The Last Day

I am overwhelmed with emotions. I want to cry, get angry, laugh, think, sleep, but most of all...remember.

I had played a basketball game last night so I slept hard like a rock. I woke up with such excitement! Rachel, Jon and myself had been working on fixing up these old wooden porch chairs. We were supposed to paint them red, white, and off-white to match the color scheme with the house. First, we removed the rusty screws and replaced them with new ones. It was very time consuming. I love to paint and the artist in me is very anal so I knew it was going to be challenging for me. The truck came today so the lot had to be emptied of all the trash and bricks that occupied it. The exterior of the house had to be primed and painted, its metal fence had to be painted with enamel, and the shutter were still being scraped and painted. I was so concentrated and determined to get those chairs finished that lunch had crept up on me with surprise. It was over pretty quickly and the rest of the afternoon went by pretty fast as well. I had finished two chairs with the help of Kevin, Renee, and Rachel. Under my favorite chair, I had written today's date and my initials.

As a group, I think we did a fantastic job. No one was injured, everyone got along, there was a good healthy spirit in the air, it was amazing. I will take everything from this trip and apply it to my life. Not only can we do good work here, but we can also do it back at home in Los Angeles. I should not be so quick to pass judgment on people because I was surprised several times throughout this experience. I am truly blessed in life, and I will not take anything for granted. This has been the best week of my life and I am so sad to see it end. I've seen myself grow as a person, and I've seen the others around me grow as well. I am really happy because I had always expressed such disappointment, concern, anger, and sadness on the Hurricane Katrina/New Orleans devastation issue. It feels so good to have finally done something about it! I am slightly sunburned, full of peanut butter and jelly, dirty, and feeling accomplished.

Thanks to: Renee, Vanidy, Stephanie, Tiffny, Noel and the crew of Annunciation, Amanda and Jessica,Herman and Rick, and especially the students of ASB New Orleans 2009. You have truly made a difference in my life and I will never forget it.

Vania Ellison
Resident of Building 6
Deaf Studies Major

I will never forget (ASB Day 4)

Flowing streams of tears fill
swollen eyes shut from drowning sorrow.
Never to have known a levee.
So many questions unanswered.
Screaming souls at the bottom of the river.

Silenced.

Loud echoes fill my eardrums.
And I am tormented.
Markings on walls leave
memories from the forgotten victims.

And I am silenced.

Yet, I still remember.
I remember the cries.
I remember the hopelessness.
I remember Hurricane Katrina.

How could I forget?
I gather my tools.
And I implement my faith.

Splintered hands leave
marks of remembrance.
How could I forget?

I look up and there lies
the water line in the Schumaker's home
from the disaster.

How could I forget?

Riding in a caravan with agents of change.
Making note of the abandonment
and seeing Flood St.

How could I forget?

Empowerment is only valuable
if you implement change.

New Orleans I can hear your cries.
And I will never forget.
Your culture.
Your history.
Your story.

How could I forget?

Vanidy Bailey
Community Director
CSUN Student Housing
ASB Co-Advisor

Why Is This Day Different From All Other Days?

On all other days, it's business as usual. On this day, we take a step back to gain new perspective on ourselves, on New Orleans, and on the world.

Today is the first day of Passover, the celebration of G-d's redeeming the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. It marks the beginning of a week filled with family, tradition, ritual, food (though restricted), and for many, thoughtful reflection.

Today is also the last day of our time here volunteering in New Orleans. It marks the end of a week filled with friends, hard work, learning, celebrating, and thoughtful reflection. But it's also a beginning for this team -- the beginning of a strong community at CSUN committed to service and social justice. The beginning of a new understanding of the differences that separate us and the commonalities that unite us. The beginning of a movement among students to make a difference in their world - globally and locally.

I am inspired by this team's investment in their own experience. Each person contributed something of him or herself to make this ASB meaningful for all of us. Each member of the team has made a commitment to utilize this trip as a catalyst for action at home. My own spirit is buoyed by their unbridled enthusiasm and optimism.

There is only one thing left to say: Thank you.


