Race, Class and Gender in Post-Katrina NOLA

2009-01-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

Day 16: Monday, January 26, 2009

2009-01-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

Our last full day in NOLA began with Mr. Ken picking us up to take us to Deanne Aimee and her partner Jean’s house. Deanne has been an RN for 50 years and has been an ordained interfaith minister since 1987. We were welcomed into their space by their puppy Molly, and offered coffee and our sixth King Cake. After finishing a delicious breakfast, we retreated into Deanne’s sanctuary which includes relics from all different religions.

After living in the same room for two weeks, it’s no surprise that 12 women would encounter some tension. Deanne reminded us that tension is vital to life and opens up creative streams of expression. Like most of our trip, we found ourselves at the right place at the right time. Deanne helped us work through some of our conflict and helped us see that our minor problems mirror the larger problems going on in New Orleans right now.

We finished our time with Deanne by writing our dreams, wishes, fears and nightmares on paper and dropping them through her giant dream catcher. We used our last five minutes to drum, which Deanne explained is a powerful healing and centering exercise. Drumming is also a great way to release anger and anxiety. We are so blessed to have met Deanne and to be welcomed into her sanctuary.

We had some free time before dinner for everyone to finish souvenir shopping and visiting their favorite locations one last time. Cynthia instructed us to meet at the Gumbo Shop at 6:30 for the final New Orleans supper, and to be dressed in “NOLA fabulous” threads. Everyone showed up wearing their favorite new shirt, boas, Mardi Gras beads and masks.

At dinner we passed around “the heart of New Orleans,” a small, porcelain heart that Cynthia purchased so that we could take a piece of NOLA with us. She asked us each to say what gifts the city has given us, giving us a chance to reflect on our collective experiences.

For our last night in the city, we had an interview with Glen David Andrews and Paul Sanchez at d.b.a. on Frenchman. They spoke about the importance of traditional music in New Orleans pre and post- Katrina. They happily took pictures with us and signed CDs. Glen’s show was high-energy and exhausting. Eight of us made it to the end of his second set, and dragged our feet home tired but happy to have spent our last night with each other enjoying some fabulous New Orleans jazz.

Day 15: Sunday, January 25, 2009

2009-01-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

Today was an AMAZING day for the whole group. As we woke up and got ready in our finest clothing, we got picked up at 11:00am to attend church. We made our way to Saint John’s #5 Faith Church located in the 7th ward, with the service given by Pastor Bruce Davenport. Speaking for everyone this was the most memorable, soulful, appreciative and welcoming church most of us have ever attended.

During the service Pastor Bruce asked Cynthia to stand and say a little bit of what were doing here in New Orleans. She told him how we were taking a class called Race, Class and Gender in Post-Katrina New Orleans and all of us were from Saint Mary’s College. He asked all of us to stand so that we could say our names and anything else we wanted to express about ourselves. The one rule they told us is that once we were introduced we would always be a part of St. John’s Church. We were not the only ones who had to do this so it kind of took the pressure off!

While Pastor Bruce continued on with his service he spoke on how if you do the right thing, the right thing will follow. To make in impact in New Orleans we must help be advocates and set long-term goals because this won’t be fixed with a band-aid. We have to realize that we must look from in the inside out, and don’t judge on skin color but that we ALL have the same heart. God touches people all over the world, and according to Pastor Bruce, He sent a message to all of us from SMC in order to be there today!

After the service we were given hugs all around from many of the members of the church and they said thank you for coming and joining. We appreciate them all so much for welcoming us with open arms and having us today. While most members went home after the service, we stayed after to talk with Pastor Bruce and his wife, Deborah Davenport.

The two talked about the key issues that are going on in the 7th ward and how people like us could help. They told us how they stayed in the church until they were forced to leave during Hurricane Katrina and how they were the first church back up and running in New Orleans as soon as they could get back into the neighborhood. St. John’s church opened so quickly after the hurricane because they needed to help those who went there for situations such as teen pregnancy, gang violence, drugs, STDs, and other serious issues. Cynthia asked the question, "What would you ask of our new president in terms of resources for the 7th Ward?" Their main concern was affordable housing for those who used to live in the 7th Ward St. Bernard Parish public housing projects. Many people who used to live in the property across the street from the church moved to Texas and were give section 8 vouchers in order to have affordable homes. However, now these same people are told they cannot use those vouchers if they are to come back to their homes in New Orleans. The new homes will now be too expensive for them to come back to and the problems are still there. Further, while the St. Bernard Parish public housing project buildings were completely intact after Katrina, they were recently demolished, displacing thousands of additional New Orleanians.

When asked what he wanted us to tell people when we came back home, he asked for us to let people know that New Orleans is a long way from being restored and to volunteer to work for smaller grassroots organizations. Not that organizations like the Red Cross aren’t helping, but smaller ones are the ones that are actually connected with the people and since they talk with the people who are in need, they know what they really want. "New Orleans will tell you what it needs; you can’t prescribe it with your own medicine," he told us.

After church some of us went off to go shopping while Cynthia, Melissa, Stephanie, and Dora met up with a woman named Ms. Barbara Jacques who they all met last Tuesday on Obama’s Inauguration Day. Ms. Barabara, who is 63 years old, shared her childhood experiences with them and told them how she lived in an orphanage until she was 8 years old. She shared her thoughts about New Orleans in its present state and how she believes the new President will initiate a change not only for the city, but for the entire country. She recalled her thoughts before Hurricane Katrina and how she was hesitant to leave New Orleans. Luckily she evacuated before the storm and drove off with her son to Atlanta, Georgia. After the storm she described living in a FEMA trailer where she got extremely ill due to the formaldehyde. As a result of the conditions, she now stays with her daughter who also lives in New Orleans. Despite the hardships she’s faced and is still going through, Ms. Barbara continues her life with a positive attitude, reassuring us that everything will be okay despite the fact that she is still displaced from her home 3 1/2 years after Hurricane Katrina.

