Dillard Students Rewarded for Volunteerism with "Gangster" Preview

Nearly 400 students from Dillard University will attend a free advance screening of the new Denzel Washington film “American Gangster” tonight, compliments of NBC-Universal, AMC Theatres, and State Rep. Juan La Fonta.

La Fonta, who serves as an adjunct professor at Dillard, wanted to offer a special reward for those students who have contributed greatly to New Orleans’ ongoing recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“I talked to the students at Dillard to see what they would like to do,” La Fonta said. “Universal Pictures agreed to donate the screening and AMC – Elmwood is offering use of their space at the Palace Theatres. Many have given their all to rebuilding our communities, and many of these Dillard students aren’t natives but came here from other cities to pursue their educations and make a positive difference. I’m happy to have been able to arrange this small gift in recognition of their efforts.”

The students – 377 of them – have each contributed more than 1,500 hours of community service.

“The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in New Orleans,” La Fonta said. “This next generation of leaders is already making a difference. I can’t thank or commend them enough.”

Also of Interest

Tag: Katrina Anniversary Readings at http://blackcollegian.blogspot.com

YouTube Preview of American Gangster

Today, a Sight to See: HANDS AROUND THE DOME

As we head into the last day of this week's Hurricane Katrina anniversary remembrances in New Orleans, our roving reporter NOLASon is on his way to what promises to be the most spectacular in a whirlwind of events and actions somber and inspirational, angering and reflective, uplifting and mournful.



THE BLACK COLLEGIAN encourages everyone in the area to head on down to the "HANDS AROUND THE DOME CEREMONY" this afternoon, with a full schedule of civic and cultural events programming starting at 12:30 PM, culminating in the Circling of the Dome at 3:30 PM.


Organized by the African American Leadership Project, the HADC intends to symbolize "healing from the suffering and losses, and affirmation of the future." The program consists of rituals, prayers, brief speeches, cultural events, reflections, music and song, and reading a partial roll of the deceased. To close the program, participants form a powerful and dramatic hand to hand human circle around the Dome as each person calls out and names their loss.


"When that circle is formed reflecting a diversity of human hands, and the Dome is surrounded and encircled, there is a dramatic feeling that we are together, and that we will prevail no matter what has happened," said Gail Glapion, AALP Chairperson.


The AALP Project Manager, Mtangulizi Sanyika, continued, "We try to overcome the pain and suffering that occurred in this building which along with the Convention Center has become symbolic of the general pain and suffering caused by human error and neglect during Katrina."

For the AALP this year's Ceremony as the closing and "crowning event" of the 2nd Katrina Anniversary Observance and commemoration.



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st

LOUISIANA SUPERDOME PLAZA LEVEL (click for map)

Read the AALP release from NewOrleansAgenda.com


ABOUT THE IMAGES HERE


Top - Louisiana Superdome from AALP/NewOrleansAgenda.com release; Middle and Bottom - Two extraordinary views of the damaged Superdome immediately after the hurricane, from a photo essay by a then-student journalist Nikki Bannister called "Welcome to New Orleans". The photo essay was part of a special collaborative project by Black College Wire, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, and IMDiversity.com, Hurricane Katrina - Views from America's HBCUs. It appeared as an extended online/offline feature in the First Semester 2005 Super Issue of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine. For larger, uncropped versions of the images, see the essay.

NOLAson's Take: Candlelight Vigil at Jackson Square

The people taking part in the candlelight vigil marched from the Mississippi River to Jackson Square, and not much was said.


So, when a gentleman observing the procession began to play his flute to the tune of “We Shall Overcome,” it carried softly into the night air over "the city that care forgot".


That melody made me realize that as many times as I’ve frequented the French Quarters, this was one of the few occasions where a diverse group of people stood in close proximity without the help of Mardi Gras floats or beads or booze.


Instead, tonight’s congregation was drawn by loss and remembrance as speakers such as Rev. Al Sharpton and Susan Taylor delivered messages of empowerment.


And there in the dark, with folks standing shoulder-to-shoulder and candles ablaze, I could see the hope for a better New Orleans flickering at times, but still bright enough to light the night sky.


New Orleanians: If only we could let that light shine day-in and day-out, this might one day be the city that care remembered.

Around Town: Black Greek Letter Organizations Step Up for NOLA

The relevancy of Black fraternities and sororities may be a recurring theme on the national level, but local chapters are proving their worth.


From providing communities with informational resources to gutting houses, undergraduate and alumni members are providing the service their founders intended, as well as helping rebuild a fractured city.


Chavez Cammon, a political science/criminal justice major at Southern University at New Orleans and president of the Epsilon Nu chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, said his chapter is ready to work.


