Published July 15, 2021 at 9:24 PM CDT Listen • 4:16 / ‘Emergency’ is a word that’s all too familiar to any Louisiana governor. But when COVID infections began to spread through Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards faced an unprecedented crisis. Months later, the governor recorded an oral history with the Historic New Orleans Collection for their series, From The Frontline. In this piece, Governor Edwards reflects on what divides us and what brings us together, and he shares what it’s like to lead a state through a public health emergency.