8.29.05

I wrote this in 2007 on the approach of the second anniversary of The Federal Flood aka Hurricane Katrina.

On this alter I offer up my sorrow for my city
My guilt for my survival
My frustration for my helplessness
And all the unspeakable emotions
that roil in my belly in the dark secret of night.

Please hear my cries.

On this alter I offer up the cries of the homeless
Of the lost for their lives
Of the forgotten for their disillusionment
Of the scorned for their undeserved shame.

Please hear their cries.

On this alter I offer up the tears of the rescuers
Who see still the desperate eyes of the struggling
And the empty eyes of the dead.

Please hear their cries.

This is the alter of my transformation
This is the alter of our truth

Left Behind: The Story of NoLA's Public Schools

DVDs Now Available of Left Behind: The Story of the New Orleans Public Schools

FINALLY! DVDs of Left Behind: The Story of the New Orleans Public Schools are now on sale! Click here to go to our website to buy the DVD. From there, choose the BUY DVD button that will take you to our storefront. Versions are available for individual and educational use.

What the Film is About

Left Behind is a 90-minute documentary that tells the story of three African-American high school seniors as they navigate through their final year of high school. Their final year in one of the poorest cities in the state; in a state ranked as the poorest in America; in one of the most violent cities, states and countries in the industrialized world.

The film, shot before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, shows how an uneducated impoverished population reacts under the stress. Our never-before-seen Katrina footage highlights our two-year-long documentary. We show reasons for the looting, rape, murder and mayhem -- the effects our man-made environment has on human behavior. We examine the core of our American values, the framework by which we live, and we show how our most vaunted beliefs and government policies have played a role in our nation's shame.

Interviews with Noam Chomsky, Jessie Jackson, Ice T, Congressmen William Jefferson and Maxine Waters, author Michael Eric Dyson, Jim Derleth (US AID Specialist in development and conflict resolution assigned to East and West Africa) and others accent our narrative.

Click here to go to our website to buy the DVD now!

Hail, Zombie

Congratulations to American Zombie, this year's recipient of the Ashley Award at Rising Tide 4.

The Zombie represents the gold standard of citizen journalism and is richly deserving of this award and of the gratitude of every New Orleanian who fights for justice in our city.

HAIL, ZOMBIE.