“We’re in the process of setting up a partnership to adopt one of the schools in the recovery school district near SUNO,” said Cammon, whose chapter has also set up voter registration drives and political awareness campaigns.


However, Cammon said there is plenty yet to be done.


“We have a young leadership among the student government, and there’s a movement to get all the organizations on campus together and figure out how we can all make a difference as undergrads.”


Ross Johnson, a graduate of Dillard University and chaplain for the citywide alumni chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, said that in his opinion undergraduate chapters are working hard.


However, Johnson said for those members of the Greek black letter organizations that his challenge is simple: “You are mandated to service, and it’s time show up and serve.”

Around Town: Drum Beats = Heart Beats for one Young Musician

Like many of the talented musicians bred in New Orleans John Jones talent could have been his ticket out of New Orleans when Katrina struck. However, the 27-year-old drummer said he wouldn’t feel right anywhere else.

“For one this is home. I was born raised here,” said Jones, a member of the Marlon Jordan Jazz Group. “More importantly, people that are aware of the city’s deep culture should be at the forefront of the rebuilding process.”

Jones, a master’s candidate in the University of New Orleans’ Jazz studies program, said another reason he chose to return was because he eventually wants to teach music.

“I could probably go elsewhere and establish myself, but it makes more sense to come back and help lay a foundation for other young kids.”

Like many of the talented musicians bred in New Orleans John Jones talent could have been his ticket out of New Orleans when Katrina struck. However, the 27-year-old drummer said he wouldn’t feel right anywhere else.

“For one this is home. I was born raised here,” said Jones, a member of the Marlon Jordan Jazz Group. “More importantly, people that are aware of the city’s deep culture should be at the forefront of the rebuilding process.”

Jones, a master’s candidate in the University of New Orleans’ Jazz studies program, said another reason he chose to return was because he eventually wants to teach music.

“I could probably go elsewhere and establish myself, but it makes more sense to come back and help lay a foundation for other young kids.”

Around Town: The Anthony Bean Community Center

Although the commemorative events placed me in the midst of politicians, academics, entertainers, and other moneyed people, seeing young people do positive things in post-Katrina New Orleans gently reminded me where the wealth of our city lies.

I’m speaking specifically of the Anthony Bean Community performing artists. The group of high-school-aged New Orleanians graced the ‘Day of Presence audience with sleek dance moves, but their story is deeper than boogying and bopping. Their story explains that what young people do on stage can keep them from doing negative actions associated with many of New Orleans’ high-crime neighborhoods.

“For me, dancing keeps me off the streets,” said Daldesa Keppard. A 17-year-old student at Warren Easton High School, Keppard said because she has something to occupy her evenings, she has very little time to get into the trouble which many of New Orleans’ youth are all to familiar with.

“Dancing not only keeps us involved and off the streets, but it also allows us to express ourselves creatively,” Keppard said.

Elise Felix, asst. director of the Anthony Bean Community Center for seven years, said that the kids are not only dancing, but learning to put on plays as well.

Felix said the young people are putting together a production called 5-0-4 in which six kids return to New Orleans four weeks after the storm determined to help rebuild the city. After tossing around ideas, the group stages a large concert to rally the people of New Orleans.

Felix said that the group members not only perform, but also builds props and work behind the scenes to put on the production.

“Many of our youth, especially our young Black men fall into the trouble because there’s no place for them and a lot of times they drop out of school,” Felix said. “But if you’re running with Peanut, Pookie and Juju, then you become apart of the school of hard knocks.”

Felix said if groups or organizations have the means or resources to help young people, then that’s what they should be doing.

“I challenge them to take these young folks in, not just to get government funding, but more importantly to keep these kids off the streets.”

Not to be Forgotten: Other Coast Colleges Struggling

While most national media coverage of the week's hurricane anniversaries has focused on Louisiana, observations have not been limited to New Orleans. As the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports in its expansive, Mississippi-focused Katrina +2 section, problems institutional, political and social persist in the state despite a good deal of tangible progress towards recovery.

Gulf Coast colleges are still feeling a pinch in enrollment, their futures uncertain, as a number of campuses face long-term challenges of not just restoration, but wholesale relocation. As LaRaye Brown reports, state and community colleges in particular have been forced to absorb major losses, and readjust their recovery and growth goals, as they hunt for and seek to fund new homes. Schools like the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University, Brown suggests, are on the path to breaking ground on new sites.

For others, including the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College system, the estimated time to restoring pre-Katrina numbers and operations keeps stretching outward. With enrollment still down nearly 12%, state funding will decline by over $3.6 million, president Willis Lott said in the report. As a result, Lott estimated, the school enrollment numbers would not reach pre-Katrina numbers until 2014, rather than 2010 as originally projected.

