I'll Never Forget
Pictured Above: Ms. Cynthia Guillemet (left) and Gaynell Brady (right) at Oliver Bush Park in the Lower 9th Ward preparing for the first annual Hurricane Katrina Commemorative Resource Fair, to be held Aug. 28th.
"I will never forget the day I was in a hotel room in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana watching tv after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. I remember hearing one of the reporters ask why so many people choose to live in a city that constantly floods with every hurricane. I admit I was angry. All I could think to myself was this reporter has never experienced a warm beignet, a hot bowl of gumbo, a second line, or a Mardi Gras parade. This reporter has never listened to live jazz music at Preservation Hall or in Auntie Brenda’s backyard. Even with the loss of my only sister, I will always love the Lower 9th Ward and the City of New Orleans. I will always fight for the place I call home.
New Orleans is a city that could hug you from across the world, and the Lower 9th Ward is the place where you could always find love. I did not experience any form of hatred or prejudice until I left my community. The Lower 9th ward has always been home to the homeless and family for those who are lonely. L9 residents extend their porches to their neighbors and visitors alike. My biggest fear is that we would give in to the concerns of the press and stop the fight. With YOU and your support, we have been fighting for 15 years. We have assisted homeowners with repairs, Road Home compliance, title and clearance issues. We have stood by their sides in their fight against inequitable policies and environmental racism. And moving forward, we will continue to preserve homeownership in the Lower 9th Ward.
We will continue to rebuild the homes that were taken by Hurricane Katrina's flood waters.
Together we will teach homeowners new ways to protect their homes against the effects of climate change.
Hurricane Katrina may have taken our homes and family; but, no storm can take away our desire to fight. Let us use this time of the year to reflect, remember, and rebuild the community that we all love.
Gaynell Brady
L9WHA Executive Director
Join us in our fight. Send in your donation today or make a longer-term commitment and become a sustaining donor at www.L9WHA.org/donate.
Pictured Here: The Lower 9th Ward and the Industrial Canal 2021
L9WHA 16th Anniversary Katrina Commemoration Events
Monday- L9WHA Presents: Linda Jackson Good Neighborhood Awards Presentation - 5:30 pm
Tuesday - Metropolitan Health Services District Presentation - 5:30 pm
Wednesday - Yoga with Swan River Yoga - 7 am - Deslonde St. at the Mississippi River
Thursday - L9 Homecoming: A Conversation with Community Members - 6 pm
Saturday - Inaugural L9 Community Resource Fair - 12 - 4 pm - Oliver Bush Park
Sunday - Unity and Strength March 10 am - 12 pm - MLK Elementary
March and 2nd Line 1:45 pm Jourdan Ave. at Levee Breech
To find out more information or to join us for 1 (or all) of these incredible events on Facebook or in person, visit our website at https://www.l9wha.org/katrina
