Jordan Log 8-21-06

THE KATRINA ANNIVERSARY

By Jordan Flaherty
August 21, 2006
(A different version of this article appears in the Summer 2006 issue of Colorlines Magazine – www.colorlines.com)

“I want as many people to come visit here as possible,” a lower 9th ward resident named Calvin told me as we walked past the infamous breached levees and destroyed homes of his neighborhood. “The national media has forgotten us, the politicians in DC have forgotten us. I support anything to get the word out.”Among many people I've spoken with in New Orleans, this sentiment is common; the idea that the country has moved on, and if people would just come here and see for themselves, they’ll bring attention and consciousness.

Beginning days after the storm, New Orleans hosted a stream of celebrities and political players, from Sean Penn to Spike Lee, a United Nations Human Rights envoy, and a series of PR visits from president Bush. Later, Women of the Storm, a nonpartisan group led mostly by wealthy white women from New Orleans, raised a lot of cash and publicity for their mission to fly to DC and convince congressional representatives to come here and view the devastation.

Now, we are days away from the long-heralded anniversary of the destruction of our city, and once again the tour buses are filling up.To commemorate the anniversary, the Nagin administration announced a party – fireworks at the superdome, a masquerade, and a comedy show at the downtown casino were all initially a part of the official city festivities. Although those plans were widely seen as offensive – and have since been cancelled – there is still, for many, an unsettled feeling around this anniversary.

How do you commemorate the anniversary of something that is still happening? The devastation of our city is not just something that happened a year ago, it's something that is going on yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Half of the people of New Orleans remain dispersed around the US. Suicide rates have tripled. The national guard is still patrolling the streets. Most schools and hospitals — especially those serving poor people — are still closed. Central issues related to the planning of the city – including what neighborhoods will be rebuilt, how they will be rebuilt, and who will make the decisions – remain unresolved. Perhaps most importantly, few people here feel protected by the levees that surround this city.

We in New Orleans know that our moment is ending. This anniversary will bring one last deluge of media attention, but after that – barring another catastrophe – the spotlight will move on. The corporate media will reassign their reporters. Liberal foundations will redirect their money to the next urgent priority. Activist volunteers will be going back to school or onto the next volunteer hub.“It was frustrating and painful at first,” former mayoral candidate and lower ninth ward resident Greta Gladney recalls, referring to the people that have come to walk the streets around her home. “Before December, in order to see our own neighborhood, we had to ride on a tour bus, while contractors, insurance adjusters, journalists and police and soldiers could walk around there as much as they wanted. Politicians were using our neighborhood for leverage, to get more money from the federal government. But they don’t want the lower nine to be rebuilt, so the money they get from our suffering is not going to come to us.”

Driving through the lower ninth ward on any given day, you are likely to see scattered groups on guided or unguided tours, tourist-filled buses and vans filled with church volunteers or scruffy activists on bikes. People come to see the levee break - now rebuilt - and to view the general devastation - which is still very much present. In fact, until recently, bodies were still being discovered regularly, and few doubt that more remain buried amongst the rubble. Virtually no one from this large neighborhood has been able to return. Most of the area still has no electricity or running water. Grassroots organizers have organized alternate plans for the anniversary, including vigils, press conferences, a tour of condemned public housing, and a memorial and march - beginning in the lower nine - organized by a coalition called the United Front to Commemorate the Great Flood. Local groups continue to organize in the neighborhoods of the city, and in the diaspora. Whatever happens in these coming weeks and months, for the people of New Orleans, the struggle – and the mourning – continues, with or without the attention of the world.

Jordan Flaherty is an organizer with New Orleans Network and an editor of Left Turn Magazine.
His previous articles from New Orleans are at:

http://www.leftturn.org/Articles/
SpecialCollections/jordanonkatrina.aspx

ONE YEAR AFTER KATRINA, a new report from Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch, will investigate the state of the post-hurricane Gulf Coast; profile innovative community leaders; and outline the challenges ahead for a just and sustainable renewal. The report will feature 200 indicators and in-depth reports on 13 major issue areas, including Demographics, Housing, Economy, Schools, Healthcare, Arts and Hurricane Readiness. The report will also feature a comprehensive directory of organizations working on Gulf Coast issues in Louisiana, Mississippi and nationally. The report is due to be released Tuesday, August 22.

