(Find Part 1 of this post here)
“To be engaged in some small way in the revival of one of the great cities of the world is to live a meaningful existence by default.”-Chris Rose, 1 Dead in Attic
The third most important is Hurricane Katrina and the toll it left on the city. Even though New Orleans was infamous before the hurricane, due to Mardi Gras and its cultural significance in our country, it’s almost like we finally saw it once the hurricane hit. However, it has an integral place in our country and we need to acknowledge what we would have lost without it.
When the Levees Broke by Director Spike Lee isn’t easy to watch, but uncovers what went wrong with Hurricane Katrina. He tells it like it is and for that I am very thankful. Through this documentary we see how this city was almost lost to us by human hand rather than nature itself. Neighborhoods wiped out, people left for dead days after the Hurricane, and violence against those that needed the most help. It exposes our shame and asks us what we are going to do about it.
The fourth most important is the recovery, which is still happening. The Lower Ninth Ward was historically an area where immigrant laborers and freed slaves could afford housing due to the proximity and flood risk of the Mississippi. Once drainage was installed in the neighborhood, business and activism thrived in its community. Those that lived here very rarely stepped outside its neighborhood’s borders. Driving through the Lower Ninth Ward after Katrina was like going through a prairie.
In Plenty Enough Suck To Go Around by Cheryl Wagner we see that age old cliché “New Orleans gets into people’s blood” runs true. I feel like I’ll always have a burning desire to return to New Orleans. Through Cheryl we see the physical and emotional struggles that come with rebuilding, how devastating it can be to see your neighborhood change, and the desperation to recreate that sense of home and family that was so suddenly taken away. For Cheryl and other New Orleans residents they knew the struggles were worth it.
Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO) started in 1988 when the Preservation Resource Center instituted a one-day neighborhood revitalization program in the Lower Garden District. I went in 2010 and 2011 with a friend who is a Gonzaga University Alum. Through the Alumni office we teamed up with RTNO and their AmeriCorps volunteers to work on a house for a week. You never know what you might be working on, which was really exciting to me. One day I would be painting and then the next installing trim and baseboards. I’ve learned so much about home improvement and each year have gained new skills, as well as learned about an amazing city, culture, and people.
Rebuilding Together is an amazing organization. Most cities have local chapters so if volunteer tourism isn’t ideal for you take a day or two to volunteer in your city or neighborhood.
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