Into Christmas Day

Yesterday I heard from a Dartmouth alumus in New Orleans. He saw an article written about Mosaic in the local New Orleans newspaper Time Picayune. I was delighted to hear from him. He's been in the city most of the time since Katrina, and he and other IT professionals have been helping bring businesses and employees together and generally helping form virtual communities.

The day before that I met Dr. Beverley Wright of Dillard Univeristy, who's the director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. We began discussion of a small near-term research grant to contribute towards New Orleans repopulation issues. Talking to her took me back to my feeling immediately after seeing the city in New Orleans in November, and she's come independently to the same sentiment. It's time to clean up the city. This must be a growing sentiment, because returning residents and other volunteers are beginning to do this in more organized ways.

Even the mass demolition project in St. Bernard's Parish (which I read about this morning) suggests an undercurent of residents taking action, in ways that fit the circumstances of their particular blocks and neighborhoods.

Rebuilding and recovery is beginning to emerge "from the bottom up."