January 2008

by Marco Rosaire Rossi

On Dec. 10, 2007, activists around the United States converged in New Orleans to join the Stop the Demolition Coalition. The coalition’s goal is to prevent the Department of Housing and Urban Development from following through with its plan to bulldoze 4,600 low-income apartments. The plan is part of a federal and municipal government effort to “rebuild” New Orleans after the devastating affects of Hurricane Katrina. Since Katrina, housing has become the issue of New Orleans: over 12,000 people are homeless, 50,000 remain in FEMA trailers, and another 900,000 are awaiting . . .

October 2005

Adapted from a talk in September by Prof. Therese Saliba at the Olympia Timberland Library

Reflecting back on the last 4 years since the tragic events of 9/11, I am reminded of an essay written by Bill Moyers entitled, "Which America will we be now?" In it, he described 9/11 as what educators call "a teachable moment," and argued that "what's at stake is democracy. Democracy wasn't canceled on Sept. 11," he writes," but democracy won't survive if citizens turn into lemmings."