By Akina Nanayakkara
Born in 1923 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Leah Chase was one of 14 children. Chase moved out of Madisonville, Louisiana at age 12 to move to New Orleans due to the lack of high schools for African Americans. During her time in high school, many described Chase as an intelligent student. After high school, Chase took up a job at a French Quarter restaurant. Due to her welcoming and inclusive spirit, Chase's passion for food only grew. She became a beacon of hope for the entire area. Her spirit was more important than ever at that time as segregation ran rampant through the United States. Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, had deep rooted division. Public facilities such as restaurants and hotels, and later schools, were segregated by law. The segregation escalated to transportation segregation, marriage inequality and Church segregation. The physical division between African Americans and white Americans catalysed the recorded amount of violence against African Americans. Notably lynching increased severely after 1900, the numbers of African Americans being lynched reached thousands. By this time, division and violence against African Americans had been normalised. It had almost been woven into the fabric of culture in Louisiana.
Leah Chase worked through segregation and brought unity for her community. Her name is not known by many; however for the city of New Orleans, she was a figurehead of unification and equality during a time of segregation and division. Chase is most famous for Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans as it was one of very few public places where mixed race groups could meet. Many saw Dooky Chase’s as a space where meetings could be conducted regarding planning for local Civil Rights Movements, this included organisations such as the NAACP. Dooky Chase’s was also a magnet for young musicians and actors which further contributed to the culture as musicians honoured the restaurant in their lyrics. Through her life, Chase received many awards including the Weiss Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Chase further received honorary degrees from Dillard University, Tulane University, Madonna College, Loyola University, Our lady of Holy Cross College, and Johnson and Wales University.
Overall, Leah Chase’s message and what inspired many was her message of unity through simple means. Chase’s passing in June of 2019 left many to carry on her legacy, with her call for peace and equality being more important than ever.
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