Help Holy Cross

Celebrating – and Remembering – On Caffin Ave

It was a night for celebrations on Caffin Avenue this past Saturday, beginning with a block party and the launch of the new book One Block: A New Orleans Neighborhood Rebuilds, featuring photographs by Dave Anderson and an essay by Chris Rose. Sponsored by Aperture Publishing, Oxford American Magazine, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Preservation Resource Center, the 500 Caffin block party offered lots of great food and great music from Little Freddie King and the Rebirth Brass Band.

Then at 6 p.m. the L9 Center for the Arts (539 Caffin Ave.) hosted the opening of "Right to Return" [left]. Featuring the photographs and video of Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, this new exhibition documents the people of the city as they make their transitions back to New Orleans.

And finally, a mobile exhibition [below] parked outside the L9 Center commemorated Katrina and rebuilding efforts five years later through a dramatic series of color and black and white photographs.

Sunday Photo: New Sustainability Center Rising

PHOTO: Darryl Malek-Wiley

The reconstructed double-shotgun camelback at 5200 Dauphine (Dauphine & Lizardi) continues to make progress - and soon will be the new home for the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED). This new structure will feature many materials from the historic building that stood there (and once the site of the old Ruiz Sandwich Shop). Crews from Historic Green assisted with the deconstruction in March 2009; the completed center will be donated to the neighborhood, courtesy of the Preservation Resource Center.

News from Tekrema Center for Art and Culture

5640 Burgundy Strreet New Orleans Louisiana 70117 504- 943-9779 tekrema@cox.net

Tekrema Center for Art and Culture Announces

SoulSpeak

Saturday August 14, 2010 8:00 P.M.
HBO's When the Levees Broke/Def Poetry Jam Artist
Shelton "Shakespear" Alexander
and
New Orleans Slam Team

SoulSpeak Open Mic is for poets, artists, and stevedores.

$5 Admission Cash Bar Food by Chef EJ

Art and Lost Treasures

Saturday August 14 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Tekrema's Monthly Garage Sale offers art, lost treasures, delicious baked goods, and new and used items on the second Saturday of each month.

Family Night at the Movies
All Souls Episcopal Church- 5500 St. Claude Ave

Join us every third Friday of the month for a family night at the movies co-sponsored by All Souls Episcopal Church & Community Center and Tekrema Center for Art & Culture.

This month
Date: August 20 at 7:00 pm
Movie: Precious
Immediately followed by discussion.
Admission is free. Refreshments are available for purchase.

Thank You Tekrema's Haitian Children's Relief Effort
generously supported by
Amelie Prescott
Daimon Wilson
Karen and Jarvis Jones
Howard University Students
New Orleans Salsa Dancers
N'Kafu and Culu Traditional African Dance Companies

In September, Tekrema will present photographs of our 11 member team in Haiti and provide information about our continuing efforts to assist orphaned and homeless children in Haiti.

Weekly Classes

Please visit tekremacenter.com for the listing of weekly classes and fee schedule.

Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, writer and scholar, will offer a workshop for women and girls in an exploration of dance and creative writing on Saturday, August 21 at 10:00 A.M. Enrollment is limited. By workshop is offered by donation.

Kwame Azalius Ross and Christopher Williams, Lumbe International Productions, join Tekrema as artistic associates. Both Mr. Ross and Mr. William have extensive backgrounds in dance, theater, art education, and social justice through community engagement.

DaVonna Smith

Resident of the Month

Davonna Smith is a 9th grade student at Light City Christian Academy. Her favorite subject is math. Davonna's career goal is to become an actress. Without explanation, her pastime activities are acting, dance classes and enjoying time with her family and friends.

DaVonna is a beautiful, bright, kind and gracious young lady who always smiles and is willing to lend a hand.

DaVonna stands in her own light with grace and maturity beyond her years. She is an asset to her family and this community.

Community Clean-Up in Holy Cross!

Hundreds of volunteers joined together with Holy Cross residents for a community-wide clean-up on July 16: cutting grass, cleaning abandoned lots and houses. Just one more big step forward in beautifying our neighborhood! Thanks to all who participated!

BEFORE: Abandoned house at Reynes and Burgundy.
AND AFTER: Thanks to volunteers from Our Savior Lutheran, Tacoma, Washington!

Special Thanks to Kathy Wendling at Camp Restore for sending 100 youth volunteers and 10 leaders. We were able to cut down the tall grass at 11 lots and mow the lawn of a resident. Residents Kathy Muse, John Koeferl and Simon Hand assisted the volunteers with deconstructing the vacant home at 607 Forstall. Jenga Mwendo came in and spoke to the leaders, residents and volunteers about volunteer safety.

• Father Wright of All Souls Episcopal Church donated his lawnmower and weedeater. Resident Joyce Mumford donated garbage bags.
• Resident Ms. Mable Howard led a crew with cleaning the vacant house next to her home. They also cleaned the back yard of contractor’s debris and cut the grass (in the 4700 block of Dauphine Street).
• Peter Mc Hugh led the crew with cutting grass at the corner of Bienvenue Street and Tupelo Street.
• Residents Lester Mornay and Amy Novak and her daughter led a crew with cleaning the abandoned house at the corner of Reynes Street and Burgundy Street.
• Resident Marna David and volunteer Che' Gilliland led a group with cutting the high grass at the corner of Andry Street and Douglass Street.
• Smitty led the crew at his home with cutting grass and then gave them a tour of the neighborhood before bringing them to help Mack at the Lower 9th Ward Village. Mack and Joe Mc Clendon also helped out with lending us tools.
• Resident Mary Jones (who has the only home in the 1900 block of Forstall) led the group along with her family members in cutting the high grass around her home and the empty lots.
• Resident Doreen Piano led a group with the clean up a cutting the grass at a vacant home in the 800 block of Deslonde.
• Resident Lois Lonzo and The Smith family led a crew with the cutting of the high grass in the 600 block of Egania.
• Ms. Ishem greeted the group of young volunteers and opened her home to them as they cleaned the lot next door to her on Delery Street.

