This time of year seems to require a lot of reflection. Some look back at just the last year, others the last decade. I seem to spend a lot of time in early December, 1862. I know it seems like a bit of a stretch but hold on with me. It was a cold year in America. Civil War was raging and not even a year old. The outcome was seriously in doubt and Lincoln had just issued the first of his Proclamations of Emancipation. Addressing Congress Lincoln said:
“We can succeed only by concert. It is not "can any of us imagine better?" but, "can we all do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”
“The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.” Lincoln is still speaking to each of us. We just have to listen.
I’ve been trying to listen more and talk less. I spent the early part of December in New Orleans with friends and neighbors mourning the passing and celebrating the life of our friend Pam Dashiell. In between the funeral and the neighborhood Christmas Party I had a lot of time to just wander around Holy Cross and talk to old friends. We talked about Katrina, life afterwards, issues with the handicapped ramps at MLK Elementary and the things that you talk about when you’re walking the levee watching the Manitowac work its trade on the Mississippi. Then I spent some time searching for interviews Pam had given throughout the years. Pam made it onto NPR a few times in 2005 and 2006 discussing issues with the neighborhood coming back, soil contamination and the things that you do when you’re fighting for what you love. It was good to hear her voice. It reminds me of how far we have come.
It has been one more year. The ending of the year brought the 1,586th day since Katrina. Time can seem to pass all too quickly and change comes all too slowly. From time to time we have to stop and really look back to see that we are making progress.
In the last 365 days we’ve seen a lot of change in Holy Cross and the Lower Ninth Ward. MRGO has been deemed the disaster we all know it was and rightfully closed (in theory but not action). The Army Corp of Engineers has been told that many of the issues leading to flooding of NOLA were squarely on their shoulders. The contest to seek new leadership at City Hall has begun and we are guaranteed a new face and hopefully a clear direction for continuing the rebirth of the Crescent City.
Yet, in all things we must not only look to why things went wrong but how we can rise above static and look forward. More residents spent Christmas in their own home, some for the first time since 2005. New Orleans is forecasted to be one of the best housing markets in 2010. New Orleans and Louisiana in general have seen a significantly lower rate of unemployment measured against the national average. The questions around rebuilding in New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward no longer orbit around ‘if we should’ but ‘what barriers in new building can we break in the process.’
We’ve also seen a lot of change in Historic Green. We have achieved autonomy with our own 501(c)3 status as a non-profit. Elected our first official Board of Directors led by Jeremy Knoll. We brought over 400 volunteers down to Lower Nine for our second annual two week rebuild. Working with the Preservation Resource Center we designed and began the process of constructing the first LEED Platinum commercial building in Louisiana, a home for our partners at the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. Finally, we ended the year financially in the black. A remarkable feat unto itself and one we need your help to continue by donating here (http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=195488)
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has been a part of our work in New Orleans. There are just too many to list them here. I wrote this letter with the help of Glen David Andrews album ‘Walking Through Heaven’s Gate.’ I recommend it to everyone.
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