Oral history interview with Moon Landrieu, January 11, 1974

Moon Landrieu served as the Democratic mayor of New Orleans from 1970 to 1978. During his tenure, he worked to instigate sweeping changes in race relations, including the appointment of African Americans to serve in various public capacities. In this interview, Landrieu discusses changes in New Orleans politics since 1948, placing particular emphasis on the growing importance of the "black vote." Elected mayor in 1970 with 95 percent of the black vote, Landrieu explains how his administration was responsible for some of the more radical changes in the changing racial landscape of New Orleans politics. For Landrieu, campaigns for voter registration and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were especially powerful harbingers of change in Southern politics. In addition, Landrieu talks about the role of black political organizations; the likelihood of establishing an enduring Populist Coalition that could unite blue-collar whites and African Americans as a powerful political constituency; the relational nature between city politics and state politics; and the role of corruption in political matters.