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In New Orleans, Black and Brown Rebuild Lives Together
A young Latino comes to New Orleans to find Latinos helping African
Americans in the task rebuilding their city in mutual respect and
cooperation.
By Adrian Avila, New America Media, Youth News Feature
NAM Editor's Note: A young writer travels to New Orleans
and finds unity and respect among Latinos and African Americans.
Adrian Avila, 21, is a writer with Silicon Valley Debug (www.siliconvalleydebug.com),
a project of New America Media. He traveled to New Orleans in May.
NEW ORLEANS–In this injured city, a lot of people have lost more
than just their homes and belongings. In a way, they have lost a
piece of their lives.
One would think that in a time of disaster the government would come
to the aid of its people — young children left without homes,
grandmothers left to live out their last days in a strange place.
But instead, it is Latino immigrant workers who are helping piece
back together a predominately black city that the government has
forsaken.
The Latino presence in New Orleans pre-Katrina was miniscule, barely
2 percent. Now, an influx of Latino workers is changing the city's
demographics. It is estimated that 100,000 Latinos have moved in
around the area. Many have come to extend a helping hand and to find
work.
I am visiting New Orleans nine months after Katrina, but a lot of
people are just now making an effort to rebuild their homes -- many
of them without any of the promised aid from any government agency.
Most families who can't wait for assistance any longer are financing
their reconstruction with their savings. Almost all of the people I
interview are African-Americans and have been living in New Orleans
for most of their lives. All have Latino workers, both "legal" and
"illegal," helping them rebuild.
Most of the workers I speak with are Latino, but not necessarily
Mexican. In fact, a majority are from South American countries, and
some from the United States. Many of them came over legally through
the aid of private contractors who wanted them to work a number of
jobs. And any job is up for grabs, from janitorial work in hotels to
rebuilding the hotels. The workers do it all, and they do it with
pride. They tell me they are proud to be able to help out people who
have been hit with such a big disaster.
Ivan, a 23-year-old worker, came over from Bolivia to escape a
desperate situation. He says that now his life waiting for him back
home looks a lot better, due to the fact that he now has money to
build a new home and provide for his family.
In a way, he left a personal disaster to arrive in a place of public
disaster, and will soon return to a newly rebuilt life. I see a lot
of this among the workers. They aren't just rebuilding the city, but
rebuilding their own lives. In the meantime, they call hotels homes,
sometime up to five people living a one room for up to a year.
Carlos Corona came over from Houston, Texas, to help with the
rebuilding. "I understand that the city is in need of great help,
and I can help with the skills that I know," says Corona, originally
from Mexico. He brought a lot of his friends with him, and as a team
they work quickly because they understand that every day that passes
is one of great importance to the people of New Orleans.
"The people of this city have been very appreciative for the work
that we do," Corona says. "I only wish the rest of the country was
like this."
Derrick Johnson is one of the appreciative residents Carlos is
speaking about. Johnson is a multiple homeowner whose houses were
destroyed by Katrina. He speaks to me outside of his two-story home
as it is being repaired by nine immigrant workers. I've heard
stories of tension between the local black community and the Latino
work force, so I ask Johnson how he feels about the new immigrant
workers.
"I feel that the immigrant workers are saviors sent to help the
people of New Orleans get our lives together," he says. "They come
and work hard and work fast. They know how to work and just really
want to help out."
In a city that in many ways now resembles a Third World country, I
see nothing to support the claim of conflict between black and
brown. On the contrary, again and again I hear how thankful the
African-American community is for the quick response of the
immigrant workers after Katrina hit.
Part of the support coming from residents is a recognition that
sometimes the Latino contractors are working in harsh conditions for
little compensation. Guy Phillips, a resident of New Orleans for
eight years, says that he is thankful for the mainly immigrant work
force, given the harsh stories of mistreatment he has heard. "I know
that the workers are getting paid far less money than U.S. workers,
and have to put up with a dangerous environment," Phillips says.
"But they are still working hard to get our city normal again, so I
give them a lot of respect." Many residents like Phillips waited for
government assistance in the rebuilding, but it never came.
New Orleans was once a center of world culture, a place where people
could come and see old fashioned living and experience good food.
Now a trip to New Orleans will show how disaster can change the
social structure in even the most powerful of nations. The
aftermath, however, is not all tragedy. There is a feeling of unity,
in particular among blacks and Latinos, people who are not even
necessarily from the same country and yet are working together. With
the ever-present possibility of more hurricanes hitting New Orleans,
we can only pray that the bond that all of those different cultures
have formed will hold together, even if the levees do not.
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In New Orleans, Black and Brown Rebuild Lives Together
A young Latino comes to New Orleans to find Latinos helping African
Americans in the task rebuilding their city in mutual respect and
cooperation.
By Adrian Avila, New America Media, Youth News Feature
NAM Editor's Note: A young writer travels to New Orleans
and finds unity and respect among Latinos and African Americans.
Adrian Avila, 21, is a writer with Silicon Valley Debug (www.siliconvalleydebug.com),
a project of New America Media. He traveled to New Orleans in May.