Katrina Commemoration Events

Dear Nola:

The one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall and the
devastating levee breaches that flooded most of New Orleans and took so many
lives is fast approaching. Over the next week New Orleanians will
gather to honor our dead and reflect on all we have endured over the past
year.


New Orleans Network has compiled a list of more than 50 events planned
around the one-year anniversary of Katrina. We'd like to particularly
draw your attention to two events coming up this week and the
community-driven commemoration march on August 29th.
This Tuesday at 4 p.m. you can join levees.org (www.levees.org) at the
Hale Bogg's Building as they release a report card on the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. Then on Friday the African-American Leadership Project will
kick off a series of activities leading up to the anniversary with a
panel discussion from 7 to 9 p.m. at Ashe' Cultural Arts Center.
On August 29th, about 30 local organizations have worked with People's
Hurricane Relief Fund to plan a commemoration march beginning with a 10
a.m. ceremony at Jourdan and N. Galvez (site of the L9W levee breach).
The march will proceed to Congo Square and end with reflections from
families who lost loved ones and community leaders.

Those are just a few of the more than 50 events planned to commemorate
our tragedies and rally against the continuing injustices. Read on to
learn about many other events or visit the anniversary section of our
site at www.neworleansnetwork.org/anniversary. While you are there, you
can also check out the calendar to get a glimpse of other meetings and
community events on tap for the week.

Thanks for all your help building this resource.

AUGUST
8/16, 8/21-22, 8/29-Spike Lee's cable-TV documentary about New Orleans
devastation by failed levees, described by one network executives as
"one of the most important films HBO has ever made," will be hosted by
the New Orleans Arena on August 16 at 7pm, five days before it airs on
the cable network. An estimated 10,000 seats will be made available for
the event, which Lee is expected to attend. You can get tickets for FREE
on ticketmaster.com. The two-part TV premiere of the four-hour film,
titled "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," will be Aug. 21
and 22. And four hours will repeat on Aug. 29, the one year anniversary
of Hurricane Katrina's landfall.

8/21-8/24 – NAACP Housing Hearings and Public Action Event will occur
in several cities including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette/Lake
Charles, on the North Shore and Wash, D.C. with possible satellite
meetings in Houston and Dallas. NAACP will take public testimony and comments
on housing issues and rights to return. On the last day there will be a
public action in Wash, D.C. to gather information and demand response
to problems from federal officials.
Coordinator: NAACP Gulf Coast Advocacy Center
Contact: Tracie Washington, twashington@naacpnet.org

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22
8/22 – Levees.org will observe the worst engineering disaster in U.S.
history with the release of a report card on the performance of the U.S.
Corps of Engineers since August 29, 2005, the date of Hurricane
Katrina’s landfall. At the event the group will also unveil a commemorative
poster made up of photos of flag-draped flooded homes.
The event begins at 4 p.m. on Aug. 22 in the courtyard of the Hale
Bogg’s Building at Magazine and Poydras streets.
Coordinating group: Levees.org (www.levees.org)
Contact: Sandy Rosenthal – (504) 616.5159 or sandy@levees.org

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23
8/23 – New Orleans Council on Aging: Katrina Theater
The performance will feature employees and seniors of the New Orleans
Council on Aging in recognition of the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The event begins at 10 a.m. at the council’s temporary headquarters at
2020 Jackson Ave.
Coordinating group: New Orleans Council on Aging
Contact: Howard Rodgers – 504.827.7843 or primemin3@aol.com

8/23-8/28 – “HEAR ME NOW! Reflections One Year After Katrina-Rita” The
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation will kick-off a five
day listing tour of the Gulf South with a press conference at 10 a.m. on
Aug. 23 at Loew’s Hotel (300 Poydras Ave).
The tour, which will provide an outlet for Gulf Coast women to talk
about their experiences and outline their current needs will travel
through five cities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The tour itinerary:
Aug. 24: Mobile, Ala.
Aug. 25: Gulfport, Miss.
Aug. 26: New Orleans, La.
Aug. 27: Lafayette, La.
Aug. 28: Jackson Miss.
Coordinating group: National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
Contact: Leslie Watson Malachi, 202.256.8531, 202.659.4929 or
leslie5560@aol.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
8/25 & 8/26 – One Year Later: What Have We Learned
Loyola Center for Environmental Law and Land Use host this daylong
conference and tour.
Conference: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25 @ Loyola University School
of Law (526 Pine St.)
Tour: 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 @ Holy Name Church (6363 St. Charles
Ave.)
Coordinator: Loyola Center for Environmental Law and Land Use
Contact: 504.865-2011

8/25-8/29 – The African-American Leadership Project is planning a
series of commemorative events and collaborating with People’s Hurricane
Relief Fund as part of the United Front to Commemorate the Great Flood, a
coalition of more than 30 New Orleans-based grass-roots organizations.

