From New Orleans to the Rockaways

August 29, 2016

Today is 11^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  11 years later most Americans don’t really understand what happened to New Orleans. People know about the floods, but few understand the break down of society that occurred that allowed violent racism to flood and overtake that city.
 
When we toured HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN’T CHANGE to New Orleans earlier this year we met Beverly Kimble Davis, an artist who has recorded the true history of Hurricane Katrina in a heart wrenching series of paintings.
 
She painted black people being murdered on the Danziger Bridge. She painted families suffering inhumane conditions in the Superdome. She painted a black man killed by police he was waiving down for help
 

(“THE DANZIGER BRIDGE MASSACRE” by Beverly Kimble Davis)

These are the stories America has not acknowledged. These are the stories that the mainstream media will not cover today.
 
But Aria Doe of the Action Center was very aware of these stories, and when Hurricane Sandy slammed into her community in the Rockaways, she didn’t wait for a government she knew wasn’t coming. With an amazing group of people through the Occupy Sandy network Aria helped thousands of people in the Rockaways get food, clean clothes, diapers and much needed supplies to survive.
 
Without them, who knows what would have happened to the people of the Rockaways who were already suffering from the storms of poverty.
 
We often think of climate change as an environmental problem, but at the core, climate change is about racial and social justice. Poor communities and communities of color will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. They already are, just look at New Orleans.
 
That’s why our next phase of touring with HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD will go to inner city communities and focus on the intersectionality of climate change and racial, social, and economic justice.
 
On September 8^th join Aria Doe and Josh Fox for the Climate Revolution is Up To Us rally, screening and concert on Rockaway Beach.

(Aria Doe speaking at the Climate Revolution rally in Philadelphia)

THE CLIMATE REVOLUTION IS UP TO US RALLY- CONCERT – SCREENING

Where: Rockaway Beach, Queens NY  (between 94th and 97th)

When: Thursday September 8th
5:30pm Rally & Concert / 8:00pm Film

Who: Speakers include Aria Doe, Josh Fox, Anthony Rogers-Wright, Nomiki Konst, and many more. Musical Guests include TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, DJ Tommie Sunshine, Gabriel Mayers, and many more. Hosted by Josh Fox, and the team of How To Let Go of the World, Ben Jealous, former head of the NAACP, Aria Doe and The Action Center with many more Rockaway Organizations Participating. Sponsored by Patagonia.

 
If we don’t come together now and address these issues, we will see more Katrinas. Of course we need to build renewable energy, but more than that, we need to build strong communities based on love and justice. That’s what we will need to weather the storms ahead.
 
NYC is incredibly vulnerable to climate change. We need to come together now before it’s too late. Join the Climate Revolution on September 8 at Rockaway Beach.
 
With lots of love and solidarity,
The Let Go and Love Team
 
P.S. Learn more about Aria’s story in HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD, now available on iTunes.  http://geni.us/HowToLetGo