NEW ORLEANS–In this injured city, a lot of people have lost more
than just their homes and belongings. In a way, they have lost a
piece of their lives.
One would think that in a time of disaster the government would come
to the aid of its people — young children left without homes,
grandmothers left to live out their last days in a strange place.
But instead, it is Latino immigrant workers who are helping piece
back together a predominately black city that the government has
forsaken.
The Latino presence in New Orleans pre-Katrina was miniscule, barely
2 percent. Now, an influx of Latino workers is changing the city's
demographics. It is estimated that 100,000 Latinos have moved in
around the area. Many have come to extend a helping hand and to find
work.
I am visiting New Orleans nine months after Katrina, but a lot of
people are just now making an effort to rebuild their homes -- many
of them without any of the promised aid from any government agency.
Most families who can't wait for assistance any longer are financing
their reconstruction with their savings. Almost all of the people I
interview are African-Americans and have been living in New Orleans
for most of their lives. All have Latino workers, both "legal" and
"illegal," helping them rebuild.
Most of the workers I speak with are Latino, but not necessarily
Mexican. In fact, a majority are from South American countries, and
some from the United States. Many of them came over legally through
the aid of private contractors who wanted them to work a number of
jobs. And any job is up for grabs, from janitorial work in hotels to
rebuilding the hotels. The workers do it all, and they do it with
pride. They tell me they are proud to be able to help out people who
have been hit with such a big disaster.
Ivan, a 23-year-old worker, came over from Bolivia to escape a
desperate situation. He says that now his life waiting for him back
home looks a lot better, due to the fact that he now has money to
build a new home and provide for his family.
In a way, he left a personal disaster to arrive in a place of public
disaster, and will soon return to a newly rebuilt life. I see a lot
of this among the workers. They aren't just rebuilding the city, but
rebuilding their own lives. In the meantime, they call hotels homes,
sometime up to five people living a one room for up to a year.
Carlos Corona came over from Houston, Texas, to help with the
rebuilding. "I understand that the city is in need of great help,
and I can help with the skills that I know," says Corona, originally
from Mexico. He brought a lot of his friends with him, and as a team
they work quickly because they understand that every day that passes
is one of great importance to the people of New Orleans.
"The people of this city have been very appreciative for the work
that we do," Corona says. "I only wish the rest of the country was
like this."
Derrick Johnson is one of the appreciative residents Carlos is
speaking about. Johnson is a multiple homeowner whose houses were
destroyed by Katrina. He speaks to me outside of his two-story home
as it is being repaired by nine immigrant workers. I've heard
stories of tension between the local black community and the Latino
work force, so I ask Johnson how he feels about the new immigrant
workers.
"I feel that the immigrant workers are saviors sent to help the
people of New Orleans get our lives together," he says. "They come
and work hard and work fast. They know how to work and just really
want to help out."
In a city that in many ways now resembles a Third World country, I
see nothing to support the claim of conflict between black and
brown. On the contrary, again and again I hear how thankful the
African-American community is for the quick response of the
immigrant workers after Katrina hit.
Part of the support coming from residents is a recognition that
sometimes the Latino contractors are working in harsh conditions for
little compensation. Guy Phillips, a resident of New Orleans for
eight years, says that he is thankful for the mainly immigrant work
force, given the harsh stories of mistreatment he has heard. "I know
that the workers are getting paid far less money than U.S. workers,
and have to put up with a dangerous environment," Phillips says.
"But they are still working hard to get our city normal again, so I
give them a lot of respect." Many residents like Phillips waited for
government assistance in the rebuilding, but it never came.
New Orleans was once a center of world culture, a place where people
could come and see old fashioned living and experience good food.
Now a trip to New Orleans will show how disaster can change the
social structure in even the most powerful of nations. The
aftermath, however, is not all tragedy. There is a feeling of unity,
in particular among blacks and Latinos, people who are not even
necessarily from the same country and yet are working together. With
the ever-present possibility of more hurricanes hitting New Orleans,
we can only pray that the bond that all of those different cultures
have formed will hold together, even if the levees do not.
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Pacific News Service
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Copyright by Pacific News Service and New American Media. All
rights reserved.
Founded in 1969, Pacific News Service is a nonprofit media
organization dedicated to bringing the seldom heard, often most
misunderstood or ignored voices and ideas into the public forum. PNS
produces a daily news syndicate and sponsors magazine articles,
books, TV segments and films.
New American Media (formerly New
California Media) is a nationwide association of over 700 ethnic
media organizations representing the development of a more inclusive
journalism. Founded in 1996 by Pacific News Service, NAM promotes
ethnic media through
events
such as the Ethnic Media Expo and Ethnic Media Awards,
a
National Directory of Ethnic Media, and such initiatives as the online feature
Exchange Headlines from Ethnic Media,
offering top headlines digested from
ethnic media worldwide, updated five days a week.
IMDiversity.com is committed to presenting diverse points of view.
However, the viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of
the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or
employees at IMD.
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