8/25 – National Dialogue: What We learned from Katrina – panel
discussion, 7 – 9 p.m. @ Ashe' Cultural Arts Center

8/26 –Hands around the Dome – An Umoja Circle around the Superdome
followed by a march to the Convention Center in memory of the lives lost
during Hurricane, 12 – 3 p.m. @ the Superdome and Convention Center

8/27 – Ecumenical Interfaith Worship Service, 2 – 4:30 p.m. @ Watson
Teaching Ministries
White Buffalo Day and Katrina Observance, 4:30 p.m. @ Congo Square in
Louis Armstrong Park

8/28 – Katrina Lecture Series featuring Dr. Ivan Van Heerden, author of
“The Storm” and deputy director for the LSU Hurricane Research Center
with possible appearance by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, author of “come Hell
or High Water,” 7 – 9:30 p.m. @ Ashe' Cultural Arts Center.

8/29 – Great Flood Commemoration March from Lower 9th Ward to Congo
Square in conjunction with the United Front to Commemorate the Great Flood
(a coalition led by People’s Hurricane Relief Fund), 10 a.m. assemble
at Jordan and N. Galvez streets
- Closing Event: Let the Circle Be Unbroken featuring the premier of
“Unmasking New Orleans” (a DVD from The Final Call) and town hall meeting
on the future of New Orleans 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. @ Ashe' Cultural Arts
Center
Coordinator: African-American Leadership Project (in collaboration with
United Front to Commemorate the Great Flood)
Contact: Mtangulizi Sanyinka, wazuri@aol.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
8/26-ACORN's Tour of Hope will leave Saturday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m.
from 1024 Elysian Fields in New Orleans. The tour bus will stop at
locations in the neighborhoods where non-profits and others have made
contributions to save the community and return residents. For reservations on
the bus, contact ACORN 800-239-7379 x 127. To trail the bus in your own
vehicle, please contact 800-239-7379 x 127.

ACORN's Katrina Memorial Event will be held Saturday evening, August 26
at 6:00 p.m. Reservations required: Contact 800-239-7379 x 127 for more
info.
8/26 The New Orleans City Council is inviting the youth of New Orleans
to participate in “the Children’s Village of Healing – Nurturing What
Eyes Have Seen and Ears Have Heard” from 2 to 5 p.m. at Duncan Plaza,
across from City Hall. Children will express their feelings through arts
– painting, poetry, dance and creative writing. Artist Dixie Moore will
lead the children through a Katrina mural project. Author Laverne Dunn
will lead a creative writing workshop. Many community organizations
that serve children will be providing informational materials and
children’s activities. They include Children’s Hospital, Agenda for Children,
the Parenting Center, the Children’s Museum, Total Community Action,
Healthy Start, the Umoja Committee, the New Orleans Public Schools
Homeless Education Program, the Children’s Defense Fund, the state Department
of Social Services Office of Family Support, O. Perry Walker, the Ashe
Cultural Center and the Greater New Orleans Chapter of the Louisiana
Association for the Education of Young Children.
Coordinator: New Orleans City Council

8/26 A Candlelight Ceremony for Katrina Victims will begin at 8:30 p.m.
at Algiers Point. At this event sponsored by Councilman James Carter a
candle will be lit for each person who died as a result of the storm
and flood.
Coordinator: Councilman James Carter
Contact: New Orleans City Council at 504.658.1000