Day 14: Saturday, January 24, 2009

2009-01-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday and after a long week of interviews and working we were all glad for the opportunity to sleep in. Not only did we get to sleep in but we had the entire day to do what we pleased. After sleeping in we all split into small groups but most of us headed into the French Quarter. Alisha, Michele, Nikki, and Roxanne went into Jackson Square to look for hot sauce for Michele’s dad and buy the vouchers for the Vampire tour that eight of us would take later that night. Many of the other girls spent the day in the Quarter as well getting custom T-shirts made at a local shop.

Stephanie, Anne, and Scarlett, like many who come to New Orleans, spent the afternoon in Jackson Square getting their tarot cards read. The woman did their astrological charts and read their tarot cards giving them a little insight into the future!!

After pizza dinner at the hostel eight of us—Cynthia, Nikki, Alisha, Roxanne, Michele, Melissa, Stephanie F. and Keelia—got on the streetcar and headed toward Jackson Square for our Vampire Tour. In the usual New Orleans fashion, we were late. Apparently our streetcar driver was hungry because after sitting on the streetcar without moving for a while we noticed that the driver was no longer on the streetcar. Instead, he had crossed the street and gone into the Burger King to pick up some dinner. We couldn’t blame the guy for being hungry but we had to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Although the Vampire tour guides were less than thrilled that we were five minutes late, they split the large group into two and we were on our way. It was a perfect night for a vampire tour—dark, rainy, foggy, and cold! We lucked out because our tour guide turned out to be the author of the book New Orleans Ghosts, Voodoo, and Vampires, Kalila Katherina Smith. She took us all around the French Quarter pointing out certain houses where police reports suggest vampire crimes had been committed. She showed us building where scenes from the film Interview with a Vampire had been filmed and told us about Vampire mythology. At the end of the tour she left us with a spooky thought. She told us that while she never said that vampires do exist, she never said that they didn’t…

Before we left Michele, Roxanne, and Nikki purchased a copy of her book and Kalila signed it. Cynthia took the chance to ask about two individuals dressed as vampires that had been standing near the tour group before we started. We had all assumed that they were part of the tour. It turns out we were wrong. Kalila said that they are part of a group of vampire life-stylers who are moving back into New Orleans. These people aren’t just playing dress-up. This is their life. Kalila wouldn’t go into detail but suffice it to say we were thoroughly creeped out!!

That night Kermit Ruffins was supposed to be playing at a bar on Frenchmen called the Blue Nile. Much to our surprise, he was nowhere to be found. Turns out Kermit’s wife told him he could not play that night because it was her birthday, so he didn’t—smart man. Instead, Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Monk Boudreaux was performing. It was his last performance of the season before he retired that particular suit in preparation for the upcoming Mardi Gras season.

To our surprise, at the beginning of the night a man came out on stage and said ‘We have some guests here from California’ and proceeded to dedicate his song, “Laid Back,” to our group and sing it to us.

Next, Chief Monk Boudreaux came onstage to perform. He sang and played the tambourine dressed in his bright pink suit. According to Cherice Harrison Nelson, a woman who makes the Mardi Gras Indian suits, all of the suits are handmade. They do all of the beading and sewing by hand. At the end of Mardi Gras they start making the suits for the next year—that is how intricate they are.

All of the girls were thrilled to see musician Glenn David Andrews who had been in the film "Faubourg Treme" and who we had seen perform at Tipitina's on Monday night. Upon seeing our group, Glenn came right up and started dancing with the girls and having a great time. It was another night to remember in New Orleans!

Day 13: Friday, January 23, 2009

2009-01-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

We woke up early this morning to finish the work at Jean’s house. All that was left was to box up the files in her husband’s studio, finish cleaning out the attic, box up the rest of the books for donation, and take an inventory of the rest.

After we were done, Cynthia treated us to lunch at the Eat Well grocery down the street. We had Vietnamese food and Po’ Boys. While there we discussed our plans to keep working on the class video project. We split up into teams and assigned various important areas of the city left to be filmed. Also, we each began to think about what we wanted to say, personally, in front of the camera.

We hurried back to the hostel because we were meeting with a woman, Marlo Bouvier Stevens, who had agreed to show us her house down the street from India Hostel and tell us her Hurricane Katrina story. We walked down a few blocks to the property where her office stood. She owned several properties all near the office, and all which were damaged in the storm. Upon arriving we were introduced to Jocelyn Sideco, who is the founder of Contemplatives in Action, a small Catholic non-profit providing relief and hospitality to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Jocelyn explained her motivations for being in New Orleans. Living in Milwaukee as a minister at Marquette University, Jocelyn was inspired to come to New Orleans and minister after a student opened her eyes to the needs of those residents affected by the hurricane.

Jocelyn wanted to impress upon us that the hurricane affected everyone in New Orleans—black, white, rich, and poor. However, she said that it was those who were most vulnerable who suffered, and continue to suffer, the most. As the poorest state in the nation, Louisiana can use all of the help it can get. Their biggest fear is being forgotten. Jocelyn told us that helping out isn’t rocket science. You don’t need a degree to make a difference. Instead, she encouraged us to utilize our network systems to spread the word about New Orleans.

