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Levermore Global Scholar Janae Cummings started an initiative called NY2NO (New York to New Orleans) as a freshman at Adelphi University. The goal of New York to New Orleans Coalition at Adelphi will be to inspire, motivate and call to action the students to be involved in creating community service initiatives related to the rebuilding of New Orleans. It is also a way to create an open dialogue regarding a matter that has been impermeable for years. This initiative is a continuation of her work with the youth-led, consensus-based organization in New York City – New York to New Orleans Coalition. Last summer, she spent three weeks in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, doing various community service projects and closely working with the New Orleans community.
Brief History: The New York City version of New York to New Orleans began approximately three years ago by Nat Turner, who was a teacher at the Beacon School, and was organized by several of the students who attended Beacon. With the help of their fiscal sponsor IFCO, the students and Nat were able to organize several brigades throughout the years to New Orleans during the winter, spring and summer breaks. For more information about this organization, please visit: http://ny2no.org/.
Description:The New York to New Orleans Initiative is meant to provide Adelphi University students with the opportunity to engage in transformative service-learning focused on building radical political analysis, urban farming, community organizing, education for liberation and all struggle towards justice. Our goal is to work together on creating sustainable living circumstances in New Orleans, ultimately traveling and working at a school and urban farm in one of the most vulnerable and devastated areas of the city. Our School at Blair Grocery rests in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and has become a beacon of youth empowerment, engagement and sustainability for the past two years. We work with Our School at Blair Grocery along with a host of students across the countries who all are organizing themselves for the same purpose: youth are teaching other youth to organize around environmental and social justice.
Here is a brief video introduction to the partnering organizations NY2NO Coalition and Youth Coalition for Community Action. Catch a glimpse of this work firsthand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aFRJKanO00
For more information about Adelphi NY2NO initiative and for meeting times, please contact Janae Cummings at janaecummings@mail.adelphi.edu.
NY2NO Past Events
Screening of "Trouble the Water"
On Thursday, October 22, LGS freshman Janae Cummings hosted a film screening of "Trouble the Water" in order to raise awareness about the plight of New Orleans residents during and after Hurricane Katrina.
Guest Speaker: Paul Cunningham, Hurricane Katrina survivor
On Wednesday, November 11, Paul Cunningham spoke to a group of students about his experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. A native of St. Bernard parish in New Orleans, Paul and his family watched from a hotel room in Texarkana as they lost everything to the floodwaters.
Mardi Gras Fundraiser
On Monday, November 30, Adelphi NY2NO coalition held a fundraiser for to supplement their resources that will go toward rebuilding post-Katrina New Orleans in January 2010. |