8/26 – Rising Tide Conference
Daylong conference with panel discussion about Hurricane Katrina, the
immediate aftermath of the storm and flood and the role of bloggers in
the struggle to rebuild to be held at the New Orleans Yacht Club (403 N.
Roadway St.)
8:00 - 9:00: Keynote Address: Christopher Cooper and Robert Bloch,
authors of Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland
Security.
9:15 - 10:15: Panel Discussion: Personal Viewpoints moderated by Mark
Moseley, including bloggers who stayed through the storm.
10:30 - 11:30: Think New Orleans by Alan Gutierrez.
1:00 - 2:00: Panel Discussion: New Orleans Politics moderated by Peter
Athas.
2:15 - 3:15: Panel Discussion: Influence of Journalists and Bloggers
moderated by Maitri Venkat-Ramani and Mark Folse, with NOLA.Com editor
Jon Donley.
3:30 - 4:30: Panel Discussion: Bloggers & Neighborhood Associations
moderated by Morwen Madrigal and Peter Athas with blogger/neighborhood
activists representing the Gentilly, Mid-City, Northwest Carrollton and B
neighborhoods.
Contact: Mark Folse 504.872.0091 or 701.200.6424 (cell phone for day of
event)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27
8/27 – Members of the Lower 9th Ward Neighborhood Council will hold a
Memorial Tribute to the Victims of Hurricane Katrina at 1 p.m. at the
corner of Claiborne Avenue and Tennessee Street.
8/27 – Katrina Memorial Concert
A free Katrina Memorial Concert commemorating the one-year anniversary
of the catastrophe and featuring several of the area's most
distinguished musicians, including sopranos Phyllis Treigle, Thais St Julien,
Cyril Hellier, Libbye Hellier and Melissa Brocato; flautist Louis Hackett;
and organists James Hammann, Marcus St Julien and Brian Morgan. The New
Orleans Musica da Camera will also perform. Composers heard will
include Stephen Adams, Jacques Berthier, Joseph Gelineau SJ, George Frideric
Handel, Nicola A Montani, Gerald Near and Ethelbert Nevin.
The concert begins at 3 p.m. at the Church of Our Lady of Good Council
(1235 Louisiana Ave.)
Contact: Brian Morgan, (504)710.0891 or brianjaemorgan@aim.com
OLGC rectory at (504)891-1906 or olgc@archdiocese-no.org.
8/27 – New Orleans is the Soul of her People
Poet Brenda Marie Osbey and others from the William Faulkner Society
will present works. Event also features a concert by Davell Crawford and
other gospel singers. Concert begins at 4:30 p.m. at St. Louis
Cathedral followed by reception and book signing in the Cabildo.
8/27 – Baton Rouge Community Worship: A community gathering of
"Remembrance, Thanksgiving, and Hope" on the anniversary week of Hurricane
Katrina will be held on August 27, 2006 at 4:00 pm at First United
Methodist Church, 930 North Blvd, in downtown Baton Rouge. This worship service
of light will help remember those who have suffered loss in the tragedy
of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, express our unity in prayer and spirit
with all those in need, and to lift up the hope of God who brings light
out of darkness and hope out of despair. We remember those who lost
loved ones, those forced to evacuate, those who are homeless, those
serving in rescue and relief, those in the medical profession, those in
leadership, and others. We gather to give thanks to God for guiding and
sustaining us through difficult days and nights.
Baton Rouge Training Event: "Best Practices Used in Disasters" is a
community training event which precedes the Aug. 27 worship. The training
begins at 2 p.m. in the same location as the 4 p.m. worship (First
United Methodist Church). Teams are invited to come to learn the best
practices for shelters, food distribution, donations, volunteers, and
handling a crisis. Register by August 23 at 225-343-8270 or online:
www.volunteerbatonrouge.org
Coordinator: Greater Baton Rouge Federation of Churches and Synagogues

MONDAY, AUGUST 28
8/28 Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the NAACP Gulf Coast Advocacy
Center
Panel discussion about the city's redevelopment and lack of progress
moderated by Michael Eric Dyson. Participants include NAACP President/CEO
Bruce Gordon, America’s Second Harvest President/CEO Vicki B. Escarra,
New Orleans Council President Oliver Thomas, State Sen. Diana Bajoie,
Xavier University President Dr. Norman Francis, Loyola University
Professor Bill Quigley, and other invited elected officials and policy
makers.
6 to 8:30 p.m. @ Xavier University Student Center (1 Drexel Dr.)

