I Take Nothing for Granted

Since Katrina, my mind is full but my life is empty. I keep thinking of questions that I feel powerless to answer: Why did the disaster have to go the way it did, with so much needless suffering? Why has the rebuilding process been riddled with ineptitude and inadequacy so that even the well-meaning have been reduced to divisive competition for scarce resources? Will I ever again feel connected to a place or a community? What do I need to do to start enjoying life again? Before Katrina, I suppose I took some things for granted, which is not the most admirable way to live your life. But since Katrina, I take nothing for granted and I find my guarded distrust of the world to be depressing.

Donna Bonner, a native New Orleanian and a cultural anthropologist that lived and worked in New Orleans. She is currently completing an ethnographic memoir of her Katrina experiences.

My Holiday Greeting

This is the card I sent via email to my friends, associates and family.

Wiser and Sadder

Since Katrina, we’ve all seen more change than many humans experience in their lifetimes.
Since Katrina, we know what only a few select human beings know, that an entire world can be destroyed overnight.
Since Katrina, some of us cry easily. Others never cry at all.
Since Katrina, we’ve learned how to scream in the face of injustice.
Since Katrina, we’ve gotten used to the fact that our screams may not be heard.
Since Katrina, we’ve accepted loss as an inevitable part of life.
Since Katrina, we are all wiser and much sadder.

Donna Bonner is a native New Orleanian and a
cultural anthropologist now in Austin TX.

Poverty

Since Katrina...I know the true face of poverty.

Tiffany Probasco, Assistant to Dean Jonathan M. Tisch, College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University