This was my third year back in New Orleans to do volunteer work since the hurricanes hit. I wish I could tell you that the 9th Ward, Bywater, New Orleans East and all of the other communities that are historically places of high home ownership with low economic means had been made better or restored. I wish I could tell you that the stories I hear from people in their homes, people on the streets, and those who just want to talk were somehow different, somehow more optimistic and that they now had an ending like so many of our fairly tales and American history books do. I wish I could tell you that the stories I hear from those who live outside New Orleans were different and that they didn’t mind the sudden influx when they were forced to house so many of those displaced and help build a social-economy that would support their new neighbors. That the federal government did what it was designed to do and protect the life, liberty and property that was forcefully and undeservedly taken from so many. That the racism and class-ism that is apparent in so many of our cities across this great country had been overcome in this one city by this great tragedy that was felt by so many.

What New Orleans brought to me was stories of hope, faith, and community that I have never experienced in any other place. Two-and-a-half years after the storm so many were still without their homes, without their family, without a decent paying job, and without sufficient government funding to help them rebuild their lives — but yet people continue to open their doors and hearts to strangers. People are still willing to share with you their struggles and difficulties — even though these conversations are difficult and often involve loss, death, and separation — just to attempt to gain some normalcy in life.

It was these trips that have made law school a defining period of my life. I have gained perspective and understanding about how privileged we are to be involved with the legal system. How destructive it is when done without knowledge, understanding and passion and how comforting and positive it would be if used properly. Society has placed a great deal of trust in the legal and political system and those privileged enough to engage in it owe their efforts to the underprivileged, to the disenfranchised, and to those who have lost faith in the ideals that we stand for. These trips have opened my eyes to our system and how easily it can be changed. It has allowed me to see what a law degree is and how it can be used to affect people one-by-one, or through an entire community. I will be more than a better lawyer because of these opportunities, but I feel that I understand what it takes to be a better person and to do my part to form a better community. I don’t have the answers on how to rebuild a city, but these trips have given me the framework to recognize where our communities and governments are failing and how the legal system can be used to begin to reform the basic premises and foundations that produce such harmful ends.
~andy