The throughline of today’s stories is racism. Our interviewees today, Danita, Scott and Laurie, give some thoughtful insights into how and why New Orleanians were treated the way we were in the media and in person. We finish this episode with a poem written and read by our friend Valentine Pierce entitled Reluctant Immigrants that addresses the perceptions people hold about people from New Orleans. It’s a poem filled with anger and pride that will remind you that Katrina didn’t happen in some far away exotic land loaded with wild, uncivilized heathens, rather it happened in an American city filled with hard working, tax paying human beings who got a raw deal.
Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.
For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.
If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.
Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.
