Katrina 10 years later: Some things changed; some things didn't
by Abari Sankofa (aka Renarda A. Williams)
Ten years ago, the levees broke in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina came to town. More than 1,800 people, most of whom were Black, died.
As an African American from Alexandria, LA living in Little Rock, AR, I was devastated to see the plight of brothers and sisters (as well as poor whites and other ethnic groups) in low-income areas who were not able to leave New Orleans before the storm trapped them in high water. Today I am still traumatized by the images of bodies floating in the water; people on the roofs of their homes, holding up signs pleading for help; and people milling helplessly around the Superdome and the New Orleans Convention Center.
In the days following the storm, I was tempted to tell my wife, Helaine, to pack our luggage and move with me to Monroe, LA, where I'd lived before relocating to Arkansas to be with her. I wanted to help my friend, Monroe mayor Jamie Mayo, who was aiding New Orleanians who had come to the city seeking refuge. I am a Louisianian, and I felt that Louisiana was where I belonged! Instead, we did our part for Katrina survivors by contributing money and other items. Meanwhile, whenever I heard non-Louisianians say, "I feel bad about the people in New Orleans," I had to squelch the urge to reply, "I do not mean any harm, but you don't feel as bad as I do. This tragedy did not happen in your home state. Just say you sympathize with me." (Call me touchy, but I was not alone in harboring such an attitude. My dear friend Adrienne Holloman — a Bronx, NY native who lived in Atlanta, GA at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — said she felt the same way when Atlantans told her they felt bad for the people in New York.).
Today, New Orleans shows evidence of revitalization. Businesses, schools and hospitals have come back. The levees were reconstructed by the Army Corp of Engineers. The population has risen from 200,000 just after Katrina to 384,320. New Orleanians did not wait for FEMA to help them rebuild; they worked together to do it themselves. Recently, the owner of a Black grocery store in New Orleans appeared in on NewsOne Now With Roland Martin and told of reopening her store in the city.
High-profile native New Orleanians have also rolled up their sleeves. Actor Wendell Pierce, star of the former HBO TV series Treme, has made multiple efforts to revitalize the city. He partnered with friend Troy Henry to open a grocery store (which closed last year) and gas stations/convenience stores. "Pierce and Henry also were involved in the post-Katrina redevelopment of New Orleans’ Pontchartrain Park subdivision, where Pierce grew up," according to a May 2014 story in The New Orleans Advocate. Branford Marsalis, Henry Connick, Jr. and other jazz artists built a Musicians' Village for musicians in the Lower Ninth Ward who lost their homes to Katrina. The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in Musicians' Village was built by Branford's father to perpetuate New Orleans music and culture, especially for young people.
The city's landmarks for private, historically black postsecondary education also recovered. Dillard and Xavier universities, both of which were heavily damaged in the storm, are doing better than ever.
New Orleans' reputation as mecca for entertainment, conferences and festivals remains. Mardi Gras 2006 took place despite Katrina's devastation. Five years after Katrina the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl, giving the city a much-needed morale boost. Notable events such as the Bayou Classic football game and the Essence Music Festival are "larger and in charge!"
Whenever we visit New Orleans, we are encouraged by the vibrancy of the people. During one particular visit, I met a warm-hearted woman who'd returned to open a gift shop after having relocated to a city on the East Coast. "Sir, I just did not fit in up there," she said. "I belong to New Orleans." (Hers was the first store at which I was able to find an affordable New Orleans Saints Super Bowl Champion T-shirt.)
Unfortunately, some things still remain the same in New Orleans. Many poor Blacks who returned, seeking to rebuild, still live in impoverished communities. The Lower Ninth Ward is mostly abandoned. Much of that is due to corporations that bought up the land with an eye toward gentrifying it. During my visits, I was unable to bring myself to visit the still-devastated communities because I feared I would be traumatized all over again.
Some schools in Black neighborhoods were closed and never rebuilt — including John F. Kennedy High School, once renowned for its outstanding band. Some of the New Orleans residents with whom I attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, LA (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in the 1980s were graduates of Kennedy. As of 2015, there are 85 public schools in Orleans Parish — down from more than 120 before Katrina, according to the New Orleans Advocate (http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/11965283-123/kennedy-high-school-alumni-call). Luckily, even though the public schools in New Orleans are a mess, some charter schools are making up for the lack of quality education.
Many New Orleanians who faced Katrina will never return, due to the trauma they still face ... even though in their hearts they still long for home. I know about longing for home. I moved to the Little Rock, AR, area 11 years ago. Little Rock, as is Arkansas itself, is beautiful. But I miss Louisiana ... especially my birthplace, Alexandria, as well as Lafayette and Monroe, the towns where I spent my young adulthood. Many of my family and friends are in Louisiana.
No matter how homesick I get, though, I cannot return. I blame that inability party on Gov. Bobby Jindal, whom I feel destroyed Louisiana with his political antics. (Louisiana faced economic and other tough times before Jindal, of course). The state has its environmental challenges, not the least of which are the threat of more hurricanes and the sinking land in southeast Louisiana and the New Orleans area. But honestly speaking, I also know that God led me to Arkansas to be with my Queen, Helaine, and make a difference here.
In the New Testament, Luke 9:58, Jesus said "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." I don't compare myself to Christ, but I do feel somewhat like a man without a home ... even though there is no place like home. And I certainly identify with New Orleanians who still live in other places across the country, But I'm also confident that God will one day reveal where Helaine and I truly belong.
This column is dedicated to those who lost their lives during Hurricane Katrina but whose spirits will never die. Continue to rest in peace with the ancestors!
Hotep people!
Abari Sankofa
