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3-28-06 Horray! Shayna Cohen & I just finished our collaborative book about our trip to New Orleans! We sent the proposal to get it produced (at Women's Studio Workshop in upstate New York) off this morning! Wish us luck, we find out about the grant in June. This is our first spread: "Resuscitation"
3-26-06 I just got back from New Orleans. My friend, Shayna & I went down there to volunteer and create a book together about our experience there. Nothing could have prepared me for a trip like this. What we experienced was pretty unbelieveable. Six months since Hurricane Katrina has hit, NOLA still is a disaster zone. We stayed in the upper 9th ward and worked with an amazing volunteer-led organization, Common Ground Relief Effort. (If you are interested at all in going to NOLA to help rebuild, I strongly recommend hooking up with Common Ground. The people working there are true visionaries with human rights and DIY ethics as their philosophy. They are doing incredible work within the community. This is the civil rights movement in America right now.) Being in the ninth ward was unlike anything I've ever experienced. There is still no electricity on many of the streets. Toxic garbage is piled up everywhere. Trees are broken and the water is not safe to drink. Residents who are able to return home are met with a daunting task: gutting out their homes (a dangerous & expensive jobs) and rebuilding their lives. The government (local, state, and federal) are not making this easy. Deeply rooted racist & classist politics are trying to keep residents from returning home. The situation is complicated- all of NOLA is in need right now, however it's obvious that the one's who need help desperately- the residents of the 9th ward are not being supported by the government. After meeting survivors, hearing their horrific stories of when the hurricane hit and learning more about the history of the 9th ward, the levees, and just witnessing the destruction, it is obvious the government has failed it's citizens deeply. I couldn't help but feel that in a sense, our government has failed all of us. And despite what we learn in school, the civil rights movement is not over.It is happening right now. There are people working in NOLA for basic human rights: shelter, food, clean water. And they are doing it with universal values in mind: peace, kindness, respect & humility. That said I met some pretty incredible people in NOLA, ate delicious (fried) food, saw some of the best music, art and street life I've ever seen. I hoping to return this summer for an educational conference Common Ground is planning. If you're interested at all in possibly going down to visit and help out I really encourage you to do it! Below are some links to photos I took while in NOLA: Walking Around the French Quarter
One of my 5th grade students drew this wish for kids in New Orleans (and the world):
Yeah! Now you can buy Eaten Alive books via the internet
& paypal!
winter 2007
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