Renée Cohen Goodwin
Executive Director
CSUN Hillel (Jewish Student Center)

Third day

Today is the third day and I can finally say that we as group have bonded and scratched the surface of knowing each other and we are having more meaningful conversation. I can see this not just by conversation, but at the work site when people are separating from their groups and working with other people that they normally did not work with. It seems everyone has let their guard down and we can actually see what we are all about, which makes the group closer. On the work site we have finished doing most of the cleaning and now we are focusing on more meticulous jobs like fixing the chairs and taking off primer off the walls; these jobs take more focus, but go a long way.

David Haft
Major: Sociology

The Light of Hope Shining Through the Rubble (Day 3)

So today was the third day of working on the house. After I accidentally woke up late and I barely made it to the van before we left, ASB finally arrived at the work site. Since we had finished cleaning the yard during day two, I decided it was time to do something a little different. I made an effort to sand and reassemble wooden chairs for the porch. At first this job to me seemed small and unworthy. Why would I want to fix chairs when other students were finishing up yard work or recreating the inside of the house? I realized during this time that this small project was not so small after all. The chairs that I was fixing were a detail that the homeowner would notice when they finally saw the completed job. It might not have been the most significant to me, but this tiny task will make a difference in the life of someone further down the road.

Rachel Silverman
Modern Judaic Studies
Resident Building 11

Reality As It Is (ASB Day 3)

The Declaration of Independence emphatically proclaims that, “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I would argue that the now notorious assertions made by the Declaration of Independence have become bankrupt in their application to reality. How can one have Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness without being given the tools to preserve them? American democracy thrives on the notion that the least among us have the same opportunities and rights as any citizen, however, the vestiges of Hurricane Katrina denote the more than apparent fact that societal and governmental hypocrisy is alive and flourishing. I have always known that oppression and discrimination existed in American society, however, this trip has shown me that an overflow of both can be detrimental not only to the citizens affected, but to the community at large. Appropriate policy implementation can only be held liable for a portion of the devastation seen in the greater New Orleans area, at some point the essence of humanity was forgotten, either purposely or through human error. The basic structure of humanity relies, to a certain extent, on the goodwill, compassion, empathy, and cooperation of all individuals within a society. This trip has shown me that that dependency is no longer a viable expectation; it has merely become an intangibility. Each morning as we drive to the work site of the home we are helping to restore I cannot help but become angry, frustrated, and downright pissed off. When did it become acceptable to leave entire neighborhoods bare of resources? I find myself lamenting on my inability to give a plausible explanation for this occurrence; My entire life has been built on the notion that the government cares about its constituents; that it was unfathomable to believe that government assistance was not readily available to any citizen. I now know for a fact that governmental assistance is stipulated upon ridiculous benchmarks and inconceivable social constructs of race, creed and mainly socioeconomic status. I am extremely proud of the work we have accomplished, the relationships I have forged and the dialogues I have had the pleasure of partaking in. Despite all the devastation and inhumane conditions we have been exposed to, we have all rallied around one singular and profound goal: Helping Another Human Being.


Devin O'Neal, Sophomore
Political Science
Resident of Building 10

Tree Branches

Today started with a pile of tree branches bigger than a minivan. Our task-- break down and compact the pile with our bare hands.(Okay, with our work-glove-covered hands...) "This is just ridiculous!" I exclaimed, "Do they really expect us to do this by hand?" Thus began my lesson in doing things with love and patience, the good old-fashioned way. I started to learn something about myself that I'm not quite sure I would have learned in any setting other than this particular street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

It's about being positive. And unfortunately, I'm not the world's most positive person. In fact, I think I've just about worn out the adage, "I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being realistic." It was perfectly characteristic that I approached this large task with such a cynical, biting remark. Then, all at once, something clicked. One of my friends trotted past toting a 10-foot branch and said, "Hey, Amanda, wanna give me a hand with this one?" How could she so easily pounce on a job that a couple of power tools and a dump truck could have done in half the time? I suddenly felt sheepish for being such a moron! There I was, in New Orleans with my heart set on helping people, and yet I wasn't doing it with a happy heart. I was still worrying! I was still dwelling on the negative aspects of my situation. After all the fundraising and meetings and long hours spent to get here, all I could do was worry and fret. That's the moment when it began to make sense. Yes, there was definitely a more efficient way to tackle this pile of wood. But did it really matter? Was there any point in dwelling on the negative? Of course not! I had my friends around me hacking away at that pile. They are soooo much better than a box of power tools.

