Book excerpt: Images of America: African Americans in Lafayette and Southwest Louisiana sheds a spotlight on some of the heroes and heroines of Southwest Louisiana. This area of the state is especially diverse and includes people who describe themselves as African Americans, Creoles, mulattoes, and blacks. Many people say they have mixed bloodlines that include Native American, African, and French ancestors. Their arts, culture, food, music, and crafts are distinct and rich with flavors of the past and the present. The Creoles and mulattoes, for example, speak the language of Creole, which is described as broken French.