Beyond Katrina

Groups seek limits on Mississippi, Gulf pollution

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental groups in nine states have petitioned the federal government to set and enforce pollution standards in the Mississippi River basin and the Gulf of Mexico. The petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency followed Monday's announcement that the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the second largest to date at 8,000 square miles. Continue>>>

To my fellow New Orleanians,

We at the Unified New Orleans Plan would like to thank all of the participants of the Community Congress II for their contribution to the success of the event.

On December 2, 2006, more than 2,500 New Orleanians gathered with the common goal of having their wants and needs heard in reference to the rebuilding process of New Orleans. On this great day in our history, we proved the cynics wrong! The sounds of democracy in practice rang throughout the Morial Convention Center as well as Dallas, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Houston and apathy was repelled by selfless investment in a vision for our city's future.

We were all pleased to find that the demographic profile of participants closely resembled the pre-Katrina census data, allowing us to feel confident that those from all walks of New Orleans life would be heard.

Each topic that was discussed will help in the effort to discern the true priorities of the citizens. The day also allowed New Orleans citizens to be updated on the current recovery efforts already being applied. In the end, much was discovered about the main concerns of our citizens. It was a tremendous success, which could not have been achieved without the diligent contribution of the participating New Orleanians and the unparalleled professionalism of AmericaSpeaks.

Most of us suffer from planning fatigue and levels of frustration which have barely subsided since August 29th, 2005. Nevertheless, we persevere in reverence to our ancestors and in faith for our descendents.

We are in the midst of an historic citizens' movement, one which demands equitable investment in our city, its facilities and citizens.

UNOP's citizen movement, prompted by the most destructive natural disaster in American history, is imperfect. In years to come we will have the luxury of looking back with romanticized memories of rallying the people and delivering a comprehensive, inclusive city-wide recovery plan; today our objective is simple, continuing working with integrity, compassion and an unrelenting sense of purpose, “Let's go get the money”!

Facing the daunting challenges to rebuild our city requires mental fortitude. Each day New Orleanians' must remind ourselves that commitment will be rewarded with progress.

Thank you all,

Vera Triplett

Chair, Community Support Organization

NEW VOICES GULF COAST TRANSFORMATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The New Voices Gulf Coast Transformation Fellowship is a response to the harm and displacement caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Eligible nonprofit organizations will be those located in Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi; in three cities with large numbers of displaced residents (Atlanta, Dallas, or Houston); or in the Gulf Coast regions of Florida or Texas. The New Voices funding will address needs, solve problems, and defend human rights in six sponsored program areas: Human Rights, HIV/AIDS, Immigrant Rights, Racial Justice, Reproductive Rights, and Women’s Rights.

This grant opportunity is an initiative of the New Voices National Fellowship, a program administered by the Academy for Educational Development and made possible with support from the Ford Foundation. New Voices is a national grantmaking initiative focused on leadership development, nonprofit strengthening, and empowering talented individuals from diverse backgrounds. The fellowship enables diverse candidates with compelling backgrounds or interests to launch a career in social justice, even as it supports small nonprofits in staffing up for innovative, impactful human rights work. A unique aspect of the program is that the host nonprofit and its proposed Fellow apply jointly for the grant.

Organizations that conduct policy research and analysis, policy advocacy, litigation, community organizing, popular education, leadership development, and demonstration projects with a systems change approach and an evaluation component are eligible. Organizations that propose to provide only direct services to individuals are not eligible.

For a complete overview, please visit the New Voices web site, http://newvoices.aed.org.

For additional information or feedback, please contact New Voices staff by phone at 202-884-8051, email us at newvoice@aed.org, or send us a letter of intent by Monday, December 4, 2006. Complete grant applications are due on Monday, February 5, 2007.

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