Next, Marlo sat down to tell us her story. As a registered nurse, when the call to evacuate came to New Orleans, Marlo and her two sons decided to stay. She told us, “I’m a nurse. The Lord God wanted me to stay. I’m going down with the ship.” On the night of the actual Hurricane, Marlo stayed by herself in her house. Her son, Santo, was in his house next door and her son Rasta at his a few blocks away. The night of the Hurricane, Marlo was amazed at God’s power as he ripped trees up from the earth and shingles off the roof. Waking up the next morning, Marlo and her sons laughed at the fact that the entire city evacuated for a storm that turned out to be so minor. However, the true storm had yet to be weathered.

Marlo noticed water in the street that morning, something that did not occur often but did not seem like a reason to worry. Soon, however, the water began to rise. First it was at the driveway; next it was halfway up the lawn. Suddenly, her son Rasta called her on the phone and told her that there was a car floating by his house and he was about to swim to safety. Then the phone cut out. What was going on?

The water outside Marlo’s house was rising quickly, she figured that the bayou must have overflowed because there was no electricity and news or radio to let her know that the levees had broken. As the water was rising, Santo joined Marlo at her house with some supplies. Knowing that she couldn’t swim he brought a duffle bag with beach balls just in case. Afraid they would be trapped in the house, Marlo and Santo put on the life preservers and waded into the water and headed next door to a three-story house. At this point the water was up to Marlo’s chest. Santo broke into the house and they went to the top floor where they would spend that night hoping the water wouldn’t continue to rise.

The next morning Santo climbed onto the roof and saw that the water was at least eight feet high across the entire neighborhood. He called out saying, “This is Santo, is anyone out there?” Three different neighbors called out to him letting him know that they were alright. Later that morning a rescue boat finally came by to rescue Marlo, her son and their neighbors. Travelling through the city, they took in the magnitude of the disaster. New Orleans was like a lake and there were people hanging out of second- and third- story windows calling out for help.

Marlo and hundreds of others ended up spending two days and two nights on a freeway overpass. Despite the 105-degree heat, no one bothered to bring them any food or water even though they saw them from the helicopters flying overhead. Thankfully, Marlo used her skills as a nurse to help those in need. One thing Marlo learned during the storm is not to judge people by the way they look. Despite what people may think about them it was the young people, “thugs” who stepped up to help out when the people needed them the most. They waded through the flood to bring back food and water to starving babies and refugees and carried the elderly on their backs through miles of flooded city streets to bring them to safety.

After the storm Marlo moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. She could not come back to New Orleans. It angered her son Rasta, greatly, that she seemed to be abandoning her city when it needed her the most, but she needed the time to fix herself before she could fix others.

Three years after the storm Marlo is back in New Orleans. Although she says she will never be able to live here again, she wants to help Contemplatives in Action (CIA) by donating the properties she owned. As donations come in, these properties will be transformed into volunteer housing. Also, Marlo is in the process of writing a book, Blind Faith, Can you Trust Me in a Storm? A Hurricane Katrina Survivor’s Story. In addition to be a way for her to heal and educate others, all profits from her book will go to CIA and the volunteer housing project.

Despite everything she has been through, Marlo’s incredible faith in God has helped keep her optimism and spirit alive. She told our class that we are the next generation and that the future truly lies in our hands. We are so thankful to have heard her story. Marlo is truly an inspiration and I am sure her story will remain with us forever.

Day 12: Thursday, January 22, 2009: "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood"

2009-01-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

Let’s start off by saying that today was a fabulous day. The sun was up and we were able to sleep-in! Compared to yesterdays 50 degree weather the 65 degrees that the sun radiated was almost a god-sent. The t-shirts that were buried in our luggage were finally put to good use and the flips that were gathering dust finally saw the light of day! We were so grateful, it has been far too long of icy winds and long sleeved shirts, our day began and ended with big smiles.

So considering that we had so much free time in the morning before we embarked on our journey through New Orleans, or pronounced correctly as N’awlins, some girls decided to treat themselves with some lunch. At 2 o’clock we were picked up (a luxury compared to the streetcars we run after daily) by our knowledgeable tour guide Mr. Ken! He started down Canal Street and proceeded towards Congo Square, which was considered “outside the city”. The significance of the areas “outside the city” was that in the past musicians were not able to play their music in the French Quarters therefore starting their own style of music called jazz.

One of the destinations was the 9th Ward, where jazz was born. While we were in the Musican Village we came across the 75 year old legendary drummer Smokey Johnson, he played with Fats Domino at the ripe age of 16. He is Mr. Ken’s father in-law too. Professor Ganote was ecstatic to meet the individual who influenced her fathers’ musical taste. His house was definitely an interesting site. Also while in the area we did pass by Fats Dominos’ house as well. The Tipitina Foundation was funding the rebuild of Domino’s house and the surrounding area since Katrina. It was extremely pleasant to be around New Orleans history. Music is their history, and these individuals contributed to the richness and life it holds.

Entering into the 9th Ward was a stark contrast to the rest of New Orleans. It seemed as if we entered into a whole different world, which looked as if it had just been abandoned. Houses were left in ruin and it was scary considering it looked like Katrina had just passed through. The neighborhoods were destroyed and street signs still looked like crumbled aluminum. Senior citizen centers were used as morgues because authorities had to use the only large space available to hold the growing number of the deceased. Homes that looked unsafe to live in seemed to be inhabited by their owners. Mr. Kent described how the houses needed to be raised so that they can withstand the flooding possibilities. The lower 9th Ward is on the other side of the levee and it is easily seen that it is below sea level. You can only imagine the amount of water that flooded the area once the levees broke, a complete disaster. There is a memorial piece entering into the 9th Ward that was represents how much the water had risen. The tallest blue pole was 20 feet which was the symbol of how much water the 9th Ward was under. 20 feet!

