LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE The Neo

Books by Kalamu ya Salaam

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LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE
The Neo-Griot New Orleans Project

Listen to the People Update: Give Thanks

29 November 2005

Never say die.

There is a lot of confusion as to what will happen to New Orleans, but the New Orleans “never say die” spirit is shining brightly through the fog. As we travel around the country interviewing people, it is clear that New Orleans is special. New Orleans culture remains strong even to those natives who were not living in the city when Katrina hit.

Listen To The People is both an important and inspiring project. It is important that we record and share our voices. Experiencing the cultural strength of Katrina survivors is inspirational, both for those who want to return as well as those who may never return.

Listen To The People is now moving into Phase Two. We have moved beyond an idea. We are recording interviews. Our website (www.kalamu.com/listen) is up and running. We are developing long-term partnerships. We have received a seed grant of $10,000.

Interviews
Thus far, we have done the following video interviews:

Adrinda Kelly (18 minutes) – New Orleans native, graduate of McDonogh #35 high school and Harvard University. She was one of the first students to participate in the Students at the Center (SAC) program. She lives and works in New York City as an editor at McGraw Hill Publishing. Adrinda is the director of publications for SAC.
Interviewed: New York City

Niyi and Kemi Osundare (2.5 hours) – Nigerian nationals who were living and working in New Orleans. Niyi is an internationally respected poet and English Professor who was teaching at the University of New Orleans. Kemi is a social worker and nurse who was working at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. After nearly drowning, they were evacuated to Birmingham, and ended up at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire.
Interviewed: Rindge, New Hampshire

Maria Hernandez (3 hours) – Maria is a New Orleans-born, 16-year-old, Afro-Cuban (her parents are from Cuba). She was a senior at Frederick Douglass high school in New Orleans and a SAC student for three years. Maria was in the Superdome during Katrina. Evacuated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Interviewed: Clemson, South Carolina

John Scott (45 minutes) – John is a New Orleans native, visual artist and MacArthur awardee who evacuated the city shortly before Katrina hit and is now living in Houston. John Scott taught at Xavier for over 30 years. Interviewed: Houston, Texas

Towana Pierre (1 hour) – Towana is a New Orleans native, Students at the Center (SAC) graduate from McDonogh #35 high school and Howard University graduate who is now teaching 7th grade reading in Houston, Texas. Towana was teaching at Abramson High School in New Orleans when Katrina hit. Evacuated to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Interviewed: Houston, Texas

Jarvis DeBerry (3 hours) – Jarvis is a Mississippi born columnist & editorial writer for the Times Picayune (New Orleans’ daily newspaper). Jarvis evacuated New Orleans two days after Katrina hit. Shortly thereafter, Jarvis returned to New Orleans and is now living in New Orleans. Interviewed: New Orleans

Mary Shelbia (I hour) – Mary, a New Orleans native and parent of SAC high school student, spent five days on an expressway during Katrina and was then evacuated to San Antonio, Texas. Interviewed: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Kenneth Ferdinand (3 hours) – Kenneth and his wife Melba are the proprietors of Café Rose Nicaud in New Orleans. He is a New Orleans native and survivor of Hurricane Betsy in 1965. Kenneth and Melba evacuated for Hurricane Katrina to St. Francisville, Louisiana but quickly returned and were the first business owners to reopen in the Faubourg Marigny area of the city. Interviewed: New Orleans

Ukali Mwendo (2 hours) – Ukali is a firefighter with the New Orleans Fire Department and a long standing community activist. He was on duty in New Orleans throughout Katrina. Interview: New Orleans

Jose Torres Tama (3 hours) – Jose is a performance artist, visual artist and arts activist, born in Ecuador, South America, reared in the New York/New Jersey/Connnecticut tri-borough area, and spent the last half of 44 years in his adopted home of New Orleans. Jose rode out Katrina and evacuated from the city on the Wednesday night after Katrina hit. Interview: New Orleans

So far, the interviews are going extremely well. I have about four or five more I plan to complete before the end of the year.

Rohn Barras, who is a member of the Neo-Griot Writing Workshop, is also conducting interviews. Rohn is in Houston and has gathered stories in Houston and in New Orleans. She is working on her Masters in Anthropology from Clark-Atlanta. Her interviews focus on cultural memory. We plan to audio stream some of Rhon’s interviews.

Our immediate goal is to stream video and audio interview excerpts on the Listen to the People website (www.kalamu.com/listen) beginning New Year's 2006.

I am also working on a book project with Lola Vollens of Berkeley, CA who is the creator of a series of oral histories called Voice Of Witness. She is currently putting together the latest volume, an oral history of Hurricane Katrina survivors. More on this project as I get more details.

