Katrina and have since settled in the Lower Ninth Ward, now standing as markers of memory and loss.

Through photography, family history and photos, and conversations with residents, Davis explores how the stoops hold stories of a neighborhood that was once deeply connected, self-sustaining, and full of life. For some, the stoops are reminders of what was lost. For others, they are monuments to a community still worth preserving.

This piece is part of the 2025-26 fellowship cohort’s reporting on local housing and housing affordability.

Read the full story: https://www.ledeneworleans.org/stories/stoops-lower-ninth-ward