Catalyst Day 1

Today we were able to sit in and join the church service. Everyone was very friendly and nice, in which we were given a warm welcome. After the service we were able to go on a tour throughout a couple different places in New Orleans where we learned about the rich history and the background information on the people living in the New Orleans. In relationship to the history of the people in New Orleans it was interesting to learn that the genres of gospel, blues, jazz, and rock music all originated in this area and has spread to all different parts of the country and nationally. Likewise we were able to see some of the houses where these certain musicians lived. We were also able to see a couple of the first few churches to be established in New Orleans. But one of the things that really stuck with me while on the tour was seeing the abandon charity hospital (Avery Alexander Hospital). It was hard to take in that the hospital is no longer open after the hurricane and all grants were stopped. Which was devastating for the people of New Orleans especially for the individuals who need the health assistance. Therefore because of this the increase in health conditions has risen in the past years since the hurricane. Visiting the Lower 9^th Ward Museum was interesting because it illustrated how this area changed throughout the years. It was also inspiring to see that although it was rough for the people they had a lot of courage come back to their homes and start rebuilding and telling us their stories. Like Mr. Green who was happy to share us his story of having only 10 minutes to get his family up to the attic and on the roof of the house because the water from the hurricane was rising so fast. We also saw how the community came together and help rebuild like the 9^th ward community center that was created after Katrina. From the tour we learn some interesting facts for example “homelessness quadruple after Katrina”, “There is a 52% unemployment rate”, and “18% of African American men have college a degree". Therefore, throughout our tour we learned a lot and it was great to get a visual of the different areas.