Meanwhile, the AP's Sheila Byrd reports on a study by the Southern Education Foundation, finding "that thousands of Gulf Coast students are still displaced...and millions of dollars worth of school reconstruction projects remain unfunded," and that a "new response" by federal government is needed to address the needs of educational institutions including K-12 level as well as colleges.

Among the study's key findings:

Displaced students re-enrolled in schools in 49 states, but a lack of adequate federal funding meant that schools with the greatest number of displaced students had insufficient classrooms, staff and supplies to support them. The report found that as many as 15,000 K-12 public school students and 35,000 college students in Louisiana and Mississippi missed school last year because of lingering problems associated with Katrina.

Only 2 percent of the federal government's hurricane-related funding went toward education recovery. While the costs of hurricane destruction in K-12 and higher education were estimated at $6.2 billion, only $1.2 billion in federal funding had been committed to restoring physical structures and property -- inadequate even with the addition of some local government and insurance funding.

Another problem observed by the Clarion Ledger's editors is more social and political, and insidious. In Immigrants feel fallout on Coast, reporter Julie Goodman describes how "gratititude has turned to spite" targeting the Coast's immigrant population, those who were on-hand to "brave storm-ravaged homes, working among the corpses of dogs, cats and humans and cleaning rotten food from refrigerators..." and now, having contributed so much to the recovery work, and put down roots with homes, schools and businesses, say they're "stared at in public, singled out by law enforcement and targeted by politicians on the campaign trail."

See the special section for more extensive coverage and commentary related to the Katrina anniversary in Mississippi.

Around Town: SUNO students turn out

While many collegians are focused on the start of school, purchasing textbooks, and worrying about outfitting their dorm rooms, students from Southern University at New Orleans are on a different mission.

“Of all the colleges and universities effected by Hurricane Katrina, SUNO is the only institution that has not been able to return to its campus,” said Sabrina Effron, a senior criminal justice major and member of the university senate and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Located near New Orleans’ Lakefront area, SUNO was hit hard by Katrina. Currently, SUNO’s classes and offices are held at a temporary campus housed in modular buildings not far from the original campus, such as the one snapped here by Drew Daniels for Black College Wire and THE BLACK COLLEGIAN. But the school’s enrollment, which Effron said topped 2,800 this semester, is straining the temporary campus.

“The city’s recovery is important to SUNO because it’s primarily a commuter school. And as the institution responsible for educating many New Orleanians, SUNO is important to the city – we need each other,” Effron said.

What’s amazing is that SUNO students are not just attending rallies and forums (such as the Day of Presence Convention Center rally I photographed above), they are proactive ambassadors of the university.

Brenda Campbell, a graduate student in SUNO’s social sciences department, caught the ear of Rev. Al Sharpton (who I caught at the 8/29 candlelight vigil at Jackson Square), and some of the first words out of her mouth were, “I need you to see the condition of my school. Books are still stuck to the walls in the library.”

Although it may be considered "just a city college" by many, based on the courage and persistence that many of its students have exhibited, I believe there is some world class educating taking place at SUNO.

Around Town: Policy Forum at Dillard Involves Youth

When I think of "policy forums," I envision a stuffy room filled with talking suits who toss around a bunch of big words. However, a public policy forum held at Dillard University earlier this week was a departure.

As I gazed around the room there were many young elected officials and college students, but what caught my eye was a group of high school students from Jackson, MS.

Hailing from Jim Hill and Piney Woods high schools, the group made the trip to New Orleans to listen in on the forum.

Renee Ombaba, a 17-year-old senior at Jim Hill High, said this was her first trip to New Orleans and she was “surprised at the condition of the city.”

“On the news you hear this and you hear that, but when you come here it looks like the city was in a time capsule,” she said.

As a member of her school’s Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Club, Ombaba said one thing she took away from the forum is accountability at the local and state levels of government.

“People always blame the federal government, but the federal government can only do so much. After they disburse the funds to states, it’s up to the states to use the money wisely. We need to also hold our state governments accountable to help fix problems instead of just blaming the federal government,” Ombaba said.

Charles Taylor, also a 17-year-old senior at Jim Hill High School, said of attending the forum: “It’s very significant for me to be here to listen and weigh in on this forum, because the people who are going to be affected by many of the decisions made here are the youth,” said Taylor, who serves as the president for the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties club.

“We are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, so it’s important that we engage in dialogue today,” Taylor said.

Around Town: Candlelight Vigil at Jackson Square

“Well it showed respect to a lot of people that died in the storm and I gained that even in a bunch of chaos we can all come together and act like one big family”

– Blake Sanders, 18, student at Delgado Community College

- - -

“I think it was important to attend the ceremony because it gives us closure for people that we lost in the storm. Also, I gained a new respect for Rev. Al Sharpton and how he spoke on the issues. He said some things that we needed to hear, especially his comments about how Bush can find money to rebuild Iraq, but can’t rebuild New Orleans.”

