Mike I’m not sure if you’ll have time to read this…you’re so busy and all lol, I hope I responded according to what u were looking for
Okay, here’s the deal. People are romanticizing pre-Katrina New Orleans. Murder was at an all time high, ish was real a week before Katrina. I remember going to True Brew (a local poetry spot) and taking a moment from poetry to talk about the daily murders happening in New Orleans. Kids killing kids, parents scared of their own children, my generation turning their backs on a confused, effed up public education, survival of the fittest younger generation.
When speaking at the Voting Rally in New Orleans last week, comedian Bill Cosby brought up these issues, leaving us with a question, “What kind of village do we want back in New Orleans?”
Living in New Orleans my entire life, I have gotten to know the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ve experienced the New Orleans Public School System, otherwise known as the pipeline to the Tourism/Hospitality Industry, perpetuating low income jobs for Blacks and Browns in New Orleans, thereby leading to condensed areas in town in which these employees are living (lower 9th ward & housing projects) creating residentially segregated neighborhoods people said they didn’t know existed until Katrina. Lmao. Ha ha! Pre-Katrina, these areas of the city yielded the highest percentages of murders in New Orleans. Some people didn’t know this, but when people don’t tend to look like majority, and it doesn’t happen in the “nice” neighborhoods, these things seem to go unnoticed by society.
Upon waking up Tuesday morning and hearing that there were several breaches in the levee and all of New Orleans had to be evacuated I was numb. The only thought that was in my mind was, “this is what it takes for New Orleans not to have a murder? Katrina was the real Tide that could cleanse blood?”
So upon hearing Cosby ask this question, I immediately thought of these circumstances we were in 8 months ago. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!!! I can blame “the man and his racist tactics/institutions” for so long. I grew up in the lower working class, I’m Black/Puerto Rican, I’m a woman…if we’re counting that’s three…well 2 ½ cause I’m light skinned (lol that’s a joke) But in all seriousness, I understand the odds are against me, but I had…and still have choices to make. Cosby spoke on parents who are scared of their children. My household was different, my moms…well that’s another blog, but I had a family that wasn’t afraid to discipline me when need be, but they weren’t afraid to love me either. I was living in a pre-Katrina New Orleans where babies were having babies, and clearly if this is happening there are already self esteem/body politics/self love issues going on in that household. We need to address these issues. Teen pregnancy isn’t right, but when ish happens we need to deal with it, you don’t just talk about the teen. You try to figure out the problem and help be a part of the solution. Why are we so afraid to talk to the youth??? Why are we so afraid to address the real issues in our communities??? Yeah, I know we are overrepresented in every aspect of the criminal legal system (notice the word legal and not justice) and I understand that because of a racist/capitalist society we live in a large percentage of Blacks and Browns will be born into poverty, attend a poor school system, get a low wage job with little or no benefits and be subject to prejudice by gender, class and race by all of society, including ones who look just like yourself! PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!!!
ACCOUNTABILITY. Just as well as anyone brings up points/constructive criticism about a problem, they are held accountable for what they are willing to do to help. I’m not saying that Cosby is right in everything he says…Brown v. Board speech, once again…another blog. I do believe that was the time and place for those issues to be said…why??? Because clearly they weren’t being addressed anywhere else, we seemed to have forgotten about the pre-Katrina New Orleans. But we have to recognize the media has a way of having a Willie Lynch syndrome towards our issues. http://www.thetalkingdrum.com/wil.html
What type of village do I want back? Well I’m a realist, so I am not expecting a utopia, but I am expecting people to use Katrina as a wake up call. You can’t have an individualistic approach to anything; your community is what you allow it to be. Hate to use this cliché but if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Cosby…well I think he is giving money to the HBCU’s in N.O. that were damaged by Katrina, but that’s his way. Me…well I’ve always worked with the youth (that’s why so many youngins are on my myspace page lol) I don’t want to see them making the same dumb ass mistakes I had to learn from, I’ve learned that education are my tools that will take down the master’s house. You…well, you’re the only person who can decide that, but if you recognize there is a problem, you will be held accountable for your actions towards a solution.
2 comments:
you have my permission
I am all over the place about the future of New Orleans. If things are going as planned (by big businesses, politicians and wealthy New Orleanians) a Second Gentrification will be upon us...the first came during the time of mass interstate building through the Treme area (http://www.tremedoc.com/history.html) and your white flight in the 60s.
Before the storm there were many grassroots organizations against the "rebuilding new Orleans" plans in downtown New Orleans. Treme is downtown as well as many housing developments. Everyone (including certain Trumps) were throwing in their bids for redeveloping the city and building condos downtown. They even proposed a "buyout" program with the people in the Iberville housing development. This particular program began to receive attention from grassroots organizations that united with the tenants and forcefully protested the demolition of the development. http://www.cmaq.net/fr/node.php?id=22167
This protest seemed successful until Katrina hit, forcing the tenants of all these neighborhoods to move out, giving the federal gov’t the power to evict some tenants and charging some with trespassing gov't property if they were planning to move back into the development.
All I have to say is there is an election on the 22nd. I know people who personally were kicked and dragged out of City Hall to ensure my right to vote. I don't mean to go into a PSA or even relive diddy's vote or die campaign, but ish is just that real. And as far as a “chocolate city” goes, lol funny how people’s slogan will change when the Black vote is crucial for reelection.
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