Vanish Pearls

The African American Film Festival Releasing Movement is screening Nailah Jefferson’s critically acclaimed documentary film, Vanishing Pearls at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center on April 28th, 2014. The film profiles the trials and tribulations of African American fisherman working to rebuild their lives, livelihoods, and communities in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon OilContinue reading “Vanish Pearls”

Human Rights Advocate, Community Organizer, Journalist & Mother of Six

STORM SURGE is a visual narrative that follows the lives of five unsung heroes as they work to rebuild their livelihoods and communities in the wake of historic national disasters. Cherri Foytlin is one of the main characters we profile in the film. Listen to her candid observations on what it’s like to live in the GulfContinue reading “Human Rights Advocate, Community Organizer, Journalist & Mother of Six”

8 Years Ago Today

Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster that some have described as biblical in scale and unprecedented as a human tragedy. “The Storm,” as the locals call it, was the most destructive natural disaster in American history, laying waste to 90,000 square miles of land, an area the size of the United Kingdom. Before The StormContinue reading “8 Years Ago Today”

When Nature’s Fury and the Politics of Disaster Collide

Released in December 2012, seven years after the most expensive disaster in American history, this 95-minute documentary film gives you the round-the-clock news coverage and a comprehensive look behind the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, human error, false media reports, political corruption, government bureaucracy, and a substandard physical infrastructure. Using comprehensive analysis of events, hoursContinue reading “When Nature’s Fury and the Politics of Disaster Collide”

I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful

Last night we watched a screening of Academy Award®-winning director Jonathan Demme’s documentary film, I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful.  The film profiles Carolyn Parker, a fearless civil rights activist and resident of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, and her five-year crusade to rebuild her beloved house, her church, her community — andContinue reading “I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful”

Deja Vu in the Big Easy?

The major broadcasting networks consider shifting resources from GOP Convention in Tampa to New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Isaac’s landfall sometime late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning, which is ironically the 7th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Isaac could take direct aim at New Orleans, which is still struggling to fully recover from Katrina which sweptContinue reading “Deja Vu in the Big Easy?”

Hurricane Isaac Creates Sense of Angst on Anniversary of Katrina

Almost seven years to the date of Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive natural disaster in American history, Hurricane Isaac is expected to make landfall on the Central Gulf Coast as a Category 2 Hurricane sometime around 7pm tomorrow. The National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb and Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant expect Isaac to drive a StormContinue reading “Hurricane Isaac Creates Sense of Angst on Anniversary of Katrina”

A Day With Donald Harrison, Jr.

The Storm Surge Crew had the great honor of meeting famed jazz saxophonist and Mardi Gras Indian Chief, Donald Harrison, Jr. at the Tipitina’s Foundation in New Orleans to hear his perspective on how music has helped heal the scars with youth since Hurricane Katrina.  After our studio interview, Donald gave us a personal tour of the newContinue reading “A Day With Donald Harrison, Jr.”