“Goodbye God, I’m Going to Texas”: The Migration of Louisiana Creoles of Colour and the Preservation of Black Catholic and Creole Traditions in Southeast Texas

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines the migration of French-speaking blacks and Creoles of Colour from Southern Louisiana to Texas during the first half of the twentieth century. It centers on the importance of Catholic churches as cultural centers for the preservation of Creole culture beyond Louisiana’s borders and shows how religious orders attempted to preserve the faith of migrant black Catholics by insulating them from many aspects of racial inequality and segregation in its religious environment. The Church helped Creole communities maintain their ethnic and cultural ties to Louisiana. However, the resulting cultural exclusivity of a Catholic and Creole identity alienated the broader African American community.