Melvin Labat

King Zulu 2024

Rolling down the Avenue on Mardi Gras day, you’re sure to see Carnival revelers all vying for a coveted Zulu coconut. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club has been a fixture of Carnival since the early 20th century, but its impact on the city far exceeds one celebration. The krewe’s community involvement and outreach was one of the main reasons King Zulu 2024 Melvin Labat joined the club. This month we highlight the king, his favorite ways of giving back to the community and what he’s looking forward to ahead of his royal ride.

Q: How did you get involved with the Zulu organization? It started with a guy I went to high school with, we were actually at a football game 26 years ago, and he was telling me that he ran Zulu, and I thought, “Wow, how do you do that?” I mean, I’ve watched Zulu as a kid growing up – where the kids who would watch the Zulu parade at Claiborne and Orleans and your day was made unless you had a coconut. And once you found the parade, it was kind of like, you followed it as much as you could.

And so, after meeting my schoolmate he said, “Man, I can get you in.” I said, “I’m ready.” And we rode the first year with what is called the Tribal Chief Crew. The guy who was the captain of the tribal chief just happened to be a family friend. Eventually he told me I could ride on the float. I rode the first two years. I told him I was interested in becoming a member. I filled out the paperwork and he signed it to my sponsor. I’m so grateful. To think 26 years ago that I would be able to say, I’m king, a Zulu king. It was always a dream. And the biggest dream was being able to do my own coconuts. And having people say, “Hey, man, can I have a coconut?”

When I joined, one of the things my friend mentioned to me was to get involved. We do things in Zulu. I learned in my first few years in Zulu what they did in the community. I do a lot of work in the community, and I’m very involved in community work at Zulu. I chaired the Zulu Toys for Tots program. I’m currently the sergeant-at-arms. I’m one of the assistant chairs to the Zulu Junior Zulus with Chairman Donald Johnson and I work with the National Night Out Against Crime. I enjoy doing things in the community. For me, it is rewarding.

Q: What’s the campaigning like for King? I actually ran for sergeant-at-arms maybe 16 years ago, and the first time I lost to the incumbent. I realized that in Zulu you have to put the work in – whether you like the community activity work or you work in our finance office. I’d say 10 years ago, I watched the guys become king. And I thought, “If you keep working hard, maybe one day, you have that opportunity.” I canvassed several kings and I asked them if what I’m doing now is enough to become king, or should I be doing more? Or should I be doing something that I’m not doing? They say, “Man, just keep doing what you’re doing. You know, everybody likes you. You’re always helping, you always want to help somebody. Just keep being you and doing what you’re doing.” I made a decision several years ago that I would love to run for king. This was one of the years I picked. But in doing so, I also wanted to be in the Zulu Hall of Fame. When you get into Zulu Hall of Fame, it’s the work you put into, because it’s a point system. Every member has the opportunity to apply for it. It’s a point system and we select three members every year to the Zulu Hall of Fame. In 2022, I applied. I was one of the three recipients of Zulu Hall of Fame. I thought, “Wow, that means I really am doing my job.” I realized, if I keep working hard and keep being who I am, and starting to put my name out there, I would love to run for King Zulu 2024. I put in a lot of work in it starting in 2022, canvassing other members and seeing if they would support me. Many said, “Man, this is your time.” And the one thing I got from [canvassing] they said, “Don’t campaign and don’t run to finish second; do it to finish first.” So many guys have had to run two or three times to become king. I put it in the almighty’s hands. I watched and I did campaign very hard. One of the things I made sure I didn’t do is not to say anything negative about anybody that was running against me. That’s not for me to do.

Q: What’s the best part of being King? The reaction from the community. I do volunteer work [with people] with Down syndrome. Me and my team participate in the Buddy Walk. And I’ve been doing that for the last few years. They were so excited for me. I also volunteer over at Xavier University. I’m on their business advisory council. They were excited for me. You know, they were excited. And of course, two of the other guys run against me they knew. They told me, “Man, you up against some tough competition.” I said, “Yeah, I agree with you. But I just believe I put in my work.”

I also volunteer with Silence the Violence. One of the things some people know (some people don’t know) my only child was murdered almost 12 years ago. So, I volunteer with them whenever they need help. It’s about helping people. One of the things about [being] king is they tell you, “It’s good to be king.” That’s not true. It is great to be king. I know more people now, people that know me than I ever would have imagined. So, it’s great to be king. And to think that only one is elected a year, and I have that honor bestowed upon me from my colleagues at Zulu. You know, I go to bed smiling a lot of times, and I probably pray more now than I ever have before. You know, asking God don’t let this stop. I believe, for all the hard work I put into Zulu, this is Zulu rewarding me back saying, “Hey, you doing this? This is our reward to you as king.”

Q: What are you most excited for ahead of the Carnival season and your upcoming ride as King? I am excited for the church service in January. This event is not staged, it’s all from the heart. Everything is going to be straight from the heart. One thing that I believe in my heart, is that day, I’m probably going to shed a few tears, because I know my grandparents and my parents and my son would say, “Well done.” That’s gonna’ be my day.

True Confession: The guys in Zulu think I’m this big, tough guy, but I grow roses. I love roses.
Favorite King Cake: Randazzo’s
Favorite Carnival song: Here Comes the Zulu King

 

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