Of all the knickknacks I have, no other one is as important to me and symbolizes my journey while living and moving to New Orleans as a glow up baton I got at the Cleopatra parade during the Mardi Gras of 2017. I remember on that night that I was hesitant to go with my friends to the parade because it was pouring down raining and I’m not really a fan of crowds. But my friends convinced me and we rode to the parade route. Once we got there, we piled out of the car and walked over to the route, but to my surprise, there was basically no one watching the parade. I was relieved. Once the parade started, the floats started coming down the route and began to throw heaps of throws to us because they had a surplus. It was because of this that I got a glow up baton and I‘ve kept it ever since because it reminds me of that night and also to always push my boundaries and try to do stuff that I may not be comfortable doing. 

– William Inderkummen

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant