spring break reflection

Dear America,

How's it going? By now, headlines of Hurricane Katrina are decomposing in landfills and have been replaced with more recent news of tumultuous disasters world-wide. The floods in the Philippines, the earthquake in Haiti, the earthquake in Chile, the devastation in the Middle East that we gloss over because the stories have been told so many times it doesn't hurt us as sharply as it did when news broke for the first time. Katrina is a disaster easily forgotten because, after all, we're the United States! We're powerful and resilient and bounce back like a yo-yo when we're met with tragedy. I'm here to tell you that after a week in the vibrant city of New Orleans- there's still pain that stings as sharply as it did on Aug 29, 2005. Don't misunderstand me. The people of New Orleans are proud that the essence of their culture has not only prevailed but thrived in the wake of such turmoil. They have NOT been sitting around waiting for help. There is a fierceness in their courage and resilience that challenges each out-of-towner to NOT fall in love with the city, the surroundings, the people. They KNOW that their stories will grab our hearts and they are extremely humbled at the outpour of support that has come their way since the flood. Chris Rose, a former gossip columnist turned author post-Katrina, chronicles the disaster not as a "federal flood" as it is so commonly referred to but as "the success of the human spirit"--both in the support of the United States as a greater community reaching out in aid and also in the locals who refuse to give up on their city.

I'm not writing with the presumption that I understand at all what the people of New Orleans have been challenged with. I have never been faced with the amount of loss that they have. I'm writing from the perspective of curiosity--curiosity in a culture of a world that is reconstructing its history and its communities. I was welcomed with open arms and open hearts and return that way, asking you, America, with open arms and an open heart to allow your heart and soul to be grabbed by New Orleans. I traveled with Shirts Across America, a Seattle-based, student-led group and worked with St. Bernard Project to install insulation, drywall, and begin the mudding process on a house for a well-deserving family of 6 living in a FEMA trailer. The experience was incredible and if you're presented with opportunity, I encourage you to go down and build. They estimate 15-20 years before St. Bernard Parish and the Lower 9th Ward even begin to resemble what they did before the hurricane. Please help expedite that recovery! There are countless concrete slabs that once provided the framework for neighborhoods that need rebuilding. It's haunting to drive through neighborhoods that once held so much life but are currently abandoned in hope that they'll be targeted as the next block that needs rebuilding. If traveling south isn't feasible, I encourage you to explore the St. Bernard Project website and get impassioned to spread the word of the work that still needs to be done.

Obama's face is still on my wall. Progress is still a word I believe in. New Orleans is a part of our national community. Please be an active member in helping rebuild our community.

Sincerely,

Rachel

(above) abandoned lot, photo courtesy of Laura Deloach

(left) church- untouched since the storm, photo courtesy of Alex Tsway