So that's my new goal. No more negativity. The small annoyances are simply that-- small, trivial annoyances. There are so many more things in this world that can benefit from the energy I spend fretting.

I took a deep breath, turned to my friend, and said, "Yep, let's kill this sucker! I bet we can all get this done by the end of the day!" And that's exactly what we did.

Amanda Roth
Major- Religious Studies

ASB, DAY 3

Today we put a great dent in the reconstruction of Ms. Shumakers home. With great effort we accomplished tasks that seemed as if they were going to be time consuming. I felt an overwhelming love and a sense of community as we primed, painted, scraped, and did carpentry to the house. We were a community, all the way from Los Angeles, CA. This brings a new perspective on the things in my community and how little help is accessible in the greater Los Angeles community. Although it is present, we never realize how great of an impact we can make in our own community. I know at times it feels as if the task is impossible and we often leave it to the city to implement their policies which we have voted for. However, we must not forget that in almost everything their are flaws, mishaps, confusion. Just like the problems of New Orleans and the little efforts that the government has made with their reconstruction. As Dr. DuBose said, we have traveled about 3,000 miles to help a different city, community, state, and people. Although we are all American citizens, what are the efforts being done in our community? How can we stop things like Katrina, or prevent issues of the recession that affect the Los Angeles community and leaves it in destitution? So the question was posed: What you will do to implement change in your community? Because I am young I felt that the hardest change is within yourself. This means your mindset, your perspective and how you view the world. By shining a light on issues that effect you daily, by helping in your community to the best of your ability, and to have a feeling of motivation and happiness from your effect in your community will help others as your light will illuminate others to their capabilities, responsibilities, and how they can change your community. With the plight of Los Angeles, there is not enough community strength and maybe this will build the efforts and create a stronger bond by changing your overall mindset, which I plan to do.


Deshonay Dozier
Child Development Major
Resident of Building 2

A Different Perspective

We arrived to our work site the first day and in between two houses was a huge pile of rubble and we had to clean it up. By the second day we organized the area and it looks completely different than it did two days ago. I had a different perspective when I learned from a speaker on the first day that it was not a natural disaster, but a government disaster. All over the news it was presented to me that Katrina was a natural disaster caused by the hurricanes, but really what was going on was the government did not want to rebuild the area, they just wanted to turn their heads and pretend it never happened. They tried to do so when they declared New Orleans an unsafe place to live. When in comparison Los Angeles was quickly rebuilt after the Northridge earthquake and an earthquake can hit at any time. Not to mention that the government knew the levees were not designed to withhold a huge hurricane.

David Haft
Major: Sociology

ASB Second day

So today was a great start, we began the morning bright and early and began working at 8:30am. When we got there we had to start up where we left off yesterday. I had been working on the collecting of bricks and we had a huge pile in the yard. I decided I didn't want to miss out on any of the types of work so I wanted to try something new in the morning and work my way around to each activity. I started working on some chipping of paint on one of the doors. We have a lot of areas to remove and repaint so I started working on that and spent sometime with those workers in the morning. After that I went back outside checking to make sure everyone was having fun and had all their equipment. When I finished that I got to work on the yard. We started clearing this big lot and needed to get all of trash and junk out of the yard before the end of the week and put it in the giant dumpster. We did some raking, some breaking of wood and after a long day we had most of the lot organized and the dumpster full. I also got a chance to paint the side of the house which really was a great feeling. I know that the yard work is important but painting a house made the entire day feel like we are really working hard and making a difference. I really am so thankful for being able to come down here and help out all the people in need. I know that my exhaustion at the end of the day is a sign that what we did today really was needed. I just hope that the people keep coming down here to help out for a long time. After today I am just really thankful for being able to have the opportunity to come do our part. So for now thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy reading what our adventure has in store.