– Victoria Nicks, 20, student at Delgado Community College

Around Town: NOLAson’s take

This is NOLAson checking in. As the man on the street for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, I’ve been able to attend a number of events commemorating Katrina this week and meet a number of people and see a range of emotions.

While the events are marked by somber remembrances and frustration with the lack of progress, one of subtle, underlying themes is the need for young people to step up and take charge.

Mainstream media may focus on the commemorative events in general; it’s my hope to bring you the views of young folks attending area rallies, forums and universities.

More "Around Town" dispatches to come...

[Photo: Heading to the 8/29/07 Candlelight Vigil at Jackson Square, by Shawn Chollette for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN]

Supporters, Officials Gather for A Day of Presence

Uncounted throngs gathered all across New Orleans yesterday to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, taking time off and braving rain storms to participate in commemorative events, some reflective and some forcefully political, that took place in all corners of the city.


In addition to prominent local politicians and cultural figures such as mayor Ray Nagin, Governor Kathleen Blanco, and Archbishop Alfred Hughes, supporters from outside the area came to the city to participate in events and show their support for efforts to rebuild in the Gulf.


Organized by a coalition of national and local groups calling for a Katrina Bill of Rights, a rally/presentation at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center was the centerpiece of "A Day of Presence," a campaign to promote a 5-point "call to action" urging increased government assistance in region's recovery and restoration.


For a detailed overview of the tone and breadth of some of the day's events, see the Times-Picayune's Communities gather for prayers, protests under national spotlight.

Anniversary events will continue throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend, culminating in is planned to be a spectacular rally promoted by the African-American Leadership Project, with participants gathering hand-in-hand to encircle the SuperDome.


THE BLACK COLLEGIAN dispatched our own NOLASon (aka TBC contributor and former Black College Wire writer Shawn Chollete) to scour the town this week, observing the memorials and talking with area students about their feelings and plans for commemorating the anniversary. Shawn's a freelance journalist working and living in New Orleans, whose previous articles for us include "Black Students’ Political Clout in ’06 and Beyond," “New Orleans’ HBCUs Fight to Recover," "Today's Black Collegians," and features and photographs in the special section, "After Katrina: Starting over in New Orleans”.

He'll be posting his observations and images from About Town here on the blog throughout the week (including the photos here of an afternoon performance and of Mayor Nagin speaking at the Day of Presence Rally at the Convention Center), and we invite others to do the same.

UPDATED Katrina-Rita Actions List 8/27-9/1

EXPANDED - Scheduled activities during the Second Anniversary of Katrina-Rita National Call to Action

Updated August 29

The following is a listing of New Orleans events, ranging from mass demonstrations and vigils and art exhibits to to policy roundtables and prayer breakfasts and concerts, compiled from a few sources and organizing bodies including the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the African-American Leadership Project, and TheNewOrleansAgenda.com among others -- all fine, dedicated organizations that are working in a broader coalition to organize a meaningful national commemoration of the second anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These are tentative schedules that were posted as of today, and we encouraged those interested in participating to consult the source websites for schedule updates.

We will be adding information about additional actions on an ongoing basis, and urge you to leave us a comment here including the date, time, location and description if you know of events/actions not listed here! If you want to receive alerts when we post updates, you can subscribe to our feed -- either the main one or using the "katrina" category (XML Feed).

We also encourage those visiting town to consult the list of diverse events posted at NOLA Live.

Jump to:

• August 27
• August 28
• August 29
• August 30
• August 31
• September 1

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MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2007

9:00 AM CDT

“Hope & Recovery Summit” with U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu

University of New Orleans - Lindy C. Boggs International Conference Center Auditorium,

2045 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70122

DESCRIPTION: All-day summit will include five panel discussions with national and local leaders on key issues related to hurricane recovery and preparedness: Coastal Protection, Levees and Infrastructure; Education; Business Recovery; Rebuilding the Criminal Justice System; and Housing and Sustainable Community Recovery, followed by remarks and a question and answer session with Presidential candidates, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., former Governor Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., and Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. "Every Democratic and Republican Presidential candidate was invited to participate, and others are expected to join the Presidential Forum.

