Today was our first full day in New Orleans! It was super cool to finally get a taste of the city, I've been picturing what it would be like for a long time and it's amazing to finally be here. Today we went on a "Tour of the Unbeaten Path" through United Saints, which was an eye-opening experience because it really centered around the corruption within New Orleans and how that played into the corruption of Hurricane Katrina. I really enjoyed the man that gave the tour, he was really good at telling his story and was so knowledgeable about the history and politics behind the Hurricane. He took us to historical sites like churches in the community and the birth places of jazz which I thought was really cool. There's so much culture and colorfulness in this city but it was so sad to see that see that there was barely anything left when we went to the lower ninth ward. What used to be the most densely populated neighborhood in New Orleans now is being taken over by nature because the rest of the families had to leave, and and because of the government corruption have little help of getting their homes back.
Rachel
Sunday, March 24, 2013
NOLA Day 2
Today was a very mentally exhausting day, and it's not even 7. I've decided today's theme was New Orleans Culture.
This morning we went to Masjid-ur-Rahim Mosque (Mosque of the Merciful) for breakfast and a dialogue. We talked with two men about New Orleans culture and some basic tenants of Islam. We talked specifically about jazz, creole culture, food, and Mardi Gras. New Orleans has such a unique culture that is unlike any other place. The sense of community here is so very different from Minnesota (although not too different from that of my hometown in AR). Everyone talks and waves to you when you walk or drive down the street and get on the trolley. This sense of community is an important aspect of culture and an important force that has allowed New Orleans to make the progress it has.
After some down time, we took the Off the Beaten Path tour from United Saints. After talking for about an hour about New Orleans culture, history, and what happened after Katrina, we headed out. Our tour guide, Koné, is a native New Orlean who returned from California after Katrina to help his family and friends. He's been here since working with United Saints and has led over 600 of these tours. The tour took us through the Central City, Midtown, Tremé, and Lower Ninth Ward neighborhoods. These were the areas most affected by Katrina, and, not coincidentally, the more diverse and poorer neighborhoods. In Midtown, we saw Charity Hospital (big white building picture), one of the public hospitals in New Orleans that has been closed down since Katrina, despite it being relatively unaffected, in favor of the monstrous public/private hospital complex that's currently under construction. We also saw several closed down historic important churches that couldn't return after Katrina because they didn't have the money to make the repairs necessary. The biggest jail in Louisiana, also in Midtown, was built to hold around 7,000, but generally has upwards of 9-10,000 in the facility.
Definitely both the hardest and the most rewarding part of the tour was seeing the Lower Ninth Ward. Previously the most densely populated neighborhood in New Orleans with buildings barely shoulder-width apart, the Lower Ninth Ward is still mostly empty. There are a few houses that have been restored, but a majority of them that are even still there are sunken and boarded up. The rest is empty lot after empty lot. Out of the original nine, there is one public school left serving K-12 with an incredibly long waiting list. This school is only open because community organizers got together, against the will of the state and at the threat of arrest, to clean and restore it.
However, among all the still boarded-up houses and empty lots, there were two beacons of hope for the neighbor hood. The Make it Right Campaign (Brad Pitt's effort) has been working to build 300 sustainable, hurricane-proof houses for the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward. We saw a lot of these 85 houses that have been finished and returned residents are living in. The other was Our School at Blair Grocery, a school that takes high school drop outs, gang members, and other underprivileged kids and teaches them skills for sustainable farming. We walked through their garden, which supplies organic produce to many up-scale New Orleans restaurants.
While our Off the Beaten Path tour was difficult, I think we each realized the real trauma that New Orleans is still facing. It's easy to say "the work isn't done yet", but to see all that still needs to happen to even come close to restoring New Orleans, was very difficult. However hard it was seeing all that that needs to finished and started, it was incredibly encouraging to see what has been done and what is continuing to be done and to talk with people who love this city and are dedicated to the New Orleans community.
-Karina
This morning we went to Masjid-ur-Rahim Mosque (Mosque of the Merciful) for breakfast and a dialogue. We talked with two men about New Orleans culture and some basic tenants of Islam. We talked specifically about jazz, creole culture, food, and Mardi Gras. New Orleans has such a unique culture that is unlike any other place. The sense of community here is so very different from Minnesota (although not too different from that of my hometown in AR). Everyone talks and waves to you when you walk or drive down the street and get on the trolley. This sense of community is an important aspect of culture and an important force that has allowed New Orleans to make the progress it has.
