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Back in the Day: The Autocrat Social and Pleasure Club [1]

['Tammy C. Barney', 'More Tammy C. Barney', 'Verite News']

Date: 2024-01-19  

Police often would harass Black men when they gathered in public during the Jim Crow era. The men needed a place where they could play cards, socialize and listen to jazz without officers harassing them.

That need gave birth to the creation of New Orleans social aid and pleasure clubs. Among the oldest and most popular is the Autocrat Social and Pleasure Club, a landmark in the heart of the 7th Ward.

An article by Jan Cooper on frenchcreoles.com says the Autocrat dates back to 1909 when Simon Bellau acquired the club’s charter. Twelve men took over the charter and started a for-profit establishment. The group disbanded, leaving the charter with Arthur Boisdore. He started a club at St. Philip Street and N. Claiborne Avenue, which closed “when ‘the activities of the police’ made the one-man operation unprofitable.”

In 1914, Boisdore and several other men started another club by each putting up a dollar to rent two rooms on Onzaga Street for $7 a month. The Autocrat moved to its current location, 1725 St. Bernard Ave., on Nov. 1, 1924.

Known as a “classy” venue with a distinct architectural design, the Autocrat became more than a private place to play cards. The club hosted many great jazz musicians, such as clarinetist Lorenzo Tio Jr, cornetist Chris Kelly and trumpeter George Fleming. In later years, R&B bands, such as the Hawkettes with Art and Aaron Neville, played there. Other events included carnival balls, soirees, competitions and civil rights meetings.

Black social clubs, including the Autocrat, were in “a unique position in the community” and “served as the vehicle for getting people concerned and interested” in important issues of the day, according to 1930s Autocrat President A.P. Tureaud as quoted in the book, “Creole New Orleans: Race and Americanization.”

The club “‘naturally’ embodied’ its creole community,” and it continues that embodiment today.

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[1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2024/01/19/back-in-the-day-the-autocrat-social-and-pleasure-club/

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