From survivors telling stories to those who just want to help, people across the nation are supportive of our project. The fiduciary agent for Listen To The People is The Renaissance Project, a New Orleans community development organization.

Because conditions in New Orleans, including mail delivery, remain unreliable, The Renaissance Project has an office at the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University. Until New Orleans is stable, all of our financial business will be conducted through the Clemson office.

Donations to Listen To The People may be sent to:

The Renaissance Project
Strom Thurmond Institute
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634

All checks and money orders should be made payable to “The Renaissance Project” with a notation “Listen To The People” on the memo line of the check or money order.

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building the database of volunteers

15 September 2005

This project is designed to document, archive, and share the life experiences of New Orleanians. While we will focus on Katrina-related events, we plan to include selected life stories.

Although 65% to 70% Black, New Orleans had a rich mix of people. For example, one of, if not the largest community of Hondurans outside of Honduras was located in the greater New Orleans area. Over 12,000 Vietnamese lived in New Orleans, principally in New Orleans East, which was entirely flooded. Additionally, the adjoining parishes (counties) of St. Bernard and Plaquemines contained large populations of poor whites. Listen To The People will focus on Black residents, but we will not disappear or ignore other ethnicities and races who lived in the New Orleans area. All voices will be included.

Listen To The People contains three activity levels: 1. existing material, 2. field recordings from writers and interested individuals, and 3. intensive video interviews.

These three levels are designed to offer the maximum opportunity for everyone to participate in building this people-based communications program.

1. Existing Material.
Listen To The People will identify, gather, archive and index existing Katrina-experience documentation. While we do not plan to index every newspaper account, we do want to archive features that focused on first hand experiences, including letters to the editors, op ed pieces, features, audio and video interviews.

We encourage people to send us material in whatever form it may be avaialbe: print, electronic (including physical media such as cassette tape, mini-dv tape, cd reproduction, etc.) as well as internet references. We are particularly interested in receiving material in digital formats.

2. Field Recordings.
The New Orleans Diaspora is spread far and wide across the United States. Writers, activists, or individuals who want to participate are encouraged to record the experiences of evacuees. Although digital formats are desired, analog cassette recordings are acceptable. The important point is to make sure the interviews are clearly recorded.

3. Video Interviews.
The Neo-Griot media crew will conduct in depth interviews with selected individuals. Some of these interviewees will be selected from the “existing material” and the “field recordings” areas of Listen To The People.

This project will work in cooperation with Students at the Center and Douglass Crossroads. Students at the Center is an independent writing program that functioned within the New Orleans public schools over the last ten years. Douglass Crossroads is part of a national initiative at high school reform and improvement, based out of Frederick Douglass High School, located in the ninth ward of New Orleans.

Once the material and interviews are gathered, they will be archived, indexed and listed on the Listen To The People website. Selected interviews will be available as streaming audio and downloadable mp3s. A smaller selection of video interviews will be streamed online.

All interviews will remain the intellectual property of the witnesses and may not be used for any commercial purpose without the written concept of the interviewee (or their guardians).

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Listen To The People

using digital technology to document and share a people’s history from New Orleans
Kalamu ya Salaam / c/o Joseph McCoy / 8222 White Chapel Court / Brentwood, TN 37027 /
504/710-9694 / kalamu.salaam@gmail.com

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kalamu travel update -- building the database of volunteers (9/15/05)
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although the following dates are subject to modification, excepted where noted otherwide, they are confirmed. i invite and encourage e-drummers to attend when they can. please make yourself known to me. i would like to meet as many e-drummers as possible.

these speaking engagements are our main support at this time and are especially important for our listen to the people project. we are not simply looking for money. we need the all around involvement of people. because this is a digital-based project, it will be possible to parcel out sections of each task. because new orleanians have been sent all over the united states, it will be possible for you to participate in a number of different ways.

right now we are building the database of volunteers. as we bring the infrastructure online, we will specify resources needed and specify how people can work on the project from their home, school or office.

we appreciate everyone's input and support. any and all comments are encouraged, we develop best through openness and consensus.

Appearances

kalamu will appear at: cornell university - sunday, 17 sept - tuesday, 19 sept

nyc - thursday 29 sept - monday, 2 oct

(the bowery poetry club on friday, 30 sept. / the caribbean culture center, 1 oct.)

madison, wisconsin - tuesday, 11 0ct - sunday, 16 oct

m.i.t. - 17 or 18 oct. (tentative)

Kalamu ya Salaam / c/o Joseph McCoy / 8222 White Chapel Court / Brentwood, TN 37027
504/710-9694 kalamu.salaam@gmail.com

posted 15 September 2005