After some down time, we took the Off the Beaten Path tour from United Saints. After talking for about an hour about New Orleans culture, history, and what happened after Katrina, we headed out. Our tour guide, Koné, is a native New Orlean who returned from California after Katrina to help his family and friends. He's been here since working with United Saints and has led over 600 of these tours. The tour took us through the Central City, Midtown, Tremé, and Lower Ninth Ward neighborhoods. These were the areas most affected by Katrina, and, not coincidentally, the more diverse and poorer neighborhoods. In Midtown, we saw Charity Hospital (big white building picture), one of the public hospitals in New Orleans that has been closed down since Katrina, despite it being relatively unaffected, in favor of the monstrous public/private hospital complex that's currently under construction. We also saw several closed down historic important churches that couldn't return after Katrina because they didn't have the money to make the repairs necessary. The biggest jail in Louisiana, also in Midtown, was built to hold around 7,000, but generally has upwards of 9-10,000 in the facility.
Definitely both the hardest and the most rewarding part of the tour was seeing the Lower Ninth Ward. Previously the most densely populated neighborhood in New Orleans with buildings barely shoulder-width apart, the Lower Ninth Ward is still mostly empty. There are a few houses that have been restored, but a majority of them that are even still there are sunken and boarded up. The rest is empty lot after empty lot. Out of the original nine, there is one public school left serving K-12 with an incredibly long waiting list. This school is only open because community organizers got together, against the will of the state and at the threat of arrest, to clean and restore it.
However, among all the still boarded-up houses and empty lots, there were two beacons of hope for the neighbor hood. The Make it Right Campaign (Brad Pitt's effort) has been working to build 300 sustainable, hurricane-proof houses for the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward. We saw a lot of these 85 houses that have been finished and returned residents are living in. The other was Our School at Blair Grocery, a school that takes high school drop outs, gang members, and other underprivileged kids and teaches them skills for sustainable farming. We walked through their garden, which supplies organic produce to many up-scale New Orleans restaurants.
While our Off the Beaten Path tour was difficult, I think we each realized the real trauma that New Orleans is still facing. It's easy to say "the work isn't done yet", but to see all that still needs to happen to even come close to restoring New Orleans, was very difficult. However hard it was seeing all that that needs to finished and started, it was incredibly encouraging to see what has been done and what is continuing to be done and to talk with people who love this city and are dedicated to the New Orleans community.
-Karina
Saturday, March 23, 2013
We made it.
However tough it may have been for a group of college students to wake up and get to Hamline University at eight o'clock in the morning on the first day of spring break; but we made it and through sleepy eyes most of us looked excited or at the very least conscious.
We braved the long lines of of the Minneapolis airport, and survived landing in a snow storm in Denver, CO; and after a one hour layover that turned into a two hour layover, because of the snow, we we're finally on a plane destined to New Orleans.
Coming into New Orleans, in the plane as we dipped back below the clouds and being able to see the ground, it seemed alien seeing green grass below. It seems obscure that only twelve hours ago we were pulling away from Hamline with three feet of snow on the ground and temperatures in the single digits and now to be sitting in humid bunk room in seventy degree weather. It's "spring break" and it is finally starting to feel like spring.
The big news of the day is that we are here and we are settled and all eleven of us made us alive.
However tough it may have been for a group of college students to wake up and get to Hamline University at eight o'clock in the morning on the first day of spring break; but we made it and through sleepy eyes most of us looked excited or at the very least conscious.
We braved the long lines of of the Minneapolis airport, and survived landing in a snow storm in Denver, CO; and after a one hour layover that turned into a two hour layover, because of the snow, we we're finally on a plane destined to New Orleans.
Coming into New Orleans, in the plane as we dipped back below the clouds and being able to see the ground, it seemed alien seeing green grass below. It seems obscure that only twelve hours ago we were pulling away from Hamline with three feet of snow on the ground and temperatures in the single digits and now to be sitting in humid bunk room in seventy degree weather. It's "spring break" and it is finally starting to feel like spring.
The big news of the day is that we are here and we are settled and all eleven of us made us alive.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Welcome to the Catalyst trip blogs!
Hello and welcome to the blog for the Catalyst trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. This trip focuses on relief for Hurricane Katrina, looking at the issue through an
interfaith lens. The group will begin posting when they leave for their
trip and will try to post once a day (trust us, they'll be plenty busy.)
There will be lots to talk about in these updates, so please, enjoy the
blog, and thank you for your support!
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