NOLA News Updates

On my first night in New Orleans, I listened as a guest speaker and Nawlins native gave a presentation on the state of the city. His photos and stories moved me, but the most memorable part of his speech was his one-line motto that summed everything up: "WE WILL NOT BE SILENT." That's the message I took with me when I left the city and returned to my everyday life. And it's time I started acting on it.

The situation down in Louisiana is a complex web of hope and despair, progress and decay, opportunity and disadvantage, blame and neglect. The news cycle has long since moved on to sexier topics, and the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality of the news media keeps the depth and complexity of the true New Orleans story from being widely understood. Many Americans don't realize how badly New Orleans needs their help. Partly, that's because nobody's telling them the whole story. But we've been there, we know the truth -- and we will not be silent.

Each month, I will compile articles, news items, and opinion pieces about New Orleans and post the links here in the blog. They will serve as an ongoing chronicle of the dire situation down South. I hope you'll take a moment to read some of them. New Orleans needs your help -- not just your donations or volunteer labor, but your HEART, your sense of compassion and justice, your belief that our nation will not abandon its wind-whipped and flood-damaged brothers and sisters. The city needs your support, your attention, and your faith. You may not be able to single-handedly fix the city, but by learning about its story -- and telling that story to others -- you'll help focus energy and attention toward the Gulf Coast and make rebuilding New Orleans a priority in the minds of Americans.

Until every heart beats in the rhythm of the jazz saints, we will not be silent.

Some recent news items on New Orleans:

• "Senators at Louisiana Hearing Criticize Federal Recovery Aid" - Three United States senators sounded off on Monday about the slow pace of recovery from Hurricane Katrina at a hearing in the French Quarter, criticizing federal officials for perceived inequities in aid to Louisiana and for imposing rules that are halting government assistance. Read more here...

• To give you a sense of the extreme good and bad that make New Orleans so complicated, see these two articles:

• "Murders in Post-Katrina New Orleans Reach Staggering Levels" - Statistics indicate that 2006 murder rates were the highest in Jefferson Parish (the area surrounding metro New Orleans) since 1980. According to the Sheriff's Office, murder increased 123.1 percent, assault 64.6 percent and burglary 40.6 percent. Read more here...

• "Dreams Come True Amid Devastation" - Southern Oaks Plantation and its owner, Robert Asaro, were recognized with top honors during the Wedding Professionals Guild annual awards luncheon. Voted "Reception Venue of the Year" for 2006, Southern Oaks Plantation is located in one of the most devastated neighborhoods of New Orleans, and was one of the first businesses in the area to reopen following Hurricane Katrina. With no help from the local, state, or federal government, Mr. and Mrs. Asaro resorted to flagging down passing utility trucks and using cold drinks and sandwiches as incentives to get jobs completed. Finally, after four months of working and waiting, on January 6, 2006, the gates of Southern Oaks Plantation opened once again. Read more here...

Keep your eyes on this blog for monthly news updates and stories of the city's progress. If you find an article that touches you, PLEASE don't be silent. Share it with your friends and family. Pass it around your office. Help spread the word. Thank you.