For updates and the complete listing of panels and speakers, see Sen. Landrieu's site

7-7:30 PM
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL ON THE LEVEE
LOCATION: 9600 block of Haynes Boulevard

For more information: Call Candace Richards at (504) 658-1055 or Sabrina Montana at (504) 658-1040.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2007

A DAY OF SERVICE

7 A.M. – 5 P.M.

UNITY Day of Community Service

LOCATION: Various locations around New Orleans

DESCRIPTION: NCBCP, National Urban League, AFL-CIO, NAFEO, The Advancement Project, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, American Federation of Teachers, A. Philip Randolph Institute, Black Leadership Forum, Blacks In Government, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, International Association of Black Firefighters, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, The People’s Agenda, The Praxis Project and Saving Our Selves Coalition, and volunteers will join volunteers from across the country for a Day of Service assisting in environmental cleaning up of damaged neighborhoods, schools and churches in New Orleans and we will visit the sick and elderly in the few nursing homes that have reopened including Guste Home Senior Citizens Highrise. Volunteers will help to paint, pressure wash and repair play grounds in a local public school and remove contaminated top soil from communities. Our goal is to personally touch as many survivors as physically possible to let the people of the Gulf know that we will not let the country forget the devastation that still exists in the Gulf. Day of Service organized by Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University, Mount Zion United Methodist Church, AALP, Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Rainbow PUSH New Orleans, Millions More Movement and LA Unity Coalition.

TO VOLUNTEER CONTACT:

RosariaBeasley@bellsouth.net or call the Urban League of Greater New Orleans at 504-620-2332

12 PM- 5 PM

BRING OUR PEOPLE HOME FESTIVAL

LOCATION: 2089 Caton St.

DESCRIPTION: A program of prayers, stories and inspiration with the Rev. Al Sharpton, BET's Cousin Jeff, local and national speakers, free food, and hip-hop from Nuthin But Fire label artists. Sponsored by the New Orleans Survivor Council and Residents of Public Housing. Call (888) 310-7473. (Reported in NOLALive.)

1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.

Gulf Coast Public Policy Forum
Preparing To Move: A Strategic Legislative Dialogue With Congressional Leaders
Hosted by Gulf Coast Collaborative
Recovery & Renewal

Louisiana Justice Institute

LOCATION: Dillard University in Lawless Memorial Chapel

The August 28th session will feature two two-hour town hall meetings with Gulf Coast residents discussing recovery and renewal efforts ranging from housing and economic development to education and the environment. One session will begin at 1:00 a.m. and a second session will start at 4:00 p.m. Expected to participate are national policymakers, including Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (Texas), Representative William Jefferson (Louisiana), Representative Bennie Thompson (Mississippi) and Representative Maxine Waters (California). Dillard University is located in the storm racked Gentilly section of New Orleans.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tracie Washington at http://www.louisianainstitute.org/ OR Gulfcoastforum@gmail.com

6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
BWR Celebrate Our Sisters of the Gulf Coast
Dialogue & Recognition Ceremony
LOCATION: Loew’s Hotel

DESCRIPTION: NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable hosts “Celebrating Our Sisters of the Gulf Coast” Dialogue & Recognition Ceremony. NCBCP, Louisiana Unity Coalition and Saving Our Selves Coalition will recognize women from the region who have worked tirelessly to assist hurricane survivors and advocate for comprehensive recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. The evening will include dinner, music, poetry, comedy, and the presentation of certificates of recognition. Each roundtable will consist of people from different regions, elected officials, and celebrity guests dispersed throughout the crowd to allow the women to share their successes and challenges on a more personal level.

Speakers include: Susan Taylor, Editorial Director, Essence Magazine and Iyanla Vanzant, author, radio host and spiritual leader.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Latosha Brown at latoshab@truthspeaks.info or Ruby Pulliam at events@ncbcp.org.

6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
BWR Celebrate Our Sisters of the Gulf Coast
Dialogue & Recognition Ceremony
LOCATION: Loew’s Hotel

DESCRIPTION: NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable hosts “Celebrating Our Sisters of the Gulf Coast” Dialogue & Recognition Ceremony. NCBCP, Louisiana Unity Coalition and Saving Our
Selves Coalition will recognize women from the region who have worked tirelessly to assist hurricane survivors and advocate for comprehensive recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. The evening will include dinner, music, poetry, comedy, and the presentation of certificates of recognition. Each roundtable will consist of people from different regions, elected officials, and celebrity guests dispersed throughout the crowd to allow the women to share their successes and challenges on a more personal level. Speakers include: Susan Taylor, Editorial Director, Essence Magazine and Iyanla Vanzant, author, radio host and spiritual leader. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Latosha Brown at latoshab@truthspeaks.info or Ruby Pulliam at events@ncbcp.org.


9:30 PM – 10:00 PM
BWR Old-School Dance Therapy
LOCATION: Loew’s Hotel

DESCRIPTION: To make sure our appetizing dinner is thoroughly digested and prepare for the long day ahead of us, we’ll have a 30-minute boogie session to end the night, hosted by LA Unity Coalition.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007

A DAY OF PRESENCE – A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION!

