This year, the Black Men of Labor (BMOL) decided to substitute their annual parade for a global ecumenical service, an event driven by BMOL's ongoing efforts to recognize the past and appreciate the importance of paying it forward.

BMOL President Fred Johnson wrote that "...we cannot control the diseases (covid, monkeypox, ebola, hypertension, diabetes), however, we can control how we recognize those impacted by the diseases with our ecumenical service and in the spirit of New Orleans brass band funeral procession tradition.

We humbly acknowledge and pay respect to those that were not able to funeralize their loved ones, whether due to covid or any other diseases that consistently afflict our community."

These are photos from the brass band funeral procession on Sunday, October 23, 2022. To see more from this event and photographer MJ Mastrogiovanni, check out Sunday Inside The Ropes.

Keep up with all the latest in New Orleans' second line culture, social aid & pleasure clubs, brass band, Black Masking Indian, and Baby Doll events at WWOZ's Takin' It To The Streets, all at wwoz.org/streets.