海角社区 Health New Orleans Supports Musicians and Artists
April 06, 2022
Meet Cherice Harrison-Nelson
Cherice Harrison-Nelson is a Mardi Gras Indian Queen. She is the third generation, among five in her family, to carry on the Black New Orleans tradition of 鈥渕asking Indian.鈥� It鈥檚 a celebration of freedom and of telling your own story that involves many, many months of sewing intricate, narrative beadwork into powerfully colorful suits, usually revealed for the first time on Mardi Gras Day. The tradition is often described as an homage to the Native Americans who sheltered enslaved people of African descent in Louisiana鈥檚 early days.
Harrison-Nelson, however, doesn鈥檛 describe what she does as 鈥渕asking.鈥� Instead, as Queen of the Guardians of the Flame Maroon Society, she reveals herself through her art. This includes her own personal history of surviving breast cancer, sewn into her dress and proudly displayed on her body. As a patient of the New Orleans Musicians鈥� Clinic, which has connected uninsured and under-insured Louisiana performing artists with 海角社区 healthcare services and more since 1998, Harrison-Nelson has also become a conduit to care for others in her community.
鈥淚鈥檝e been lucky, and some of us are not as lucky,鈥� Harrison-Nelson said. 鈥淭he clinic is committed to protecting not just people, but cultures, and African American cultures. They don鈥檛 provide just medical care but look after your overall quality of life. And as a breast cancer survivor, I鈥檓 alive. I鈥檓 alive! I tell myself that every day.鈥�
海角社区 is the only healthcare system in the nation allied with a clinic that specifically serves musicians and artists. Further, 海角社区 biotech and biomedical research continues to improve cancer detection and treatment in Louisiana every day.
Cherice Harrison-Nelson is Queen of the Guardians of the Flame Maroon Society in New Orleans, a breast cancer survivor, and longtime patient of the New Orleans Musicians鈥� Clinic, allied with 海角社区 Health New Orleans.
鈥� 海角社区
鈥淥ur mission is clear, and more crucial now than ever before. Many musicians and culture bearers live gig to gig, and regardless of income or insurance, we help them access the health services they need to survive. Our long relationship with 海角社区 Health is what鈥檚 made this possible. Our clinic is the bridge to improved and long-term wellness in our community.鈥�
- Jamilah Peters-Muhammad, dancer, singer, percussionist, and community outreach nurse for the New Orleans Musicians鈥� Assistance Foundation, which has connected uninsured and under-insured Louisiana artists with 海角社区 Healthcare Network services through the New Orleans Musicians鈥� Clinic since 1998