NEW ORLEANS– One of the biggest krewes in all of Carnival has seen a lot of controversy lately. There’s been plenty of backlash for the Krewe of Nyx. School marching bands, dance krewes, and several members have “nyxed” their ties to the all-female krewe which began in 2011.
“I just thought it was important to take a stand, and I decided to leave the very day that I found out about it,” Kimya Holmes said.
Kimya Holmes was a Nyx member for 7 years, and 4 of those years she was a Float Lt. After she found out about a social media post from Nyx’s Captain Julie Lea, she decided it was time to cut ties with Nyx and focus on something positive.
“I never thought that I’d be sitting here as President of a new Krewe,” she said.
She started the Krewe of Themis, which is named after the Greek Goddess of fairness and justice.
“Everything we’ve read we all thought it was the perfect name to represent us. Themis stands for something near and dear to us—social justice,” she said.
Krewe of Themis will be a collection of women, all diverse ages and backgrounds. Initially hundreds of Nyx members were looking to join Themis, but now they have about 100 more members interested who weren’t even in Nyx.
“It is a collective vision, the best way we can do this is to listen and work together,” Holmes said.
Currently Themis is a marching krewe, but is planning on partnering with another krewe to parade in 2021 if all goes as planned.
But most importantly Holmes said that being on the right side of history is where this new krewe stands.
“We are a social justice organization first and foremost,” Holmes said.
Currently the Krewe of Themis is raising money through a GoFundMe account to donate to the schools that have decided not to march in Nyx this year.
Also- Holmes tells us that several Nyx members are trying to get membership refunds back from Nyx and are taking it up with in small claims court.