--
Erica Feinman
Student Housing
Community Advisor
V.O.I.C.E LLC Student Liaison

ASB, Day 2

Today was more exciting than yesterday, we all saw the fruits of our labor. The team that was working demolition completely cleared the lot. The painting crew finished the entire side of the house, and the other crews that worked inside the house were great as well. Today was a total success and will be the beginning of many!

Keosha
Resident of Building 6

Day 1 of volunteering

I got a really good night's sleep, although I did feel like I was close to death a few times because I slept on the top bunk and that was scary. I have never slept in a bunk bed...let alone the top bunk. I felt ready for anything and was willing to take on any challenges that came my way!

Driving through the 9th ward was a huge reality check. You see it in pictures, on the internet, on the television etc...but it is nothing like seeing it in real person. Some neighborhoods look ghetto and not safe. Land and some plant life isn't tended to or it's left neglected. The houses are worn down, broken, abandoned-looking, and some just look hopeless. I was very surprised. I kept wondering what the neighborhoods had looked like before the hurricane had hit. It made me also think about my life and how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, a nice warm bed to sleep in, basically that my life hasn't been turned upside down and I should be happy. I realized that Vanidy and Renee are two VERY different drivers. I drove with Renee last night and today I was with Vanidy. Let's just say it seems Vanidy likes to drive like a wild child and Renee takes her time haha.

We finally arrived at the house we were assigned to work at. It needed to be stripped of its exterior lead-based paint job, painted with new coats of paint, drywalled, swept up, and some other small oddball jobs. There was a vacant lot next door to the house and there was a large amount of debris left over. The house that used to be there was deconstructed and most of the remnants had been taken away. All that was left were bricks, random pieces of wood, and garbage. Amanda and Jessica were our two leaders from Rebuilding Together New Orleans. They were there to greet us, give us the lay of the land, and just be there to sort of supervise our work, they're pretty cool. After we discussed what had to be done, the group split up and we began working. I had the pleasure of working on the vacant lot, searching for bricks and scraping the concrete off of them. It didn't seem hard at first but after my first brick I knew it was going to be a long day. Concrete is hard, and it's even harder when it's attached to a hard object. With my tool I hacked away trying to get every bit of concrete off of each brick, my arm and hands became sore. I decided that tomorrow I will paint the house or do some other job, I need a break from hacking at bricks.

We did a lot of good work today, I am very proud of the group and I look forward to the rest of the week. Go ASB!!!!

Vania Ellison
Resident of Building 6
Deaf Studies Major

ASB, Day 1

So, today was eventful. Well, let me first start with last night. Our flight was delayed by 2 hrs. Which, wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't flying from L.A. at 6pm our time. We did not arrive at our destination until around 4am. Thankfully, we were able to work a half day. When driving around the city I was amazed and taken aback to see all of the abandoned homes. Some may ask, why now? Katrina happened years ago! Well, as some of you may know the hurricane damage destroyed most of the city and the government only provided some assistance. So, we are here to say, "We have not forgotten." We are here because the world is so much bigger than ourselves. One aspect of social justice is learning the humility of being a servant leader. I am here to serve and learn. As a coordinator and advisor, I thought it was necessary to create coalitions with campus partners to make a change. Thus, we are here. CSUN Religious Studies, CSUN Communication Department, CSUN Hillel, and CSUN Student Housing is here to make a difference. We are currently working on rebuilding one house and cleaning up debris from another site. In addition, we were able to see the levees and get a tour of several damaged areas around the city.

All I can think about is the anger of these homeowners. Feeling helpless. Alone. Forgotten. To really feel fear. I am motivated to work because of them. Would I want to be left alone to rebuild my home? No, I wouldn't. Would you?

It was time for me to stop complaining about the lack of assistance for these homeowners. I knew that I had to come and help. Walk the walk, Talk the talk. It's easy to be a judgmental. But it takes humility and honesty to roll your sleeves up and say "How can I help?"

Many of us were empowered by our President to make change. Well, here I am with 27 other volunteers to make change happen, even if it's just one home. People pour their lives into their homes and families. So let's make a lifetime of change for one person's life.

Rest in peace to all those who died because of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding.

Day 1 down, 3 more to go.

-Vanidy Bailey, Community Director
CSUN Student Housing