Bon Temps Minority

Their 18th century exodus from Nova Scotia was immortalized in the overwrought poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Now their cuisine has become democratized into a culinary cliche as even fast-food restaurants offer ersatz renditions of jambalaya and gumbo. Yes, the Cajuns have shouldered their share of suffering. But are these injustices enough to transform the 250,000 descendants of the original Acadian settlers in Louisiana into a minority group eligible for state affirmative-action programs designed for blacks?

Almost no one took the cause very seriously when Louisiana State Representative Raymond ("La La") Lalonde introduced his bill to allow Cajuns to qualify for minority-set-aside contracts awarded by the state. Amid the bread-and-circuses atmosphere of Louisiana politics, Lalonde's crusade to "enhance the status of the French Acadian people" was seen as a bit of harmless posturing for his constituents. But then the Cajun legislators flexed their political muscle, and the bill sailed through the state house by a vote of 74 to 22, despite the bitter opposition of black legislators. "This is not only facetious but borders on the ludicrous," exclaimed State Representative Avery Alexander. Attempting to derail the bill, Alexander offered a facetious amendment of his own, designating Irish Americans as another minority group. But ridicule can be a dangerous weapon in the Louisiana legislature: the Irish-power amendment almost passed.

Buried beneath this ethnic jousting is a serious issue. Over the years, affirmative-action programs have become diluted as more and more groups have been awarded minority status. If the Lalonde bill makes it through the state senate and is signed into law, roughly half of Louisiana's 4 million residents will belong to officially designated minority groups.