Color of Change looking for Katrina stories

[eridani]

We all know the headlines dominating the public conversation around Hurricane Katrina: politicians making declarations but doing very little, levees not being rebuilt, and thousands of people who want to return home but can't.

But we rarely get a chance to hear Katrina survivors speaking in their own words, talking about where they are today and how they are moving forward to rebuild their lives. On the second anniversary of Katrina, we wanted to connect folks around the country, as directly as possible, to Katrina survivors -- creating a window into their lives. And we wanted to provide a platform for Katrina survivors to make their stories heard, now and into the future.

The result is VoicesFromTheGulf.com. Check it out and participate here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/vfg/?id=2245-102106

VoicesFromTheGulf.com launches today with stories from ten different individuals and families, each with a unique perspective and experience. But that's just the start. In the coming weeks and months, we hope to add hundreds more stories, as survivors who want to share their stories are connected to volunteers who have a video camera and Internet connection. The site makes it easy. Survivors and videographers fill out a simple form and, based on geography, are put in contact with one another. They then get together, shoot their video, and upload it to the VoicesFromTheGulf.com website.

If you have a video camera, and you'd like to interview a Katrina survivor, sign up here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/vfg/camera.html?id=2245-102106

If you're a Katrina survivor and want to share your experiences, sign up here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/vfg/survivor.html?id=2245-102106

As the media moves on to other stories, a living collection of testimony is critical. It puts the stories of survivors at the center of the dialogue around a just rebuild. And it informs those of us who want to support Katrina survivors with knowledge about who they are and what they need.

The failures during Hurricane Katrina were a failure of America as a community. But the stories of people reaching out, connecting, and helping one another during and immediately after the storm showed Americans at our best. If America doesn't want to fail the Gulf Coast again -- if we want to help -- we have to stay connected. VoicesFromTheGulf.com is about making this connection happen.

We hope you'll join us in sharing and hearing these stories.

Thank You and Peace,

James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team