7:30 am – 9:00 am
Unity Prayer Breakfast
LOCATION: Loew’s Hotel

DESCRIPTION: Our journey to wellness will address our spiritual health with a morning Unity Prayer Breakfast co-hosted by Marc Morial, President & CEO of the National Urban League and Melanie Campbell, ED & CEO, NCBCP.

Groundreaking Ceremony for Hurricane Katrina Memorial
8:30 AM
LOCATION: Charity Hospital Cemetery, 5056 Canal St.

DESCRIPTION: Mayor Ray Nagin; Gen. Russel Honore; U.S. Rep. William Jefferson; state Rep. Juan LaFonta; the Rev. Stephen John Thurston, president of the National Baptist Convention of America; and Irvin Mayfield Jr.

8:30 AM
Sacred Heart Academy Memorial Service
LOCATION: In the courtyard at Sacred Heart Academy, 4521 St. Charles Ave.

DESCRIPTION: Kindergarten through 12th-grade students will participate in the services, which include ringing the Katrina Bell of Remembrance donated to the city on the first anniversary. Call Sarah Comiskey at (504) 596-3023 or e-mail scomiskey@archdiocese-no.org.

9 AM - 9 PM
Loyola University of New Orleans
All-Day Screenings of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
LOCATION: Manresa Den, Bobet 107, Loyola University Campus

DESCRIPTION: Part of an all-day series of memorial events, also including Masses at Noon and 9PM; a special Katrina Prayer Service at 4:50 PM by the St. Ignatius statue in front of the Danna Center; and a week-long Katrina Anniversary Memorial display including stories, prayers, and mementos from Loyola community members.

10 AM
People’s Hurricane Relief Fund March Commemorating the Great Flood
LOCATION: Industrial Canal in the Lower 9th Ward to Congo Square

DESCRIPTION: The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, a non-profit group created to win the right of return with equity and justice for all those displaced as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by building a multi-national mass movement, and to ensure that the civil and human rights of all New Orleans and Gulf Coast residents are respected and implemented throughout the United States. International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to take place at the Pan American Conference Center at 4 pm.

For more information: http://www.peopleshurricane.org/ or (504) 301-0215

12 Noon
Memorial Mass
Xavier University
LOCATION: University Chapel

Xavier University of Louisiana Campus Ministry will celebrate a special memorial Mass on Wednesday – the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – with reflections by select members of the Xavier community. Everyone is invited to pray at 12 noon at the University Chapel.

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Day of Presence National Call to Action (Rally & Call to Action) LOCATION: Across from Ernest N. Morial Convention Center A Day of Presence is a national Call to Action co-convened by national, regional and locally-based organizations and leaders to demand justice NOW with and for the people of the Gulf Coast Region. National and regional co-conveners include: NCBCP, National Urban League, Children’s Defense Fund, Louisiana Unity Coalition, LA Justice Institute, AALP, Millions More Movement, NAACP, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, National Action Network, The Praxis Project, The Advancement Project, Greater New Orleans Urban League, New Orleans Rainbow PUSH, Saving Our Selves Coalition, Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Mississippi Coalition on Black Civic Participation and many others, (there will be additional national and local groups joining as co-conveners as the organizing progresses). Guests include Susan Taylor, Angie Stone, Lyn Whitfield, Judge Mablean Ephram, Michael Eric Dyson and Iyania Vanzant. For more information, see ADayofPresence.com, contact NCBCP National Headquarters, or call Cheryl Duncan at (201) 332-8338 or Edrea Davis at (770) 961-6200.

4 PM
Katrina Time Capsule ceremony at Nunez Community College
LOCATION: Nunez auditorium, Nunez Community College

DESCRIPTION: Nunez Community College invites the public to an Aug. 29 ceremony in which a time capsule containing memorabilia will be buried on campus, marking the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The capsule will be opened on the 10th anniversary of the storm. The ceremony is part of a full day of activities in St. Bernard Parish observing the anniversary. Nunez officials said the public can share documents, pictures, or other memorabilia to be placed in the time capsule; these were submitted according to exacting specifications by Aug. 24.

For more information: St Bernard Parish Government Memorial Events Schedule

7 PM
Candlelight Walk and Vigil at Jackson Square
Location: Jackson Square

DESCRIPTION (from NOLALive): Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Jackson Square. Citizens, officials and celebrities will hold a silent vigil. Call (504) 301-0215.

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ADDITIONAL EVENTS

[Check for Updates at http://www.aalp.org/and http://www.theneworleansagenda.com/ ]

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THURSDAY AUGUST 30th

KATRINA LECTURE SERIES
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
LOCATION - DILLARD UNIVERSITY, COOK THEATRE

A Lecture series that raises questions that situates Katrina in the broader context of the historic struggle for Black liberation and human justice.

Participants include Dr. Al Colon – African World Studies Dept., Dillard University; Dr. Toni Muhammad – U. of LA-Lafayette; Dr. James Turner – Africana Studies Dept., Cornell University; Mtangulizi Sanyika – African American Leadership Project Manager.