8/28 – KaBOOM!’s Week of Play
KaBOOM!’s and its partners, The Home Depot, Playworld Systems and Hands
On Network, will build ten playgrounds in the Gulf Coast during the
last week of August. On August 28, a playground will be built at Nelson
UNO Charter School.
Coordinator: KaBOOM!
Contact: info@kaboom.org.

8/28 – “Reality Check” Tour
Survivor’s Village, a tent city protest for the reopening of public
housing in New Orleans, is putting together a media exclusive tour of the
state of public housing and public housing residents in New Orleans.
The tour is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Coordinator: Survivors Village
Contact: survivorsvillage@gmail.com for more information or to RSVP.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 -- ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF KATRINA LANDFALL
8/29 – Come Back Home Campaign
Around 5,000 survivors who are still displaced and scattered all across
the U.S. will be traveling to New Orleans to make their demands to
return home heard by the city council of New Orleans. The People’s
Organizing Committee is working with survivor’s councils around the country to
build toward this coordinated effort. This event is the last part of
the Come Back Home Campaign.
Coordinator: People’s Organizing Committee
Contact: Ishmael Muhammad, ishmaelmuhammad@yahoo.com

8/29 – Trinity Episcopal Church (1329 Jackson Ave) will host a musical
vigil to mark the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. From 12 noon to 12
midnight, the church will be open to all who seek a space to pray,
meditate, grieve, hope, walk the labyrinth, listen to music, and find
strength for the future. The vigil will begin with Noonday prayer, and will
also include musical prayer services at 5 pm (Evensong) and 9 pm
(Compline), with music and readings in between. The vigil will conclude at
12:01 am on Wednesday August 30. We also invite the public to write,
draw, or paste their memories, losses, burdens and fears in a Book of
Remembrance. Please come as you are and stay as long as you like.
Coordinator: Trinity Episcopal Church
Contact: Albinas Prizgintas – aprizgintas@trinityno.com, 670-2520; Nell
Bolton – nbolton@trinityno.com, 670-2543

8/29- New Orleans Jazz Funeral Requiem - In Honor of the Victims of
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and the flooding of New Orleans caused by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
* As an invitation to New Orleans: Cultural Artist & Activists, Social
Service Organizations, Neighborhood Organizations, and Citizens.
Where: New Orleans Superdome, Poydras St.
Time: 11:30am, Procession to Congo Square
PHONE FOR PARTICIPATION: THE NEW ORLEANS STREET ARTS COUNCIL
phone: 504-312-9546 or email: nola_saw_hammer_nails@yahoo.com

8/29 – United Front to Commemorate the Great Flood memorial march
People’s Hurricane Relief Fund is working to coordinate a memorial
event around the anniversary of H. Katrina’s landfall and the ensuing
Flood. PHRF is working with more than 30 grassroots organizations to plan
and execute the memorial. Current plans center on a memorial march from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 29 beginning at the levee breach in the Lower
Ninth Ward and ending at Congo Square.
March Schedule:
- 10 a.m. gather @ Jourdan and N. Galvez, the site of the 9th Ward
Levee Break. Olayeela Daste will preside over a memorial ceremony that
includes the Franklin Avenue Baptist Choir and Zion Trinity, along with a
number of spiritual leaders and Patricia Jones of the Lower 9th Ward
Neighborhood Association. Commemoration planners are requesting that
people bring candles and white flowers.
- 11 a.m. march across the Claiborne Street Bridge, take a left onto
Poland and a right onto St Claude. The Hot 8 Brass Band will join the
procession as it crosses Franklin to provide a Second Line beat for the
remainder of the march. From St Claude, the march will proceed to Rampart
Street and end at Congo Square.
- 1 p.m. commemoration activities continue at Congo Square with
reflections from family members whose loved ones have passed and from
community leaders including Jerome Smith (aka Big Duck) and Malcolm Suber, as
well as the next generation of community spokespeople, including hip hop
artists: Skip UTP, Mia X, Ms. Tee, Sess 4-5 and Mr Meana. These artists
will speak about their experience during and after the Great Flood.
Music appropriate to the commemoration will include gospel, Mardi Gras
Indians, African drums, Suga and others. Sunni Patterson and Wild Wayne
will emcee. A healing tent and memorial wall will also provide support
for people at Congo Square.
Free bus transportation has been arranged for people from Houston,
Jackson, Baton Rouge and Atlanta who want to attend the Commemoration. For
information about Atlanta buses, call Addis at 770-256-1882; for
Houston buses call Gina at 713 433-4194; for Jackson buses call Chokwe at
601-353-4455 and for Baton Rouge buses call Demetrius at 504-931-2065.
Visit www.peopleshurricane.org for more information
Contacts: Malcolm Suber - 504.931.7614, msuber4366@yahoo.com
Arlene (to arrange interviews)- (504)301-0215 (PHRF office) or (415)
305-7835