Fortunately there have been efforts amongst some of the elite to rebuild. And there is a difference in construction that will be beneficial when another storm does come through. The Make it Right Foundation , a foundation Brad Pitt and his family created, are pulling together with experts to rebuild the lower 9th Ward. According to Mr. Ken the houses survived and proved to be a successful effort when the latest storm, Hurricane Gustav, did not affect the houses as Katrina had done.

Today was an extremely emotional day. As a group, seeing the most affected areas that had been destroyed by Katrina was important to us to fully understand the devastation that had happened to this city and its people. On the other side of the Mississippi it looked as if it had recovered well, but only to those who dig deeper into the real concerns of New Orleanians will they discover how “unfair” the situation continues to be. Now we are able to completely grasp how much New Orleans needs her prescription and educating ourselves and others with these images is a step to her recovery.

After coming back to the hostel some us decided to take time for ourselves. Before dinner started some went to Rite Aid and others walked down Canal to Angelo Brocato's Italian Ice Cream Parlor for some Italian gelato. Yummy! So all in all the sun blessed us with a good day and we hope for more warm weather to grace us with her presence!!

Day 11: Wednesday, January 21, 2009

2009-01-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sleep in day!!! It was amazing, once again we had the privilege to sleep in. Our class met at Tulane to discuss finishing work at Jean’s house and other aspects of our trip as closing days approach. Prior to arrival in New Orleans, each student individually chose topics of interest to gain ethnographic and participant observation for a final research paper. Using our own scholarly research and reflective experiences, the paper addresses our driving question that has formed or changed throughout the trip. Before concluding this class meeting we discussed how Sandrine’s Letters to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson relates to New Orleans’ race and gender inequalities. We talked about the major themes that were found in the book such as patriarchy, oppression, strength and sexuality of women and the portrayal of systemic child rearing.

At 4:00pm we made our way next door to Loyola College of New Orleans for a “mixer”. We got the opportunity to meet with the women’s resource center in which we were greeted by people in that department ready to share their personal experiences, information and involvement in social justice. They were nice enough to serve us delicious goodies and treats, a nice change from our hostel kitchen. As we sat in a circle we all went around and introduced ourselves, our major, and most importantly our main focus of interest in New Orleans in which our feminist ethnographies will be based. The hosts listened to our ideas and enlightened us with more information on New Orleans post Katrina that will strengthen our research papers. This was a really a helpful opportunity to meet such great people willing to share their varying point of views. They truly accepted us as a group and helped us paint a bigger picture of day to day life in post Katrina NOLA.

After our long day at Loyola and Tulane we made our way back to the hostel where we greeted with spaghetti and meatballs, salad and garlic bread. YUMMY! Before bed, most of us are just going to relax and work on our research papers.

Day 10: Tuesday, January 20, 2009...Bye Bye Bush!!

2009-01-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

Today was inauguration day and in Cynthia’s words, a day of “collective joy.” After having seen firsthand many of the atrocities done to the city by the United States government (not to mention the state and local governments), celebrating this historic day in New Orleans was perfect for our class. We started the day by gearing up in Obama threads and heading to the Ashe Cultural Center in uptown.

We met many wonderful people, all ecstatic for the exchange of power. One woman told me when we heard the “Star Spangled Banner” that she couldn’t remember when the last time she wanted to sing that song and that “the whole world just changed.” Tears and cheers erupted as Obama took the presidential oath and it was announced that Bush’s presidency had expired and he would soon be flown back to Texas.

We saw some great T-shirts, but by far our favorite was worn by a handsome young man, which said “I like my president like my coffee: strong and black.” Having just turned 18, this was his first time voting.

The best part of the event was that people of all races and walks of life came together to celebrate a step in the right direction and a hopeful new outlook.

For several of us, the celebration continued across the street at Café Reconcile, an extension of Reconcile New Orleans which serves to get underprivileged teens and young adults into the workforce. The staff was clearly in Obama mode as they all wore matching Barack shirts that said “Progress.” They served a special inauguration menu which included some of the best apple pie we’ve ever tasted and which we subsequently coined “Bomb-A** Obama apple pie.” It felt great to enjoy the moment with other young people and to help a program that does so much for the youth of the city.

After our morning of celebration, the group split up to celebrate Obama Day in their own way. We grouped up later in the evening to join the Obama celebration at Tipitina’s in uptown. We watched the performances of three amazing jazz and brass bands (Hot 8 Brass Band, Soul Rebels, and Shamarr Allen and the UnderDawgs). The bands captivated the audience by getting us to shout “O-BAMA!!” many times during the night. It was a late night, but it was a wonderful way to celebrate the inauguration of our nation’s first African-American president.

Day 9: Monday, January 19, 2009 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

2009-01-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to beautiful weather on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We ate some breakfast, packed some lunches, and headed over to Congo Square in the 6th ward, a district known as Faubourg Treme. When we got to Congo Square a man rode up on his wheelchair and stated that, ‘after seeing all the beauty here I want to recite a poem’. He then improvised such a beautiful poem that it moved many of us to tears. The first part of his poem was, “This place is because of love and because of strength, and I’m not lookin’ at the color of your skin, I’m lookin’ at the heart that makes me win”.

From there we turned the corner and immediately saw a huge gathering of people and heard Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” echoing through the air. We then realized the song was coming from a tiny 8-year-old girl and she was amazing.