For more information, see http://www.aalp.org/.

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FRIDAY, AUG 31st

NATIONAL DIALOGUE - "State of Recovery"

6:00 pm - 9:30 pm

A two part panel that examines the "State of the Recovery" and disaster readiness and rebuilding of Cities as new national priorities.

6:00 pm - 7:20 pm

"State of the Recovery" a conversation with Dr. Ed Blakely and alternative/community media.

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

"Getting ready for hurricanes and rebuilding cities as new emerging national priorities" - A panel of nationally distinguished practitioners, organizers, advocates, citizens and policy planners.

LOCATION -

MCDONOUGH 35 HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st

"HANDS AROUND THE DOME CEREMONY"

12:30 pm

Program participants gather and process from City Council chambers.

1:00 pm

Program and cultural events at the Superdome.

3:30 pm

Circling of the Dome.

LOCATION -

LOUISIANA SUPERDOME PLAZA LEVEL (free parking)

Around Town: A Day of Service

As part of an initiative called the Day of Service volunteers fanned throughout New Orleans to engage in painting, cleaning and pressure washing.

At one location, employees from Entergy New Orleans, the city’s lone Fortune 500 Corporation, spent the day giving rooms at McDonough #28 Elementary a few fresh coats of paint.

Amy Davis, a customer service manager for Entergy said she sent out an in-house communication asking for volunteers and a number of employees responded.

“Every one here is here on a volunteer basis, and because they want to give back,” Davis said.

Around Town: Bring Our People Home Festival

As the rain fell Tuesday afternoon, a small group of people huddled underneath a tent set up in the parking lot of a mall, some with tears streaming down their cheeks.

Former residents of New Orleans’ housing developments, and concerned citizens wanting to help them get back home, assembled in the Gentilly neighborhood to protest the “illegal evictions” from the housing units and lack of affordable housing.

Leslie Berzat, who lived in the B.W. Cooper Housing Development with her mother prior to Katrina, said she was now living in Houston and it was time to come home.

“I am homeless right now!” Berzat said. “And I haven’t gotten any help.”

Geneva Seals said she lived in New Orleans East before Katrina before evacuating to Atlanta, now she’s ready to come home.

“I have made 17 trips back here, and the money is starting to run low,” Seals said. “I lived in some apartments before Katrina and my landlord has rebuilt and raised the prices. I can’t afford it now.”

The rally concluded with the audience boarding busses and heading to the Lafitte Housing Projects to help residents “take back” their units.

Ironically, President Bush was scheduled to have dinner at a restaurant directly across the street from the development.

All-Star Black August Benefit Concert 8/29

Looking for something to do in NOLA after rallying at the Day of Presence? This head's up via rapper Mia X:

Black August Benefit Concert
Part of the Great Flood Commemoration: 2 Years Later – And Still Fighting!
The Blue Nile
523 Frenchmen Street
New Orleans, LA

August 29, 2007
7 PM Reception
9 pm Doors Open

Featuring: M-1 (of Dead Prez), Free Agents Brass Band, the Hot 8 Brass Band, Mia X, Sess 4-5, Sunni Patterson, Ms. Tee, Truth Universal and DJ Money Fresh on the 1’s and 2’s.

Advanced tickets on sale at PHRF Office at 1418 N. Claiborne Ave. #2 and NuthinButFire Records 1840 N. Claiborne Ave.

Co-sponsored by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and People's Hurricane Relief Fund

Around Town: How some students plan to commemorate Katrina

While roving about the city to assess how involved local collegians are in the commemoration of Katrina, I found that many students are simply “Katrina’ed-out.”

“I don’t know if it’s 2005 or 2007 because you can’t tell the difference in some places," said Quentin Chevalier, a pharmacy student at Xavier University. "If you walk down some streets, it looks like Katrina happened yesterday."

Some students said they feel that regardless of how slow progress is after Katrina, it's important to remember what happened to New Orleans two years ago.

One collegian at an area school, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was trying to get her professors to cancel classes this Wednesday so students could take part in the events happening across the city.

Meanwhile, Autrail Manning said he was going to commemorate the event by acknowledging the losses many suffered during and after Hurricane Katrina.

“I lived on the Westbank (of New Orleans) so my home only suffered wind damage,” said Manning a sophomore at Dillard University. “But I understand that some people lost everything, so I plan to take a ride through the 9th ward and remember them.”

Faren Pitts, also a Dillard student, said she plans to commemorate the anniversary by attending the public policy forum being hosted by the university.

“Other than that, I’ll probably purchase a Katrina Bell to ring on (the anniversary),” Pitts said.