8/29- Desire Street Ministries and Desire St. Academy
On the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m.
CT, students, faculty, family and friends will all gather in the New
Orleans' Upper Ninth Ward at the former ministry and school headquarters of
Desire Street Ministries and Desire St. Academy, at 3600 Desire Street,
for a time of prayer, remembrance, and thanksgiving lead by executive
director and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Danny Wuerffel.
Desire Street Ministries was established in the Upper Ninth Ward in
1990 when Mo Leverett, a pastor, musician and missionary, moved into the
Desire Street neighborhood to reach out to children who were trapped in
poverty and crime. Fifteen years later, the ministry was supporting a
church, an academy for urban young men, a pediatric clinic, and various
programs designed to help revitalize the Desire neighborhood, most of
which was lost on Aug. 29, 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, as is
completely devastated the Ninth Ward and dislocated the entire Desire St.
neighborhood.
In the aftermath of the storm, Leverett and Wuerffel worked tirelessly
to locate the students currently enrolled in the academy who had been
scattered throughout the United States, and find a suitable location to
restart the school, and to care for staff, family, and friends. Shortly
after, Desire Street Academy relocated to Camp Timpoochee, a 4-H camp
located in Niceville, Fla., operated by the University of Florida,
Wuerffel's alma mater.
CONTACT: Marcia Peterson, (866) 633-0070, mpeterson@desirestreet.org

8/29 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- To commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane
Katrina, The Historic New Orleans Collection will host an all-day event
on Tuesday, August 29, 2006, featuring presentations by the
Times-Picayune reporting staff, winners of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Hurricane
Katrina coverage, and a lecture and book signing by Richard Campanella
(Geographies of New Orleans: Urban Fabrics Before the Storm, August
2006). The anniversary event, free and open to the public, will be followed
by a reception and exhibition viewing.
8/27-8/29 – The City of New Orleans has planned Hurricane Katrina
memorial activities themed Remembrance, Renewal, and Rebirth on Sunday
August 27, 2006 and Tuesday, August 29, 2006. All City events are free and
open to the public.
Schedule of Activities:

Sunday, August 27, 2006

3 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Gospel Concert in the 2nd Floor Auditorium, Hall H,
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd.). The
concert will reflect on the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, honor
survivors and memorialize the lives that were lost through songs of praise
and worship. The concert will feature a performance by the One New
Orleans Mass Choir and other gospel artists.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

8:30 a.m.: Prayer Breakfast at Asia Baptist Church (1400 Sere Street).
Mayor Ray Nagin will be the special guest of Dr. William J. Shaw,
President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and Dr. R. B.
Holmes, Jr., President of the National Baptist Congress of Christian
Education at a prayer breakfast to pray for the rebuilding of New Orleans.
9:38 a.m.: Ceremonial Bell Ringing and Wreath Laying
Mayor Nagin and Mrs. Nagin will be joined by community leaders, elected
officials, dignitaries, city employees, and the public at 9:38 a.m. on
the front steps of City Hall (1300 Perdido St.) to ring ceremonial
bells signifying the series of levee breaches that occurred throughout the
city. Bells will ring for two minutes. (9:38 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.)
Simultaneously, members of the New Orleans City Council will lay wreaths on
levees throughout the city.
10:30 a.m.: Mississippi River Heritage Park Dedication Ceremony
Mayor Nagin will join City Council President Oliver Thomas and members
of the New Orleans City Council, to dedicate a monument titled, “A
Place of Remembrance,” at the Mississippi River Heritage Park (1100 block
of Convention Center Blvd) in remembrance of the victims of Hurricane
Katrina.
Noon: Citywide Interfaith Service
National, state, and local leaders will reflect and offer inspirational
words of encouragement at the Citywide Interfaith Service at the Ernest
N. Morial Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd.). Clergy from
various religious backgrounds will offer scriptural readings and
prayer. Bishop G.E. Patterson, Presiding Bishop of the Church of God In
Christ Inc. and Pastor of Temple of Deliverance Church of God In Christ in
Memphis, Tennessee, will deliver the Keynote Address.
2:00 p.m.: One New Orleans Procession in the tradition of a Jazz
Funeral from
the Convention Center to Superdome
The Traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral Procession will be a 1.5 mile
march, led by Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, from the Ernest N.
Morial Convention Center to the Louisiana Superdome. The procession will
include first responders, national, state and local elected officials,
dignitaries, jazz musicians and the community at large. The traditional
jazz funeral procession will honor first responders and the victims of
Hurricane Katrina.
A traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral is a musical tribute honoring
the passing of noted members of the community. This cultural ceremony is
distinguished by an assemblage of musicians, usually featuring several
brass band elements who stage a procession. The procession begins with
the playing of the dirge, a slow, mournful, solemn tempo that expresses
a somber respect for the deceased. At a certain point, the procession
picks up the tempo and energy in celebration of the positive
accomplishments of the individual and an acknowledgement of his or her zest for
life.

