Out of Sight, Out of Mind

A Film on the Fight for Justice and Community Against a Double Storm: Katrina and the BP Oil Disaster, By Anita Sinha

Today, Advancement Project launched a 21-minute documentary, Out of Sight, Out of Mind. As an attorney with Advancement Project, I have had the privilege and honor to work with residents from the Gulf Coast since 2006. This is why I know that no one can convey the dual experience of hope and struggle, the context of cultural pride, and the righteousness of preserving communities, better than the residents directly impacted. And so I turned to a camera, not a courtroom, to capture the voices of five extraordinary people: Darla, Stephanie, Mike, Harold, and Byron.

My deep hope is that the heart and conviction that resonate in their voices awakens the consciousness of decision-makers…and quickly, because the problems facing their communities are urgent. Consider some of the statistics:

• Over one-quarter of coastal residents think they will have to move because of the oil disaster.
• Long-term effects of chemical dispersants include neurological disorders and cancer.
• About $1.2 billion in economic output and 17,000 jobs will be lost this year due to the oil disaster.
• Since Hurricane Katrina, over 100,000 fewer people live in New Orleans. Most of those displaced are low-income, people of color. This is due to institutional barriers.
• Pre-Katrina, there were 2,580 inpatient hospital beds in New Orleans. As of 2009, there were only 758.
• 1 in 4 properties in New Orleans is vacant. Most of the city’s public housing has been demolished. 

We release Out of Sight, Out of Mind on the heels of Hurricane Katrina’s five-year commemoration. But what the Gulf Coast communities need people to understand is that their struggle is long-term, and the solutions sought are not quick-fix, band-aid types of solutions. Moreover, the economic and community “development” plans hurting the Gulf Coast are the same ones that are also hurting low-income people, predominantly communities of color, in cities and towns across the United States.
 
Since people really need to hear all this directly from the impacted people themselves, I will sign off here.  Please take time to watch the documentary, share it with others, and use it as an advocacy tool.
 
Anita Sinha is a Senior Attorney with Advancement Project, a policy, communications, and legal action organization committed to racial justice.