The group then drifted over to the back of the park where dozens of school groups were preparing for their parade. Several bands, cheer teams, dance crews, and some political groups marched through the 6th ward, 7th ward, and Mid-City until we arrived at the Superdome.

Once at the Superdome we heard several inspirational speakers. Mia-X was a woman who was born and raised in New Orleans. She spoke about the struggles she endured as a young woman and how education was the most important thing to achieve. Rev. David Abernathy III, a man who intimately knew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was arrested at age 7 for participating in a Civil Rights march, spoke about the progress from Civil Rights to having a Black president. Ahn “Joseph” Cao, the first Vietnamese Congressman in America and New Orleans’s Congressman spoke about diversity and the change that will be coming to the younger generation.

After a long emotional day, we were ready for some fun! After some nap and chill time, we left for a music club called Tipitina's to hear some jazz music. The bands were varied and showed many different styles. The first band played rock, folk, and jazz while the main artists, Glen David Andrews and his band, played more jazz and gospel music.

The event was very fun and entertaining. At the end of the night we quickly fell asleep, looking forward to the festivities in the morning.

Day 8: Sunday, January 18, 2009

2009-01-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

Though today was set aside for the women to sleep in, Stephanie and Melissa woke up bright and early this morning to attend mass at St. Louis Cathedral, which is located in Jackson Square. An interesting fact about the church is that it is the longest active cathedral still running in the US today. The cathedral, beautifully constructed, is pleasing to the eye. It is filled with skillfully designed paintings of the most famous saints on every wall. Not to mention the church attracts hundreds of visitors including tourists and local New Orleaneans every single Sunday.
The best part of Melissa and Stephanie's visit is that they were given the opportunity to meet Alfred Hughes, St. Louis Cathedral's Arch Bishop.
A few of us on Sunday went to check out the Prospect 1 art installations which have been around the city of New Orleans since November 1, 2008. We were lucky because we were able to see one of the art exhibits on the last day! We took the streetcar and then a fancy shuttle from the “W” Hotel to the edge of the French Quarter to the Old U.S. Mint Museum. The Old U.S. Mint is one of the numerous structures that comprise the U.S. Louisiana State Museum. One of the internationally renowned artists that were featured were South African photographer Zwleth Methtwa who depicted the poverty which many immigrants and locals in South Africa face everyday, Japanese appropriation artist, Yasumasa Morimura, Debora Luster, an American photographer, and many more. One of the most interesting art exhibits by Deborah Luster was one titled, “Tooth For An Eye: A Chorography Of Violence in New Orleans Parish”. There was a black and white photograph of a building with the words “I miss you dad” spray painted on the side. It was significant to see part of the violence in NOLA depicted in the U.S. Mint because we can get a sense of how serious the crime issue is New Orleans. One of the best parts of the Prospect 1 venues is that they are all free! For more information on the Prospect 1 art installations that were in New Orleans, please feel free to visit the website- http://www.prospectneworleans.org/.

That puts a wrap on our first weekend here in New Orleans! Be sure to keep yourself updated on our future blogs. Hope you enjoyed it!

Day 7: Saturday, January 17, 2009

2009-01-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

After a week of hard work, still adjusting to the time, and doing some final settling arrangements, a very much deserved Saturday was dedicated to the girls to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the "The Big Easy.” Before we ventured off into our own activities, however, one last visit had to be made. Remember Jean, our new friend from India House? Yesterday, the thirteen of us (plus Robin & Jen) came together at Jean's house to help her rummage through all her possessions and clean out the mess that the storm had left behind (See Blog, Day 6) Sad to say that Jean left extremely early this morning, so many of us were unable to give her a happy farewell. She flew out to North Carolina where she plans to live with her son for the time being. Jean's departure was definitely bittersweet, but being with family is where she deserved to be. And although Jean was no longer with us in New Orleans, our work here was not yet complete.
Amongst all the cleaning, one thing that Jean was adamant about was that we found a specific trunk that was of huge sentimental value to her. In that trunk were the possessions of John, one of her 3 sons, who died from cancer back in 1983. It was definitely a silence-filled moment in the room when we found John's trunk that had contained all of his hospital gown, documents, and letters.In the process of final packaging, we found several letters that Jean and Frank (her husband) had written to one another. These letters were filled with humorous, heart-felt, and beautifully written words--something you would hear from a line in "The Notebook." They documented almost every aspect of their lives, and going through all their belongings, it seemed like we knew these people all our lives. We knew about their hobbies--they loved collecting paintings, fossils, books, pictures, and souvenirs. We saw their collection of work that had been saved throughout the years of their art careers. It was as if Jean's entire life was unraveling right before our eyes, which all happened in the span of these last two days. Our meeting with Jean was an unforgettable experience that seemed all meant to be. It "just so happened to be" that Jean who was in need of help ran into 13 ladies who had a free Friday and Saturday morning to spare. Whatever the case, Jean was one of the many people in New Orleans that, without a doubt, will be forever remembered!

This was certainly an exciting Saturday for many of the girls who had their families coming into New Orleans. [Big] Stephanie Landero and Michele Delgado were extremely happy to see their parents today. Roxanne, Nikki, and Alicia joined Michele and her parents out for a night in the town. They ate at Margaritaville, which they describe as having delicious food & highly recommend it! Stephanie and her family, on the other hand, went to dinner with Anne and Scarlett and dined on seafood at Pat O'Briens.

While Stephanie, Melissa, and Dora stayed back at the hostel, Keelia and Lauren wasted no time to explore the big city. They purchased their Barrack Obama bags and T-shirts so they can flaunt it on Tuesday’s Inauguration Day. We are counting down the minutes..Go Obama!