Contact: For more information about memorial activities, please e-mail
katrinaanniversary@cityofno.com.
8/29 – St. Bernard Parish daylong remembrance beings at 10 a.m. with
the dedication of an illuminated, stainless steel crucifix and stone
monument bearing the names of the 129 St. Bernard Parish residents who died
in Hurricane Katrina. The monument will be located at the site of the
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet
Coordinator: St. Bernard Parish Council
Contact: Tony “Ricky” Melerine, parish councilman and committee
co-chair and Charlie Reppel, chief of staff for Parish President Junior
Rodriguez

8/29 –Back to the 9th on the 29th
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans plans a “Back to the 9th
on the 29th” lunch (12 noon) at the Shirley Landry Benson PACE Center
at St. Cecilia (4201 N. Rampart St.) to recognize Catholic Charities’
dedication to models of excellence in healthcare, education, housing and
economic development in the neighborhoods of New Orleans.
Coordinator: Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans
Contact: Sarah Comiskey, associate director of communication -
504-596-3023, scomiskey@archdiocese-no.org
www.ccano.org

8/29 –Interfaith Prayer Service
The Archdiocese of New Orleans will hold a prayer service from 7 to 8
p.m. on August 29 at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square hosted by
Archbishop Hughes. Members of 12 faiths, including Catholic, Jewish,
Muslim and Hindu will participate in this service. The Louisiana
Philharmonic Orchestra will play in Jackson Square from 8:00-8:55, and at 8:55,
the Katrina bell (twin to the 9/11 bell in New York City) will be rung to
commemorate the lives lost in Katrina.

SEPTEMBER
Early September – Student Hurricane Network will coordinate a lobbying
effort in Wash, D.C.
Coordinator: Student Hurricane Network
Contact: Lauren Bartlett, lauren_bartlett@yahoo.com or Michael
Goldstone, mgoldstone@gmail.com

9/1 (early Sept.) – Planned opening of Women’s Health Clinic
With Charity Hospital shuttered, adequate and accessible health care
for New Orleans' uninsured returning residents is in poor shape. The
women of Incite! Women of Color, a collective of feminist activists
dedicated to ending violence against women of color, has partnered with other
local organizations to attempt to open a free health clinic for women
and children in the historic Treme district.
Coordinator: New Orleans Women’s Health and Justice Initiative
Contact: Shana Griffin, ambkeysha@yahoo.com
9/12 – Community Forum on Katrina Arrests
Critical Resistance New Orleans will host a forum to discuss the plight
of hundreds of New Orleanians who were arrested in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina for committing “crimes” while trying to care for their
basic needs and the survival of their families. Many of these citizens
spent nearly a year in prison and some still remain behind bars awaiting
charges on issues such as public intoxication or trespassing. Critical
Resistance will host community forum at 7 p.m. on Tues., Sept. 12 at
Ashe’ Cultural Arts Center.
Coordinator: Cricitical Resistance New Orleans
Contact: 504.304.3784 or visit www.criticalresistance.org/katrina

Newslings

Shootings tarnishing New Orleans' image