- Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins: Five Years After Katrina, the Gulf Is Showing All of Us the Way Forward
- As August draws to a close, we face a somber, sobering anniversary. Five years ago, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The storm — and the horrifying ineptitude of the relief efforts before, during, and after — left the region devastated. Most of those who died or were abandoned to "sink or swim" were poor people, people of color, or both.
- BISCO: Building Capacity, Voice, and Power in Southeastern Louisiana
- In the southeastern Louisiana bayou parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne, BISCO (Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing) builds the voice and power of local residents to address the most pressing issues facing their communities. The disasters of the last five years — Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008, and the BP Oil Drilling Disaster this year — have severely impacted our two parishes. The fallout from these disasters may seem local, but are important regionally and nationally.
- The Alliance Institute: The Quest for Fairness and Equality Continues in the Gulf Region
- Five years after Hurricane Katrina, one of the most striking problems in the recovery from the storm has been that states are exercising too much power and the federal government too little. This imbalance has had a terrible impact on poor communities.
- Mary Queen of Viet Nam: Building a Green Future in the Gulf, from the Ground Up
- After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans residents were scattered all over the country. Rebuilding our community was the most pressing — and most daunting — task facing Mary Queen of Viet Nam Community Development Corporation (MQVN CDC). We organized to help our congregation come home, and about 90% of the people who lived near the church returned.
- Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University
- Five years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, much of our work at the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice has been focused on research, policy, community outreach and assistance, and education needs of the displaced minority population of New Orleans.
