Katrina Anniversary in New Orleans Brings Pride, Anguish and Anxiety About Future

Reporters and TV crews from around the world have converged on the city, constantly asking "How is New Orleans," as if inquiring about an ailing relative. Since that ill relative is in fact a collective we, no single answer will suffice, and even next-door neighbors may recount radically different experiences. Some people, some blocks, some parts of town have bounced back remarkably; others remained mired in Kafkaesque bureaucracy and unshakable gloom. February's giddy joy over the Saints' Super Bowl victory, with its euphoric sense of renewal, was fouled ten weeks later by the onslaught of oil from the shattered Deepwater Horizon. Although the leak is now capped, that crisis, too, is far from complete resolution.

Thus the city's mood is mixed, and a wide array of "Katrinaversary" events reflect such varying sentiments. The sense of build-up towards Aug. 29 increased noticeably on the 17^th with the premier screening of two episodes from Spike Lee's four-part documentary "If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise," a week before its national broadcast. Lee's film updated his Katrina epic "When The Levees Broke," examining the five ensuing years as well as the recent effects of the oil spill. Then on Aug. 23, a commemorative plaque was placed at the site of the levee breach on the 17^th Street Canal. That fissure sent a far-reaching tsunami into the western side of New Orleans. The canal-side neighborhood known as Lakeview sustained devastation comparable to the city's Lower Ninth Ward, although most national media coverage focused far more on the latter.

If gala weekend is an imprecise term, the past three days have certainly been rich in observances, even by New Orleans' frenetic standards. Thursday evening the 27^th saw the premier of humorist Harry Shearer's first film, "The Big Uneasy," an insightful, engaging study of the engineering failures -- as opposed to a "natural disaster" -- that caused the city's levees to fail. (On Monday, Shearer's film will be shown at some 150 theaters around the nation.)

On Friday, former first lady Laura Bush visited the refurbished Chalmette High School for a "day of reflection." While resentment lingers in some quarters towards then-President Bush's response to Katrina, his wife was well-received. Chalmette lies east of New Orleans in Saint Bernard Parish (in Louisiana, parishes function like counties, elsewhere); largely coastal, it sustained horrific damage from Katrina. So did New Orleans' Superdome, once a potent symbol of tragedy where, on Friday night, the Saints beat the San Diego Chargers in an NFL preseason game. Nearby, at the French Quarter's Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, the TEDx NOLA conference (Technology, Education, Design) featured speakers including New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, James Carville, folklorist/radio host Nick Spitzer, EPA Secretary Lisa Jackson, and jazz musician Branford Marsalis.

Saturday's many options began with a morning nature walk to promote the restoration of Joe W. Brown Memorial Park and the Louisiana Nature Center in the hard-hit neighborhood called New Orleans East. The Rising Tide Conference presented investigative reporter Mac McClelland of Mother Jones as keynote speaker. Meanwhile, in the French Quarter, The Historic New Orleans Collection presented the exhibition "Katrina + 5," while the neighboring Louisiana State Museum previewed the upcoming exhibit "Living With Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond, " with remarks by historian Douglas Brinkley and rhythm & blues singer Irma Thomas. In addition, Thomas was one of many performers on a Saturday night benefit, at the House of Blues, for Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation, which is building innovative new housing in the Lower Ninth Ward. Singer John Boutte , trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, and the six-decade Rhythm & Blues veteran Lloyd Price appeared, as well; like Thomas, all have also been featured in the acclaimed HBO drama series Treme, which is set in New Orleans. One gauge of the show's popularity is the screening of all of the first year's episodes, yesterday and today, at the New Orleans Museum of Art, in the Mid-City neighborhood Like so many places in New Orleans, the museum evokes memories of the pre-Katrina era when the long drive leading to its door was lined by tall trees. All blew down in the storm, and today's bare vista, devoid of this lush, leafy canopy, is a disconcerting sight.

Uptown, not far from Audubon Park and Tulane University, the Jewish Community Center presented "Brighter and Stronger," a celebration of rebuilding the city's Jewish community. An assemblage of rabbis conducted the havdalah ceremony, to mark the end of the Sabbath, followed by a reception honoring the city's first responders. Live music, which is ever-present in the city, was provided by the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, illustrating the commonality of Eastern European music and the Crescent City's jazz tradition.

Downtown, in the Central Business District, the Red Cross hosted a "Heroes of The Storm Banquet" honoring such luminaries as retired Lieutenant General Russell Honore. Honore, who commanded the military response to Katrina, is renowned for his restrained and respectful treatment of New Orleans' citizenry in the days after the storm.

Sunday night, the city's southeast Asian community will gather at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church for "celebration, remembrance, and entertainment." Sunday's biggest event will be President Obama's speech at Xavier University of Louisiana, where he received an honorary degree in 2006. But many more people will be able to attend Mayor Mitch Landrieu's keynote event, "Commemoration and Dedication: Katrina V," at 6:30 PM at the Washington Artillery Park, across from Jackson Square. The event, co-hosted by James Carville and Mary Matalin, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and jazz entrepreneur Robin Burgess, will feature performances by the rising young star Trombone Shorty and several tribes of Mardi Gras Indians. (These "Indians" are groups of African American men who gather on the streets of New Orleans, most prominently, on Mardi Gras Day for chanting, drumming, and strutting in elaborate hand-sewn costumes. While this tradition has deep Afro-Caribbean roots, each New Orleans group gives itself the name of an imaginary Native American tribe.)

By late Sunday night, it's likely that most New Orleanians will feel inspired, but also emotionally spent and glad that this milestone has passed. The next date of comparable significance will be reaching the end of hurricane season without the need for an evacuation. It is truly heartening, though, to see the continued global outpouring of interest in and support for New Orleans. We thank you.