Beras, the former consul general of France in Louisiana, stepped down from her role in early August. Local leaders expressed that her impact will be felt for years.
Nathalie Beras in the coastal wetlands of Louisiana with Albert Naquin, traditional chief of the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation. Courtesy image by Audoin de Vergnette
By Jonathan Olivier
It was September 2021 and Nathalie Beras, the new consul general of France in Louisiana, had just arrived in the state to start her term in New Orleans. Then, Hurricane Ida struck, causing power outages across the Crescent City.
Beras and her staff decided to spend the next two weeks in Lafayette where they worked with local officials to get to know the Acadiana region. Dave Domingue, director of international trade and development at the Lafayette International Center, worked with Beras in that period and noted that her impact on the region’s francophone community was immediately clear.
In one of the first meetings Beras held with Domingue and other francophone leaders of Lafayette, she recommended that the University of Louisiana at Lafayette join the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). “No one at the meeting had ever heard of that,” Domingue said. “So, the university jumped on the opportunity.”
At the end of 2022, the AUF officially approved UL’s membership, which is the first American university to be a member of the Montreal-based network of global universities with francophone concentrations. By the time Beras had gone with her staff back to New Orleans, Domingue said she had left an indelible mark. She had visited smaller francophone communities around Lafayette, like Arnaudville, and showed a genuine interest in understanding the region’s unique challenges and assets—something not all past consuls have done extensively.
“She's given the francophone community here a lot of validation and a lot of recognition,” Domingue said.
Beras stepped down as consul general in early August, leaving behind a legacy that has been characterized by state and francophone leaders as sincere efforts to venture outside of New Orleans and interact with the bulk of Louisiana’s francophone community, which is often found in smaller towns or throughout the countryside of south central and southwest part of the state. From early on, Beras was impacted by the welcome she received in these communities, as well as the widespread attachment to the French language.
"I met the warmest people in these communities that immediately welcomed me into their midst,” Beras said. “I was able to measure the extent to which the French-speaking world is at the very heart of this region, and is enjoying a wonderful renaissance here that is inspired by music and its oral traditions.”
In particular, Beras was supportive of the efforts by south Louisiana’s Indigenous people who often comprise the largest concentrations of French speakers in the state.
“Nathalie has been very supportive of the Tribe,” said Patty Ferguson, a tribal member and attorney for the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe. “She has basically made the effort to go into the communities and be part of these communities, while recognizing the dialects of the other French speakers in Louisiana.”
Beras at a meeting for the opening of École Pointe-au-Chien in 2023. Photo courtesy of Audoin de Vergnette
Beras worked with the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe to highlight their needs as they rebuilt from Hurricane Ida, as well as during their fight to establish the first Indigenous French immersion school in the state, which opened in August, called École Pointe-au-Chien.
“She didn’t just come and do a tour,” Ferguson said. “She has been very active with the community and has invited us to different events. She made sure our leaders were on the list when President Macron came out to New Orleans. Our chairman was able to shake the hand of the French president—that’s pretty huge.”
Among Beras’ other notable contributions to increasing Louisiana’s visibility in la Francophonie was the December 2022 visit from President Emmanuel Macron, which was the first visit from a French President to Louisiana in almost 50 years. In the leadup to the tour, she played a critical role in convincing the president and his team to visit Louisiana, as well as coordinating all aspects of Macron’s visit.
Bears also assisted Gov. John Bel Edwards as he twice visited France, and she negotiated the creation of a delegation of Louisianans that included Edwards to attend the“Fête de la Musique” at the Elysée Presidential Palace in June. Edwards’ visit was the first in 40 years by a Louisiana governor, with francophone Gov. Edwin Edwards being the last to visit the Élysée in 1984.
“I want to thank Consul General Nathalie Beras for her historic work supporting the French language in Louisiana while developing unprecedented economic and cultural partnerships between Louisiana and France,” Edwards said. “I was particularly proud to work with her to welcome President Macron to Louisiana—a first in almost 50 years—and to create a position for a French energy and environmental advisor within my administration. We are sad to see her go, but I am confident her impact will continue for years to come.”
In New Orleans and the surrounding coastal region, Beras was able to see first-hand the impacts of climate change and land loss. She therefore made it a priority to assist Louisiana’s francophone communities who are often at the front lines of these climate issues. Specifically, she facilitated the signature of a first-in-its-kind agreement between the governor and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to fund the creation of a French energy and environmental expert role within the Louisiana government.
Beras coordinated many aspects of President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Louisiana in December 2022. Photo courtesy of Audoin de Vergnette
The expert, Emmanuel Henriet, arrived in Louisiana in early August just before Beras’ departure, and he will be housed within the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Agency (CPRA), also working with Louisiana Economic Development (LED). Louisiana’s closer relationship with France in this domain could lead the state to adopt a bolder energy and climate strategy that opens up economic opportunities for Louisianans.
Beras also worked closely with immersion programs, especially those certified by the Agency for French Teaching Abroad. Tiguida Mathieu, Chief Academic Officer of Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans, the first such public French program in the United States, noted that Beras was an instrumental partner to further developing the school’s mission.
"The Lycée Français has benefited from the Consul General's deep commitment to education and her commitment to equality and equity,” Mathieu said. “She took a great interest in the Lycée Français because it's a school that embraces diversity. In other words, it's a diverse school where all the children of Louisiana—Black, white, Hispanic, from all walks of life—come together. And that's something Nathalie Beras has supported and developed a great deal.
Beras noted that the key to progress in Louisiana is the growth of French speakers, a unique asset in the state. "Louisiana's youth is energetic and combative, and the determination of these young people in universities and immersion schools is remarkable,” she said.
“I have only one word to say to everyone in my farewell: lâche pas!”