US elections: Exclusive report

As the final countdown for the US Presidential Election approaches, 6th November is also a critical election for a number of public positions including senators, councillors, judges and even members of the school board. OBV’s Francine Fernandes reports directly from New Orleans.

As the global media fixates on the race for the US President, a less well known but equally fascinating race will be taking place in the city of New Orleans.

New Orleans, famed for its jazz and Mardis Gras celebrations, is still haunted by the ghost of Hurricane Katrina, which left a cataclysmic trail of devastation in 2005 which the city is still seeking to recover from. The recent damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the east coast of America makes the story of Katrina all the more relevant.

The response to Katrina sparked global sympathy and outrage as a city and its people were left to suffer. During my time in New Orleans, I have met people who recounted stories of water levels 10ft high, power cuts for up to 6 months and worst of all, seeing dead bodies in the street. Many I spoke to, revealed that the city would never and could never be the same. The city has lost between 100,000 - 140,000 residents - 1/4 of its population - some who could not bear to face the recovery situation, and others who wanted to return home, but simply could not afford to do so.

But amongst this tale of devastation and destruction, the people I met upon my journey have been resilient, determined, and are the embodiment of Dr W.E.B Du Bois’ “possibility of infinite development”. To truly understand their journey, the historical context of New Orleans must also be appreciated.

New Orleans, or NOLA, as the New Orleanians themselves call it, is a city historically steeped in racial injustice. The slave trade underpinned this city, like much of the South, with New Orleans becoming the country’s largest slave market according to the US National Park Service. Poignant remnants are all over the city, stark reminders of the reality and horror of slavery.

My hotel, located on a beautiful street near the French Quarter, is the epitome of American grandeur. Yet only 150 years ago, this was a place, one of many in the city I am told, where slaves were sold. During the pre-Civil War period, approximately 100,000 men, women and children were subject to this practice - crowded into high-walled pens and sold like cattle. According to Walter Johnson, a Harvard historian, “as you approached the pens, a pervasive smell of bacon greeted you, because slaves who had been underfed to the point of near-starvation were hastily bulked up to make them more attractive to prospective buyers”.

Another reminder occurred whilst visiting an upmarket antique shop. Looking carefree through the various ornaments, I was sickened to find an antique human manacle for sale. Words could not comprehend. A device used to enforce brutality, degradation and human suffering sat happily on the shelf. It was not a special collection of items commemorating slavery, or an educational stand - it was simply another item for sale. Why was I the only person in the shop to be outraged? I stared at the manacle in disbelief, maybe I had misunderstood. But no, it was real.

My academic appreciation of US racial politics was brought to life with the realisation of my proximity to the slave trade. Slavery was not just a historical event, but its effects were very much in the present as some of the descendants of the slave trade could be the everyday people at my hotel, on the street etc.

And it is this story of struggle, that makes NOLA and its people so special. During my time in NOLA, determination and resilience characterise the many people and organisations that I have met. From the ERACE organisation, a group of volunteers of all ethnicities who aim to combat racism through simple, yet effective, face to face discussion groups, to the notable work of the NAACP , whose members are currently working tirelessly to get the vote out and make sure that the Black community have a voice on Tuesday.

But one individual who stood out to me was LaToya Cantrell. Cantrell is a a community trailblazer heavily involved in the post Katrina recovery of an area known as Broadmoor in NOLA.

The effects of Katrina were dramatic. The simple geography of rising water came face-to-face with complex human geography. Whose homes were flooded, in terms of race, ethnicity, and class, became the subject of national and even international discussion. Even before the floodwaters, New Orleans had struggled. Nearly 30% percent of its population lived at or below the poverty line, compared with 12% nationally. The median household income in New Orleans in 2000 was $27,133 compared to the national median of $41,994. The city had been able to ignore the wealth disparities amongst its population, but was suddenly forced to confront a situation which had been brushed under the carpet for a long time. The impact of the storm was it became a social equalizer.

And as the people sought to return to their communities after Katrina, the reconstruction of the city caused much controversy. One example includes planning commissioners proposing to bulldoze Broadmoor into green park space. Cantrell along with other residents fought hard against this decision and their resolute approach has produced sensational results. On my visit to Broadmoor, I visited the newly built community library. The magnificent space not only represented the revitalisation of the area, in terms of a physical structure, but a revitalisation of the people of Broadmoor. Cantrell was instrumental in helping to attract millions of dollars to the area and in the planning and allocation of the works. Her efforts have been recognised nationally with the award ‘Restore America Hero‘ and Broadmoor, far from being flattened into green space is one of the most recovered neighbourhoods in the city and a model for post disaster recovery. There is a saying - you can change the world if you can change your neighbourhood and Cantrell has certainly done that.

Cantrell is now looking to use her talents to help the city as a whole and is standing as a local councillor. She is a political firebrand, rooted in the community with the vision, determination and experience that the city needs. As we await the results on Tuesday, keep your fingers crossed for Cantrell too.

Next place, on my trip is the key political battleground of Florida.

Francine Fernandes - reporting from New Orleans, Louisiana

Francine has been selected to participate on the International Vistors' Leadership Programme sponsored by the US State Department to promote international dialogue and understanding. Alumnis of the programme including former Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher and Gordon Brown.