64 Parishes’ story “A Bar Called Charlene’s” by Robert W. Fieseler has received the 2024 Green Eyeshade Award, the top annual distinction awarded by Southerners from the Society of Professional Journalists. This story was originally published in the Summer 2023 issue of 64 Parishes, which was shepherded to publication by former editor-in-chief Erin M. Greenwald, former managing editor Chris Turner-Neal, and publisher Miranda Restovic.

Started in 1950, the Green Eyeshade Awards are distributed by Southerners from the Society of Professional Journalists with the intent of recognizing the very best in journalism in the southeastern United States. By receiving the top distinction, 64 Parishes also claimed the title of Best in Division for Magazine and First Place in the Feature Writing/Magazines category. The award is open to journalists and publications based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

“We are ecstatic for Bobby Fieseler and the former editorial team of 64 Parishes for the honor of receiving this top recognition for an important and beautifully-written story about an often under-reported, under-served community,” said current managing editor of 64 Parishes Alex Kennon Shahin. “Charlene Schneider’s bar provided a reprieve and social space for lesbians in New Orleans during a time when there were few, if any, like it, and Fieseler’s excellent reporting shines a light on the character and importance of such a place, along with the influential joys and tragedies that occurred therein. We’re thrilled to see such an important story get the recognition it deserves.”

Fieseler’s story “A Bar Called Charlene’s” also recently received an Honorable Mention from the Society for Features Journalism, which considers feature article reporting from across the United States.