Activists Reflect On The Tenth Anniversary Of The Storm

Ten years after the devastating storm hit New Orleans and the Gulf South, the city of New Orleans and surrounding communities still face a deluge of obstacles in their efforts to rebuild their neighborhoods in an equitable and authentic way.

The women of New Orleans and the Gulf South have survived the fall out of global warming, failure of public structures, racism, economic hardship, and violence against women. All of these are pieces of the story of violence that continues to impact women here in this country and around the world. 

One decade out, we bear witness to the rebirth of this culturally rich city and the surrounding wetlands being led by incredible activists with a deep understanding of her historical context. 

Carol Bebelle- Letter From The Frontlines Of Katrina Recovery

"I am looking for the things I am for, and how to create them.
I am working to be informed, but not constrained, by numbers.
I am trying to keep my head, when all around me are blaming it on others.
I am trying to be an encourager for us to activate our own personal power, and watch it do its thing as it connects to others creating this magnificent WE!
I am trying to be about beauty.

 In New Orleans we are rising and resisting everywhere." 

In honor of the 10^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Carol Bebelle, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, native New Orleanian & longtime V-Day activist wrote a letter about the ongoing recovery efforts in the city and the need for art in activism in the face of mounting obstacles.

READ the full letter >

GRITtv with Laura Flanders Covers The Ongoing Reconstruction & Recovery

"New Orleans: Recovery or Removal?" 

GRITtv with Laura Flanders and teleSUR English produced a new documentary that explores the intersection of race, class, and gender throughout the reconstruction of New Orleans. 

WATCH the full episode >

"New Orleans: The Economics of Recovery" 

GRITtv continues their coverage of local perspectives on the recovery with an extended interview with a former insider turned outsider Oliver Thomas and poet Sunni Patterson.

WATCH the full episode >

#tbt Remembering Swimming Upstream

Written by 16 New Orleans' women, Swimming Upstream premiered in 2008 at V-Day's "V To The Tenth" celebration and enjoyed subsequent performances in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Houston, New Orleans, NYC, and Santa Fe. Swimming Upstream is a powerful theatrical production that tells the raw and soulful stories of women who lived through the flood with grace, rage and great resiliency, punctuated by a flair for story telling, humor and music that comes from being New Orleanian.

This video is from the premiere of the play at the Superdome in April, 2008.

WATCH the clip >