In New Orleans, Beginning to Understand "Home"

Written by Jack Stiefel, member of UU Fellowship of Vero Beach, Fla., and volunteer UUSC national co-chair for the Central Territory

My wife and I recently volunteered in New Orleans through the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Volunteer Program. We had two primary emotional reactions. One was a feeling of being overwhelmed by the immensity of the task that is still before the residents and former residents of New Orleans, especially for people of color and low-income individuals.

We also felt inspired by the leadership and commitment of local nongovernmental organizations. In the disturbing absence of anything close to an adequate response by local, state, and federal government, grassroots organizations -- some of which are UUSC program partners -- are at the forefront of recovery actions, working effectively and diligently to empower people.

Now that we are home, we tell others about our volunteer experience and our perceptions of New Orleans. Not uncommonly, someone will respond “I don’t know why they would ever want to go back to New Orleans and live in a neighborhood that is below sea level.”

I have to admit that before I went to New Orleans, I too questioned the wisdom of anyone returning to a living situation in which exposure to the dangers of another flood and devastation seems inherent. But in New Orleans I began to understand what “home” means. Home in New Orleans seems to involve a sense of community, of supportive extended family over many generations, of stability that is foreign to many of us who barely know our next door neighbor, who communicate with our extended family primarily by e-mail, and who move every few years.

“Home” in the devastated parts of New Orleans is profoundly important. It may not be “rational” to build below sea level in an area of questionable levees, but who can argue with the merits of knowing your neighbors, of being surrounded by family, of being part of a neighborhood for many generations as the community seeks to overcome the disadvantages our society ravages on low-income people?

I say let’s get “The Road Home” repaved and heavily traveled back to New Orleans by those who evacuated! Let’s remove all the roadblocks to getting affordable, adequate housing for those who want to return. And let’s make sure that the surrounding natural environment is restored and that there are secure levees in place to prevent the devastating effects of future storms.