The blows keep coming down on Nyx. We first reported Monday night that 27 float lieutenants and hundreds of riders threatened to leave the parade if their captain did not resign following her controversial social media posts. Julie Lea, Nyx captain, posted an image of two children with the hashtag “All Lives Matter” on the official Krewe of Nyx Instagram account last week.
Since that Instagram post, Lea has apologized but the majority of her float lieutenants were looking for her to resign in order to continue in 2020 and beyond. In an email sent to Lea, the lieutenants asked for 5 viable changes, including Lea resigning as the Captain of the Mystic Krewe of Nyx and Board of Directors. In addition, they requested for several African Americans to be appointed to the parade board. Their goal is to make the organization more equal.
Lea has refused these new changes, claiming the float lieutenants are “bullying” her into resigning. According to reports from NOLA.COM, Lea has also stated she will never get behind “Black Lives Matter” saying. The majority of the lieutenants called her bluff late Tuesday night, and have since resigned, along with hundreds of riders.
And now the marching clubs are following the float lieutenants lead and are pulling out of Nyx. Two well known and respected all lady marching clubs, The Pussyfooters and The Sirens, announced via social media they are pulling out of Nyx following Lea’s refusal to resign.
“Although we have enjoyed the years of marching in your parade, we can no longer be apart of this parade. We stand in solidarity with our sisters who have resigned […]” – Pussyfooters
The Sirens, who also took to social media to post their resignation from the parade, have decided that they “will no longer parade with Nyx with their current leadership, but support those members that are working to make a change and create a more inclusive organization.”
You can read both their full statements below. Captian Lea co-founded Nyx in 2012 with an aim to “unite women of diverse backgrounds for fun, friendship, and the merriment of the Mardi Gras season,” according to Nyx’s website. It’s not currently known how many members have departed Nyx, or what direction they will head in after this latest batch of resignations.