We hope you enjoyed tuning in to another fun filled day of our life in New Orleans. And Remember, "What happens in New Orleans, only happens in New Orleans!"

Day 6: Friday, January 16, 2009

2009-01-19T14:10:00.001-08:00

Early this morning a small group of us woke up and headed up the street from India House Hostel to help out a new friend, Jean, who we met at the hostel. Jean, is staying in the same building as we are and during an evening of conversation, our teacher Cynthia found out that Jean and her husband are Katrina survivors. They evacuated to North Carolina during the storm and have been there ever since. Jean, who is eighty years old, recently returned to New Orleans in order to evaluate the state of their home and go through their personal belongings. Her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer’s is currently living in a nursing home in North Carolina while Jean is staying at India House, temporarily. Faced with the task of sorting through the destruction all on her own, our class volunteered to help out.

Jean and her husband lived in a small house one block from the hostel for almost twenty years. Both artists and art teachers, there house was filled with personal art, photographs, slides, and stacks of academic and artistic work. While the house was spared from too much water damage, the wind damage was extensive.

After ducking under a piece of plywood partially covering the door, we saw exactly how powerful a hurricane can be. At this point there is no electricity, no running water and several of the windows are broken. The first floor was almost entirely gutted except for a table, an old armoire, and piles of good dishes. Standing in the front room, we could see through to the entire house as the damage to the floors and walls had been so great that the drywall and flooring had been entirely removed. At one spot near the staircase we could see all the way through the floor to the sun shining beneath the house.

Heading up the narrow staircase paper was stuck to the stairs as if glued to the floor. The three rooms upstairs, the two studios and a spare room were in complete shambles. To see this couple’s life scattered about covered in dirt, mold, and water damage was truly heartbreaking. It is one thing to hear about the destruction and devastation and it is another to stand inside of a house, next to its owner, and see exactly how the storm affects these individual’s lives.

The five of us who got there early began working in the two studios. The storm had broken the windows in both of them and ripped a hole in the ceiling of Jean’s studio. In a moment of irony, standing in her husband’s studio, we witnessed both the devastation that nature can cause and the beauty that it can create as a delicate green vine wove is way through the broken window into the ravaged studio.

In both studio’s the wind had blown everything that had been stacked on the tables and desks onto the floor. As we walked into Jean’s studio we literally waded through a foot of scattered paper, art, files, and photographs completely hiding the floor beneath. The worst of the damage was near the broken windows and under the hole in the ceiling where water had destroyed anything lying nearby including some of their art and several books. Near the bookcase, cockroaches had taken up residence in the dust and mold.

Because Jean was returning to North Carolina soon, she could not take everything with her. Despite the emotions we were feeling, we were forced to throw away years and years of their lives in the form of mail, letters, files, academic materials, clothes, and art supplies. We did our best to salvage any artwork, photos, slides, paintbrushes and keepsakes that survived the storm. The most important find of the day was Jean and her husband’s birth certificates buried beneath the rubble on the desk.

While cleaning out the studios we realized that art was more than a hobby for Jean and her husband—it was their life. While we were able to salvage a pile of their work that had been farthest from the window, much of it was damaged in the storm. It was extremely difficult to accept that so much of their beautiful artwork was damaged beyond repair. Knowing that we had to throw so much away made the gravity of the situation really sink in.

After six hours of hard work we were able to clear out the three rooms upstairs and pack up all the dishes in the front room. Originally, we had planned on putting all of the garbage bags and boxes in the fairly large kitchen. However, within two hours the bags and boxes were spilling out into the hallway and we were forced to put all of the cardboard in the bathroom and stack as many garbage bags as we could into the kitchen.

After returning from the bank, Jean was so appreciative and touched by the hard work of our group. Despite the tears in her eyes, her youthful spirit shone through when at our astonishment at finding out her age she exclaimed, “Well, you know, eighty is the new sixty!”

We were truly honored to have met Jean and to be able to help her in whatever way we can. While the work was dirty and difficult, and while we will return in the morning to help sort out the salvageable goods, the hard work truly lies ahead for Jean while she goes through her and her husband’s life slide by slide, photo by photo, artwork by artwork and figures out how to start anew.

After a long day of working we all met at Snug Harbor, a jazz club on Frenchman Street to watch Jazz legend Ellis Marsalis and his quartet play. The club was warm and intimate and we all enjoyed the chance to take in some true New Orleans music culture.

Day 5: Thursday, January 15, 2009

2009-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Thank you for tuning in to our blog on our day-to-day experiences and journey through New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s Roxanne and Michele here to give you the 411 update of Thursday January 15, 2009, a day to remember, and HERE’S WHY:

This morning was amazing! After adjusting to the time, place and transportation differences, it was finally our “sleep in” day. No rushing for showers, no five girls in one mirror, and no makeup and blow dryers everywhere. We slowly got ready, ate breakfast, made lunches and moseyed on out to catch the famous street car.

While transferring from one street car to the next we met a older New Orleanian who was nice enough to share her personal stories with us….she shared how the buildings changed dramatically since when she was a little girl. The damage of the hurricane truly affected her so much she couldn’t recognize where to get off anymore.

