4 degrees of separation: NOLA

Coach carter. Engine. Boudin. Scarlet letter- Nathanel Hawthorne

Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” is an organization meeting the needs of the people in New Orleans. A lot of people’s attitude towards “rebuilding” the city seems to be passively pessimistic because of their fear of another Katrina in the future. As most people know, New Orleans is like a bowl and when the levees broke, the water just filled up the city from the lowest point on up. The chance of this happening again is very possible because natural disasters are not under the control of man. We can only prepare through our own technological advances and hope we have created a solution for damage prevention. While Brad Pitt is aware of the chance of this disaster happening again, he does not discharge the value of the city, its rich culture, and the importance to rebuild. He believes in moving forward and helping pick the 9th ward community back on their feet and into new homes. New Orleans is not a lost cause and he stands to make a different just as Coach Carter did in the film for Richmond Highschool. He believed in making an effective change in a high school community where the people have grown to accept their poor conditions. He challenged a group of highschool basketball players to make more of themselves and move into a better future. Brad Pitt is offering hope to the 9th ward community and encouraging them to move forward to a new beginning. The “Make it Right” foundation has gained a lot of support but New Orleans needs more attention as a whole rather than just rebuilding the 9th ward community. Brad Pitt has started moving New Orleans one step further, but the politicians and other authorities need to make a move and start taking greater action.

You can easily compare New Orleans to an engine. An engine is complex; made of many parts and requires a lot of maintenance. It is constantly being rebuilt, reconstructed, and renewed. Same goes for New Orleans. It origin is rich in history, but with Huricane Katrina, it now is going to have constant maintenance. Although it will be a lot of work to reconstruct, rebuild, and renew, it will be worth it because if the overwhelming attraction to its unique culture. There is no other city like New Orleans; therefore we must take pride and work together to make a difference. We cannot walk around with Katrina as a “Scarlet Letter” in our past. I am one to believe everything happens for a reason. Although Katrina was a disaster, maybe it opened up an opportunity of a renewal that was needed for a greater good. New Orleans can only become better than what it already is. The music, the art, the food, the people all draws us together in this lively city. My favorite thing to get in New Orleans is boudin. It is a southern meal that is one of a kind. Everytime I eat Boudin I close my eyes and can visualize myself walking down Frenchman Street in New Orleans, hearing various jazz music fade together. The volume is loud and the streets are full of people and energy. The taste and smell of the spicy southern food made my experience complete. That is the New Orleans I know and love. We must protect New Orleans by preserving its cultural through rebuilding.