The ceremonial bells, which will be rung throughout the city on August 29th, signify the levee breaches that occurred throughout the city. Bells will ring for two minutes starting at 9:38 a.m. as city officials lay wreaths throughout the city.

Author of "Breach of Faith" meets incoming LSU Freshmen

From The Daily Reveille at Louisiana State University:

Incoming students were greeted this week by Jed Horne, author of "Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City," who told the class of 2011 they have a great opportunity for applied learning through service during the reconstruction of New Orleans, as the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on Wednesday approaches.

The author urged students to "Shake yourself alive, study Katrina, make it part of your life, try to understand the deeper politics, try to understand the underlying aesthetics [and] the underlying ethics of life in Katrina. If the book is helpful in this process, terrific. If not, keep reading."

Horne's book was selected as required reading for incoming freshmen for the Summer Reading Program, Friday morning during the Academic Convocation.

Horne commended students at the University and around the nation for their volunteer work in Katrina-effected areas in Louisiana."There were 10,000 students at spring break last year effectively doing the work of a dysfunctional government and at the same time galvanizing the situation to service and teaching a generation about the responsibilities we, as individuals, have," Horne said.

At the same time, the Reveille article also acknowledges the difficulty of getting students engaged in volunteerism, and reported that more faculty than students participated in follow-up discussions about Katrina. For those who had been on-hand during the storm or right after, a kind of Katrina-fatigue can set in. Horne understands this.

"The thing to remember about a disaster - the thing I have to remind myself in moments of great frustration - is by definition a disaster takes time to recover," Horne said.

He encouraged the new freshmen to show leadership and "recognize that your time here coincides with an extraordinary, but deeply troubling, moment in American history."

See the full report

Far-off Wheeling WV Jesuit University Marks Katrina Anniversary

Of interest from Huntington News, an impressive story, "Wheeling Jesuit University Marks 2nd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with Events Open to the Public," reporting how one campus in far-off West Virginia is planning a full and serious program of events to help make sense of what's going on.

It came to our attention, as an excellent example of how those outside the Gulf can not only show a symbolic solidarity with their southern neighbors, but can take the opportunity for good, substantive exploration of the topic for educational and self-reflexive purposes. In this case, the formal programming seems, a little surprisingly, to exceed even that planned at some New Orleans schools for this week. Just a sample:

"Talk at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Aug 28, “The State of the Heart: Rebuilding
New Orleans.” Held in the student Rathskeller (Ratt), located in Swint Hall,
students and staff will begin the week by speaking out and describing their
experiences in the Gulf Coast as they address the question: “Why are we still
rebuilding two years later and why are people still displaced?” Presenters
include: Josh Elek, Chris McPherson, Amanda Smider and M.J. Supan, students and staff who traveled to New Orleans recently on relief trips.

"Later Tuesday there will be a 6 p.m. program called “Sweet Tea and Spike
Lee.” This informal showing of the first two acts of the Spike Lee documentary, When the Levees Broke, will also be held at the Ratt and everyone is
invited. The film was released in Dec. 2006 and looks at the U.S. government’s
response Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans."

Our hats are off to Wheeling Jesuit for their effort, compassion and interest, which we hope to see replicated elsewhere. See the full report.

More than 1,000 Tulane students to volunteer 9/1

New Orleans' City Business Magazine reports that more than 1,000 students from Tulane University, along with faculty, alumni, and staff, plan to participate in the university's Outreach Tulane community service day on Saturday...

"Activities will include painting public schools, cleaning and yard work, cutting fabric squares to make beds for animals, socializing with elderly residents, sorting and packaging food and other donations, building a Habitat for Humanity home and picking up trash and debris.

""This is the largest single day of community service for our students, faculty and staff," said Vincent Ilustre, director of Tulane's Center for Public Service."

Volunteers will gather at Saturday 9/1 at 8 a.m. on Newcomb Quad of the uptown campus and be bused to sites across the city.

The Outreach Tulane effort is an annual, one-day volunteer community service event for incoming and returning Tulane students, as well as faculty, staff and their families, according to the Tulane website.In its 15th year, this event hosts around 1,000 participants in the opening weekend of the Fall semester.

The program is coordinated by CACTUS-the Community Action Council of Tulane University Students and the Office of Student Programs at Tulane University. This year, the Outreach Tulane partners include Hands On New Orleans, Padua Pediatric, LASPCA, Second Harvest, Malta Park, Habitat for Humanity, Project Lazarus, Green Project, ARC of GNO, City Park, Beacon of Hope, Communities in Schools, Esperanza School.

Contact James Singleton at jsingle@tulane.edu for more information and check out the list of projects where volunteers are needed, and what you should know when volunteering.

Also of Interest: Video: New Orleans: A Labor of Love - several good reasons for students to volunteer, wherever they are