When we finally got to our destination we were privileged enough to sit in on a guest speaker at NCCROW, Visiting Scholar Leisa Fearing, who spoke about her research on Feminist Participatory Media. She broke it down into three separate areas -- feminism, media, and participation. One definition of feminism is that women should be equal to men in three different areas: politically, economically, and socially, and this definition comes from the liberal feminist tradition. Media is defined as “information, experiences, and stuff,” or the things we use to create, share, and understand our world. Leisa explained that participation includes “mobile, sharing, creative, and capture,” which means that we’re not passive consumers of media any more; we’re sharing in it. Instead of thinking of media as something controlled by a few people, it is now truly something that we can all create. We learned that media has redefined itself recently and there are so many different ways that all people (with internet access) participate in it. One interesting fact was how 75% of 18-24 year old Americans have at least one social networking site. A website that us Californians were naïve to was Twitter.com . Twitter is another way of sharing information that helped those in New Orleans during Hurricane Gustav. They found this website to be more resourceful and helpful than the news in many cases. Media plays a tremendous role in spreading ideas, information, knowledge and contacts during extreme emergencies or disasters. All in all, Leisa’s talk was extremely helpful and we learned a lot. If you want more information on Leisa Fearing and her research on feminist participatory media, her e-mail is: Leisa@elf.net.

After our feminist lecture we met Jen Sachs, who was at the lecture as well. She was a primary organizer for V to the 10th, Eve Ensler’s 10th Anniversary of the Vagina Monologues, that took place in the Superdome in New Orleans last spring. She took time out of her day to speak with us about her role in participating in such a global feminist movement to end violence against women.

Everyone then dispersed to go take care of things that they needed to do for the day such as go to the library to read and do research, buy books at Borders (the Uptown location was once a funeral home), and others went for a late lunch.

At 6 o’clock we all met up in the hostel and ventured into the kitchen where we were overwhelmed with the aroma of a traditional New Orleans Southern meal! It included brisket, mashed potatoes, and pork ‘n’ beans. Everyone sat down and shared their own personal account of their day while eating such a delicious meal some had never tried before!

Shortly after dinner we resided back in our hostel bedroom to discuss readings and theories on race, class, and gender, aka “class time.”

Class should always be this FUN!

By the end of the night, some ventured off into the heart of New Orleans, the French Quarter to famous Café du Monde and enjoyed scrumptious beignets, nowhere to be found in the Bay. Jealous? =)

You are now aren’t you?

We hope you’ve enjoyed the last week’s blogs by our classmates Lauren, Keelia, Scarlett, Dora, Melissa, Stephanie L., Stephanie F., and Anne. Tune in tomorrow for Nikki and Alisha’s take on New Orleans!

As you would say it here in the South, Come Back Now Ya’ll!

Day 4: Wednesday, January 14, 2009

2009-01-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Things started off the same as yesterday, but this time we were on time! We’ve figured out our routines now, the streetcar, traveling with 13 women…and wouldn’t you know we even had a minute to grab some much needed coffee on the campus of Tulane University! By the very enthusiastic suggestion of Crystal, we picked up a King Cake to share from PJ’s coffee shop on campus . Do you know what King Cake is? Well it’s this amazing tradition that usually begins at the start of the Mardi Gras season. When in New Orleans…

Today we viewed another documentary film that was presented to us by Assistant Producer Rebecca Snedeker: Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans by Dawn Logsdon and Lolis Eric Elie. The film revealed the history of the first free black community in the United States. This neighborhood was the cultural center that began a civil rights movement that took place 100 years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. Sadly this community was near one of the biggest breaches of the levee following Katrina and was devastated. Many of the community members have not been able to return to the city and those who have been able to rebuild have found that the spirit of the neighborhood has also evacuated. The neighborhood’s epicenter, Congo Square, has been locked up, inaccessible to its rightful owners until very very recently.

This film inspired many of us to reconsider our research topics, to be taken in a direction that explores race-related issues of the city. Even some of us felt that it would be important to explore the personal recovery stories of member within the black community of New Orleans. Our levees broke today as we grasped the enormity of Katrina. We followed individuals through the film dancing in the streets of the 6th Ward with spirit in the eyes and pride in their voices. Children were dancing across the screen emerged in the traditions of their ancestors, but the that spirit was flooded after the Storm. We greatly, now more than ever, truly appreciate how Rebecca has shared her own experiences with us and has welcomed us into her city. We want to thank all of the members from the Newcomb Center for the Research on Women we have meet that have opened up their lives and have inspired us to love the city of New Orleans.

After seriously contemplating the affects Katrina had on its citizens we had the free time to approach our paper topics by pursuing resources or further discovering the beauty of New Orleans. Our independent nature that has been coming through in recent days is proof of how comfortable we are getting with the city. Streetcars are no longer a mystery and even strangers are no longer strangers as we come to recognize a familiar face. We have been told that if you love the city you are a New Orleanian, and I think we are all coming to learn the pride that comes along with that title.

It was a tough day to say the least but a much-needed experience to understand our core purpose of traveling to New Orleans. The people are what make this city so special and locals have expressed the protection they have over its spirit. We are quickly understanding how we must learn from them and appreciate their pride, we are even starting to adapt that sense of belonging in this city because we are immersed in their lives now, forever.

Day 3: Tuesday, January 13, 2009

2009-01-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

After an early wake up call, we all headed into India House's festive kitchen as we created our very own planned sandwich assembly line. The schedule was to catch the street car by 9:30am to head off to Tulane University, however, due to our running on "New Orleans time," that of course was NOT the case. At around 10am, we finally were on our quest towards our destination. What an unforgettable sight it was to see the facial expressions of the New Orleaneans who accompanied us on the street car. Picture this: Imagine sitting in the overcrowded, yet laidback street car and suddenly witnessing the simultaneous rising of 10 women who immediately stood at the snap of Professor Ganote's fingers as she called "LADIES."

After our long walk from the street car, we finally arrived on Tulane's campus and made our way to the Newcomb Center for Research on Women.

