Well,
We are almost complete with our first day of Project Dignity. Wow, just is not enough to cover the experience. We have been working on the Martinez school. This school house was established over 77 years ago. There are two FEMA trailers in the school's yard with one of them belonging to one of the participants and Team New Orleans members, Urick. The school house is below two apartment sized homes. The one we gutted out had not been opened for two years. Email can not have me appropriately describe the heat in that space, the level of devastation to the property and the smell. The fridge also had not been opened for two years. Well the smell of that sent me running to the street gagging. Imagine worms, cockroaches, rats droppings, rotting food, things liveing and dead all combined. The fridge had to be cleaned in order for us to move it. My new list of heros included the youth, especially the young ladies, who are better people than me because even in the face of that smell, they took everything out so that the fellas could bring it out to the street. I'm present to how perfect the "team" was because we all made a contribution to the transformation of this schoohouse. It was hard, confronting, sad, joyous, rewarding, and incredibly satisfying. I am pleasantly exhausted.
The picture I took of the graduating class of 2005
was on the wall really symbolizing for me how the structure has been frozen in time, books destroyed, school furniture ruined, photos lost. That being said, the transformation of the space means that soon there will be the pitter patter of little feet again and the children who attend will know that black people helped to reclaim their school. We did that. I did that!
We are almost complete with our first day of Project Dignity. Wow, just is not enough to cover the experience. We have been working on the Martinez school. This school house was established over 77 years ago. There are two FEMA trailers in the school's yard with one of them belonging to one of the participants and Team New Orleans members, Urick. The school house is below two apartment sized homes. The one we gutted out had not been opened for two years. Email can not have me appropriately describe the heat in that space, the level of devastation to the property and the smell. The fridge also had not been opened for two years. Well the smell of that sent me running to the street gagging. Imagine worms, cockroaches, rats droppings, rotting food, things liveing and dead all combined. The fridge had to be cleaned in order for us to move it. My new list of heros included the youth, especially the young ladies, who are better people than me because even in the face of that smell, they took everything out so that the fellas could bring it out to the street. I'm present to how perfect the "team" was because we all made a contribution to the transformation of this schoohouse. It was hard, confronting, sad, joyous, rewarding, and incredibly satisfying. I am pleasantly exhausted.
The picture I took of the graduating class of 2005
was on the wall really symbolizing for me how the structure has been frozen in time, books destroyed, school furniture ruined, photos lost. That being said, the transformation of the space means that soon there will be the pitter patter of little feet again and the children who attend will know that black people helped to reclaim their school. We did that. I did that!
