In a private summit with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, concerned scholars and professionals from around the country brainstormed how to address "the deplorable and shameful conditions that the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region are still suffering under, the obstacles the mayor has faced in trying to marshal resources for the recovery and the actions we all can and must take on August 29, the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita."
A release posted on IMDiversity.com authored by ESSENCE Editorial Director, Susan L. Taylor, calls for "a national outcry, a day of outrage, a day of protest, and prayer that the media cannot ignore; a day during which we demand that our national decision makers redirect our tax dollars away from war and war profiteering to create a ... Marshall Plan that restores" the region.
The movement specifically calls for A DAY OF PRESENCE on August 29, 2007, summoning "the tens of thousands who can travel to New Orleans to gather for the massive demonstration being planned there." For those who can get to New Orleans, The Louisiana Justice Institute, Mississippi Economic Policy Center and a broad coalition of other regional organizations will convene a policy forum, Recovery and Renewal for Gulf Coast Working Families, on August 28 before the main rally.
But organizers are counting on the millions more outside of New Orleans to also make their PRESENCE known virtual, showing their support through contacting their government representatives. The release urges "the millions of Black people, our White, Latino, Native and Asian brothers and sisters, all who are committed to social and economic justice ... to call their congressional and state representatives and the White House to demand the restoration and betterment of New Orleans, Gulf Port, Biloxi and the entire Gulf Coast region." And it provides contact information and message formatting instructions to do so. For more detail, see A DAY OF PRESENCE RELEASE.
Planning is underway for other activities commemorating Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, ranging from scholarly panels to participatory mega-events like Hands Around the Dome, as reported by the on-the-ground resource, The New Orleans Agenda.
Additional details and events will be added as they come in.
Related Features @ THE BLACK COLLEGIAN
- Hurricane Katrina: Views From Students In The Disaster
with Black College Wire
First Semester Super Issue 2005 - After Katrina - Starting Over In New Orleans
with Black College Wire
Second Semester Super Issue 2006 - Do You Know What It Means To Lose New Orleans?
By Anne Rice
from our 35th Anniversary Special Issue 2006 - Special: New Orleans' HBCUs One Year After Katrina
with Black College Wire
First Semester (October) 2006 Special Issue
