Community Stories - A People's History

What is the people's history of the Lower 9th Ward? What can youth learn from the elders of our neighborhood? What can the elders learn from the youth?

On a hot day this summer, New Orleans Liberation Academy students spent their Saturday at the Sankofa Farmers Market on the corner of Saint Claude and Caffin conducting oral histories of Lower 9th Ward natives and community elders. The students learned about the history of the community and given the opportunity to view its current challenges through the multiple perspectives of all those who participated in the interviews. We plan to compile these histories, collect more, and further develop research skills while creating a "history book of our own."

This project was in partnership with the Backyard Gardeners Network and supported by volunteers from ENGAGE University.