Remember New Orleans

Inch by inch, the city of New Orleans is coming back to life. Mardi Gras was a giant step toward helping us remember the rich history of a city long admired as a jewel of the world. Upcoming elections will usher in a new era of leaders charged with the duty of rebuilding the New Orleans of the future. This fragile moment in New Orleans' history, when eloquence of action is sorely needed, calls for courageous, decisive leadership from both the federal and local government. Those who are watching the current leadership, considered subpar by some, can already see the negative impact that incompetent leadership can have on the future prospects of this plagued city.

In a Friday, March 31, 2006 article, called "Levee Repair Costs Triple," The Washington Post reported that the cost of repairing the levees has increased from an estimated three billion to more than 10 billion dollars. New Orleans continues to suffer from economic devastation caused by Katrina. Yet, the Bush administration continues to claim that an extra six billion may be unattainable, saying the city may "be left without the protection of levees strong enough to meet requirements of the national flood insurance program." The initial response of embattled mayor Ray Nagin? "No comment." Nobody knows what happened to the angry Ray Nagin, the one who spoke truth to power, telling Bush and the world "excuse my French everybody ... but I'm pissed." The once fiery politician appears to be worn out by his constant clashes with the Bush administration, and these days Nagin is in such a funk that he finds himself apologizing for calling New Orleans, 70 percent black before Katrina, a "chocolate city."

Now at its nadir of New Orleans leadership, the Bush administration is pushing for citywide elections without an institution in place to protect the voting rights of displaced black residents. At a New Orleans rally on Saturday, April 1, 2006, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson warned that for the April 22 election for mayor and other city positions, displaced voters would have difficulty voting because of the mail-in voting system being used.

As it did in the 1960s, the disenfranchisement of any American citizen should spark outrage throughout the country, but little has been said as of late. News coverage of New Orleans has lost ground as misplaced fears of terrorism, strain of xenophobia and widespread ignorance push the issue of immigration to the forefront. The immigration crisis deserves in-depth analysis by the brightest minds in the country, but if it weren't immigration then it would be something else. New Orleans isn't getting the attention it deserves.

We should take pride in the fact that Princeton, however, is still taking an interest in New Orleans. Anyone who frequents Firestone Library or the University Chapel can't help but notice the recently constructed "Levee for Life," spearheaded by the Katrina Project with the purpose of collecting books to aid efforts to rebuild the New Orleans Public Library system. And while many students found themselves in a drunken heap in some exotic locale over spring break, a small group of Princeton students, joined by college students from around the nation, descended on the ravaged Gulf Coast to lend their abilities to this seemingly forgotten cause. Woodrow Wilson correctly believed that the tendency for selfless action embodied a true Princetonian; he believed that it was the only way to showcase the diverse talent that encompassed the student body.

As the Bush administration clings tightly to the comforts of illusion, the youth of the nation, shoulder to shoulder with the brightest minds in academia, must continue to do all they can to highlight the plight of New Orleans. It's unrealistic to expect more than a few dozen Princeton students to fly down to New Orleans to help rebuild houses. Only a select few at the University will end up organizing events that address this pressing situation. But even if it's just showing up at these events or staying informed, the student body is capable of partaking in activities that contribute to one of the great missions of our time. Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund, a woman I had the pleasure of meeting this past semester, told other Gates Millennium Scholars and me that "You need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation." I hope that Princeton continues to bite away at institutional apathy. David Smart is a freshman from Los Angeles, Calif. He can be reached at dsmart@princeton.edu.