In the early 1800s, the cultural pie that is New Orleans was sliced into thirds: one third white settlers, one third enslaved Africans, and the last slice? Haitians, and they added their special spice to the culture.
The Haitian immigrants moved to the United States in the 1810s. And with them came an architectural shotgun that kept us as close as shells in a chamber.
Originally developed in West Africa and brought to Haiti, shotgun houses were so small that one could shoot a shotgun straight through the front door and out of the back. They were so close together that when someone sneezed, the neighbors on both sides would say, “God bless you.” These tight-knit neighborhoods kept the bonds strong among our people.
Black people across the South took this protected architectural tradition and built their homes that still exist today. The design introduced the front porch, encouraging our people to grow together, and become not just friends and neighbors, but a community that had to rely on each other because we’re all we got.
Shotgun houses show that we can be the architects of our communities, forging bonds that preserve centuries-old traditions. Our unity is the shotgun blast that destroys coloniality.