What it means to miss New Orleans

A day of errands after a night of watching the three-part Spike Lee Netflix documentary on New Orleans and Katrina. The Guardian reviewer gave it four stars; I give it five. 

I lived in New Orleans off and on for twelve years. Lived there longer than I ever lived anywhere but Portland. I spent my youth there, got two degrees from the University of New Orleans, published my first poetry there, performed my monologs there, lived in nearly every neighborhood in the city and worked in all the ones I didn’t live in. Got my first grownup camera there, Seth was born there, I came out there, and when I returned from Africa with two girl children, I lived there again till I could find regular employment. The culture of New Orleans is a huge part of who I am, how I think, what music I love, what I like to eat, how I like to spend my time. 

I was in Houston when Katrina hit, desperately worried about friends, listening to what news I could find, frustrated and sometimes enraged. I think Spike Lee and the many people he interviewed for the documentary tell the truth about what happened there, how much racism shaped what happened there. I think it must be difficult for people not in the southern USA to understand how racism works there, but anyone who watches these three episodes will understand it much better. I might watch all three episodes again tonight.