Special thanks to Hands on New Orleans for allowing us to use many tools. All of the residents mentioned also supplied work tools and supplies for the volunteers.

From the Neighborhood: Pride, Thanks, Despair and Hope

Looking around our great community near the fourth anniversary of the federal levee breaks and destruction of our neighborhoods from the river to the bayou in the Holy Cross and Lower Ninth Ward neighborhoods, there is much to take pride in, much to be thankful for, much to despair, much to hope for and everything to keep us in action.

PRIDE: From Sister St. to Delery St., from Douglass St. to Florida Avenue, against all odds, predictions, inaction, bureaucracies, incompetence, ill will and on and on and on, WE ARE BACK, WE ARE REBUILDING RIGHT, WE ARE ON THE MAP.

As families return, as we come together to confront what divides us and celebrate what unites us, as our churches, nonprofits, community based organizations, businesses and most importantly, our people, we grow stronger as we deal with the day to day realities of living on the frontier. We all get better at what we have to do.

We know our neighborhoods are vulnerable to the water and we are working to make that water a resource. We know that current protections are inadequate; we are rebuilding higher, stronger, better, working for enhanced natural protections (restoration of Bayou Bienvenue) and for effective built protections and infrastructure. We know most of our neighbors are not back and that there’s been no concerted, effective effort to help them return. We’re finding them ourselves and person to person, organization to organization, family to family, doing everything in our power to help our former residents make informed decisions. We continue advocating for ourselves at every level.

DESPAIR: The loss of life, family, community and infrastructure caused by the (levee federal) breaks our hearts, but moves us to action.

ACTION: Citizens are the best agents of their own recovery and progress. We have an unprecedented opportunity to remake our systems, the way we relate and the way we are governed. Please, get engaged, get involved, get informed, vote, love your neighbor and Sustain the Nine!

THANKS: To the people, institutions, churches, synagogues, organizations, businesses, corporations, academics, technicians, volunteers and workers from all over the world who continue to be generous with so many resources and who help make the Holy Cross and Lower Ninth Ward neighborhoods the most exciting (place), stimulating place in the world to live and work.

Holy Cross School: Once & Future Place for Learning?

ALL PHOTOS: Kathy Muse

As of August 11, all that remains of the historic Holy Cross School is the Administration Building. As Holy Cross resident Kathy Muse (who lives near the site) puts it, "Standing at Royal and Deslonde Streets, it is a joy to gaze upon majestic oaks instead of a solid brick wall where the cafeteria building once stood. You can see "through" the schoolyard now to Reynes Street and beyond."

Demolition of all other buildings on the 12-acre campus began the week of May 4th, and site work (leveling, debris removal, etc.) continues. So what's next for this long-time anchor of the Holy Cross Neighborhood? It may remain a place of learning for the community, as a health and research facility. Still waiting on word for what will become of the location. Stay tuned!

Holy Cross campus from Royal Street

Holy Cross School: Coming Down

Marna David provides these photos of the Holy Cross School demolition of last Spring. Only the historic Administration Building (dedicated in 1895) remains standing on the campus; all other buildings dated back to the 1950s and early 1960s - according to FEMA, the structures were too badly damaged by the flooding following Hurricane Katrina to remain standing.

Illegal Dumping in the Lower 9

Susan Edwards of wwltv.com reported yesterday on "Illegal trash dumping picking up around city", featuring comments from Darryl Malek-Wiley:

"Many residents fear that illegal dumping, which plagued the city after Katrina, is making an unwelcome comeback.

"It is just random,” said Darryl Malek-Wiley, Environmental Justice Organizer for the Sierra Club. “At a lot of places you will see it looks like a truck pulled off, and just dumped load of tires."

Eyewitness News found loads of concrete, abandoned cars, and trash in a 9th ward neighborhood.

"(It is) because less people are around, so instead of paying to dispose of it properly, companies are dumping it and it helps their bottom line," Malek-Wiley said."

Read more here.

Holy Cross Celebrates the Fourth

Workin' the Barbeque: Simon, Bill & John                 Three Presidents of the HCNA

ALL PHOTOS: Darryl Malek-Wiley

The Lower Ninth Ward Urban Farming Coalition invites you to check out what's growing in the Nine!

Lower Ninth Ward Urban Farming Coalition GARDEN TOUR
Saturday, May 23rd
Meeting Time: 8:30 am (tour bus leaves at 9 am)
Meeting Location: School At Blair Grocery on N. Roman and Benton Sts.

We're celebrating growth and sustainability in the Nine with an urban agriculture tour of 7 gardens right here in our neighborhood (and a couple in the Bywater!). The tour focuses on vegetable gardens and micro farms, including raised beds and container gardens. It's a great opportunity to not only see what's growing, but to get ideas and inspiration for your own garden, get involved in community gardening and/or meet other neighborhood gardeners. Free tour bus service will be provided on this group tour.

The Lower Ninth Ward Urban Farming Coalition is a partnership of local groups and individuals committed to food security and environmental responsibility through urban agriculture.  Please visit lowernineurbanfarming.org for more information.