It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region, and tens of thousands of families are still without homes. 30,000 families are scattered across the country in FEMA apartments, 13,000 are in trailers, and hardly any of the 77,000 rental units destroyed in New Orleans have been rebuilt.
Robert Greenwald and Brave New Foundation want to make sure that those families have a voice. When the Saints Go Marching In tells heartbreaking stories that represent the anguish of so many: The Aguilar family lost their home and received only $4,000 from the insurance company. Mr. Washington, an 84-year-old former carpenter, owned three homes prior to the storm, but is still living in a FEMA trailer. Julie can't return to her job and normal life because the government won't open the public housing she lived in prior to the storm. There are literally thousands of people living through similar nightmares, and it's critical we don't forget them.
Please sign the petition supporting Senator Dodd's Gulf Coast Recovery Bill. The petition is available at whenthesaints.org
One of Ella Baker Center's partner organizations, ColorOfChange.org, has just launched Voices From The Gulf, a new campaign to collect Katrina survivors' stories in their own words. Currently, there are 10 stories featured, with plans to collect hundreds more as survivors and volunteers collaborate to produce their own movies.
