I'm fond of blasting Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington (most of my co-workers got to expect such things out of me). This year, on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall over the tiny village of Buras, Louisiana, I have noticed there are more programs on television and radio on the devastation and aftermath than is humanly possible to watch or listen to.
Yet it seems vital --both as individual human beings and in the development of our humanity-- as well as our citizenship in the world and as Americans, that we not just passively observe these dates. That we react, and how we react, will be the true measure of our character.
While searching on line, I came across the excellent site, http://www.hurricane-katrina.org which has a vast array of information, recollections, and resources on how to be part of the ongoing recovery. There is also an excellent pamphlet that may be downloaded, "One Year Later: Surviving the Katrina Anniversary," by Carol McClelland, PhD. It will probably serve to help deal with the emotions soon to arise from the anniversary of 9/11 as well. Don't presume that you are over it all. When the movie "World Trade Center" was released, pundits kept asking, "are people ready to relive 9/11?" My response was, "when did we stop living it?"
Click on the header at top to be connected with a site that will allow you to actually experience the "I Have A Dream" speech.
We can't get gay and lesbian history in schools yet, and I have no doubt that it will be a while before --if ever-- how we witnessed and experienced these events will be taught in schools in the future.
The Times-Picayune link to the left has a mind-boggling collection of articles, videos, and material on what happened one year ago in the Gulf region --and since.
Yet it seems vital --both as individual human beings and in the development of our humanity-- as well as our citizenship in the world and as Americans, that we not just passively observe these dates. That we react, and how we react, will be the true measure of our character.
While searching on line, I came across the excellent site, http://www.hurricane-katrina.org which has a vast array of information, recollections, and resources on how to be part of the ongoing recovery. There is also an excellent pamphlet that may be downloaded, "One Year Later: Surviving the Katrina Anniversary," by Carol McClelland, PhD. It will probably serve to help deal with the emotions soon to arise from the anniversary of 9/11 as well. Don't presume that you are over it all. When the movie "World Trade Center" was released, pundits kept asking, "are people ready to relive 9/11?" My response was, "when did we stop living it?"
Click on the header at top to be connected with a site that will allow you to actually experience the "I Have A Dream" speech.
We can't get gay and lesbian history in schools yet, and I have no doubt that it will be a while before --if ever-- how we witnessed and experienced these events will be taught in schools in the future.
The Times-Picayune link to the left has a mind-boggling collection of articles, videos, and material on what happened one year ago in the Gulf region --and since.
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