Today's event was based on meeting a local New Orleanean, Rebecca Snedeker, who created the very interesting film titled "By Invitation Only." The film illustrated her internal struggle in dealing with the issues of being a member of a privileged white family living in their own practices of race and class exclusion.

A wonderful opportunity was given to us when we were given the chance to discuss the film with the very own film maker herself. With a very warm welcome and friendly greeting, Rebecca made sure to emphasize the gratitude she felt when seeing a group of women who were curious not only to learn about New Orleans, but who were also willing to do anything to lend a helpful hand.

Time was left to spare following the event, so we separated and explored the wonders of the city!! While some went shopping, others talked with the locals, and the rest simply enjoyed walking through the streets.

At six o'clock SHARP...running on New Orleans time, everyone reunited at India House to feast on the delicious meal prepared for us. The pasta, bread, and salad was was a delight.

We then met back in our building [PRAISE] to reflect on the day and discuss the experiences we have encountered thus far in New Orleans.

**All in all, our lesson for today was the early bird gets the street car! :)

Day 2: Monday, January 12, 2009

2009-01-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

A few of us woke up early to have breakfast in the hostel at 8:30 am (6:30 California time!). At breakfast, we met a lot of interesting characters, including a group of professors and graduate students who have been volunteering in New Orleans. Cynthia traded numbers with one of the professors, and possibly got us a connection for another service-learning job!

The rest of the group woke up later and got ready to meet up so we could all take the street car to Tulane University so that we could meet up with the women at the Newcomb College Center for Research On Women (NCCROW).

As we transfered onto the second street car on Carondelet Street, an old man who called himself the Human Jukebox got on as well.

He told us "I'm called the Human Jukebox. I've been singing on street cars for 49 years. What would you like to hear?" He then gave us a lengthy list of souful Motown artists.

After he sang us several songs, including "It's a Man's World" by James Brown and "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, we stopped for lunch at a small diner called the Trolley Stop that was right on the road. The food was good and very traditional (several of us ordered gumbo), but the waiter didn't seem to understand that we were in a hurry! When we called the women at NCCROW to tell them we would be late, they laughed and told us that while we are in New Orleans, everything will take longer than it should, and we might never be on time! Going from Downtown to Uptown, the scenery began to drastically change. There were a lot more traditional New Orleans style homes rather than businesses. The area seemed to be more wealthy than downtown.

When we arrived at Tulane, we realized how beautiful the campus was. All of the buildings are old and have so much character. It sure was different from St. Mary's, where all of the buildings look the same!

It was a little difficult to find NCCROW at first, but eventually we got there (only 40 minutes late!!)

At NCCROW, we sat with Dr. Beth Willinger, Charlotte D'Ooge, and Crystal Kile as they talked about the city of New Orleans, its demographics, and how Katrina had affected the city. They and their colleagues have written the first volume on the lives of women and girls in post-Katrina New Orleans, and we were really inspired by their research before we even arrived in New Orleans. It was great to be able to ask these authors questions face-to-face!

They then took us upstairs and talked about more of the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina, as well as how the disaster has changed the way that New Orleanians live their day-to-day lives.

We were supposed to go to the Crescent House Healing and Empowerment Center after NCCROW (our service-learning site), but we had a change of plans! Crescent House only had one family show up tonight and didn't need our help, so instead, we took the street car to a grocery store to stock up on six days' worth of breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner for tonight. That ended up being a TON of food - way more than we had expected! The walk back to the street car was especially difficult because we had to carry almost 60 bags between 11 people!

As soon as we got back to the hostel, we cooked tacos and had a community dinner in the hostel's dining room. We talked about our first impressions of New Orleans and the things that surprised and interested us the most about the city.

It's only been two days, but it's already starting to feel like home! We're all very excited for what the rest of the trip has in store for us after such an amazing first day!

Day 1: Sunday, January 11, 2009

2009-01-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

Day 1 in New Orleans was very interesting, and hectic to say the least. Today is the day that we began our journey to New Orleans! Some of the girls met at BART at 11:00 am, and we all met at SFO at around 12:30. After being on public transportation (BART, shuttles, planes) for around ten hours, we found out that the van that we had hired to take us to the hostel was a bit smaller than we had hoped... but, eventually, we squeezed thirteen women, a driver, and almost 30 assorted pieces of luggage into an 11-seater van.

The arrival at the hostel was just as great as we had hoped! Our dormitory is adorable - just six sets of bunks beds sporadically arranged in a big room. We also get lockers, which is really nice, so that we can keep our valuables safe.

After dropping our stuff off at the hostel, our fabulous driver Mario drove us to the Clover Grill at the end of Bourbon Street to get some burgers. The Grill, which attracted many interested characters, played songs over the loudspeaker like "I Will Always Love You" and "I Don't Want No Scrubs." The menu told us that we could dance in the aisles, but nobody danced tonight!

To get to the street car after the Clover Grill, we walked down Bourbon Street, which was a sight to see! Even on a Sunday Bourbon Street was bustling with cat-calling drunken sailors. As a Women's Studies class it was interesting to witness the atmosphere that tourists usually see as "the heart of New Orleans," but Cynthia assured us that New Orleans is about so much more than Bourbon Street. We are trying to experience New Orleans like locals do, and Bourbon Street is the tourist's vision of New Orleans!

On our way home, we made a disheartening discovery - the street cars weren't running that late at night! To avoid having to walk home in the cold weather, we all piled into two taxi cabs and drove back to the hostel.

After our long and interesting day, sleep came easy in The Big Easy!