In New Orleans, 'The Young Men Olympian prepared me to go anywhere.'

As most New Orleanians know, social aid and pleasure clubs originally formed to ensure Black people would be able to have a proper funeral and burial during a time when that wasn’t guaranteed.

Their second-lines are now a cultural touchstone of the city and remain a cornerstone of many neighborhood celebrations and traditions. But their work in the community, as mentors, coaches, organizers and advocates for Black men and women, draws less attention even though its impact is often more profound for the people it reaches.

The Young Men Olympian Junior Benevolent Society, founded in 1884, is the city's oldest benevolent society — and the second-oldest one in the country. 

The organization has been a part of Norman Dixon Jr.'s life for 50 years.

"Dad put me in when I was 7," he said. "And now I'm 57." 

Keeping them close

Dixon recalls that growing up his father, Norman Dixon Sr., kept him close. He remembers that the two of them went just about everywhere together.

"Our life was really our dad. He kept us close, which meant he kept us close to his friends — and, his friends were the Young Men Olympian," Dixon said. "They carried themselves a certain way — a positive way, helping the community, knowing what's going on in the world."

He also remembers how his dad and other members "would come to second-line all dressed up."

While other people wondered why the gentlemen always looks so clean when they came to second-line, Dixon knew.

"I knew that they were all coming from church. They were deacons," he said. "All of those men were worshippers. If you were around them, it was going to rub off."

When Dixon was 20, he went to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to play football.

"A reporter told me that it was strange that an African American from New Orleans would come to Utah to play football," Dixon said. "My answer was that my parents, my community, my family and the Young Men Olympian prepared me to go anywhere."

More than a second-line

"People think it's about the second-line, but that didn't come ’til later — five or 10 years after we started, we started that for the musicians," he said.

Dixon says the organization's primary work these days is centered around the next generation. Young Men Olympian Junior now has 10 coaches to work with New Orleans youth. All together, 35 kids are involved — a number that fluctuates. They've had as many as 68.

Jerome Temple, a teacher and well-known rapper, is one of the organization's most popular coaches, according to Dixon. 

"The kids of today are either involved in a whole lot of good stuff or a whole lot of bad stuff," Dixon said. "When my dad was around, you had kids who just weren't doing anything — good or bad. They needed something to grab a hold of."

Dixon says he's happy to do the work to follow in his father's footsteps. 

He recalls when he was a youngster involved in Young Men Olympian Junior. From where he sits today, he sees many differences between the youth of his day and the youth of today. 

"Kids now are so much older in some ways," he said. "I see children today who are not given the opportunity to be young people. When we came along, we didn't have as many obstacles."

He reflects on the way most kids used to play outside, and his father would drive around the streets and say, "Hey, y'all want to be in a second-line?" — a type of recruiting that doesn't happen these days.

"I don't know the last time I went down any street in this community and saw kids outside playing like that," Dixon said.

He adds that most of the kids the organization serves today are from single-family homes. The moms and the kids are so busy and active that Dixon says getting to events and practices is often difficult.

"We have 50 tickets to the Pelican games. Our kids are so busy that we end up taking a lot of outside kids, which that's good — those are the kids I want taken care of," he said.

Investing in the future

They were early adopters in offering digital training for students with a cyber computer summer camp.

"IBM invested money. We were the pilot. We had kids who came with ankle bracelets under house arrest, kids from our organization and kids from the community," Dixon said.

During the pandemic, the organization fed hungry children from throughout the New Orleans area.

Dixon says the heart of the mission goes back to the organization's roots. 

"We help people in need, but we don't talk about it," he said. "If you don't know us, you don't know us. The people who know us respect us."

140 years of history

Dixon, now president of the organization — only the sixth president in the organization's 140-year history — says for its 108 members, that dedication to the organization is "what it's about."

"We still help bury our members. We have two tombs on Washington Avenue," Dixon said. "Every member is guaranteed the right to be buried there. We still take care of the sick. Now we do more community stuff — we're working to save the young men. We do activities with the kids to keep them off the street."

Even still, for many, the Young Men Olympian's name is synonymous with second-lines — and members still enjoy the fun, the music, the camaraderie, getting decked out and the chance to dance. 

"When they would pass my house, I'd be dancing. Boy, I could dance," said longtime member Jack Humphrey remembering the days of his youth. "I followed second-lines every since I could get away from the house. … For New Orleans, it's a culture. This didn't just pop up from anywhere. It came from our ancestors — to relieve some of the stress."

Year-round, Humphrey and many society members work to prepare for Parade Day, which is the fourth Sunday in September. He also continues to dance with and shepherd the youngsters who are members, helping with the dress code, making sure the ribbons, plumes and outfits are just right.

The organization is comprised of six divisions, with the Body being the root of the organization. Other divisions include The First Division, The New Look Kids, The Big Steppers, The Untouchable, The Furious Five. Each division has its own look and personality, and members sometimes move from one division to another depending on age or interests. All members are permitted to parade within the parades as long as each wears black and white.

The clubhouse, which is named for Dixon's father, Norman Dixon Sr., is located at 2101 S. Liberty St., New Orleans.

On Aug. 31, members will celebrate the organization's 140th anniversary with a ball. 

A brotherhood that is palpable

Rachel Breunlin, ethnographer-in-residence at the University of New Orleans, has worked on a film about the Young Men Olympian Junior organization as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. She says there were a lot of different burial societies in New Orleans, but most of the organizations don't exist anymore.

Breunlin says the organization's sense of brotherhood is palpable, and that the intense connection to fellow members starts in the kids' division.

"The Young Men Olympian organization gives a strong sense of identity and place," she said. "It creates its own safety net and coming of ages for its members." 

She says the intergenerational aspects of the organization, including opportunities for observed coming-of-age moments, have a profound impact on many of its members — young and old.

Additionally, members still "do the old-school work of checking in on their members when they're sick."

The process of becoming a member is simple. Those interested turn in an application, pay a fee and then two members conduct an investigation.

"We talk to your wife. We find out what kind of man you are. We ask your neighbors — that's just what we do," Dixon said.

To learn more about Young Men Olympian Jr., email [email protected].