King's legacy after Katrina

Just read this great piece in Facing South by James Perry of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center about the amazing work that is going on to rebuild the city, both socially and physically. He clearly sees direct implications of King's legacy in New Orleans.

King noted that a key to successful advocacy is making the situation ripe for negotiation. He advised that this can be done by using non-violent advocacy to make a situation "so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation." One can only imagine the discomfort of members of Congress as they looked into the eyes of Women of the Storm and members of the Louisiana Housing Alliance who lamented story after story of the government's failure to provide for the needs of Americans in the wake of the 2005 storms. The result: billions of dollars were allocated for Gulf Coast recovery.

Undoubtedly, King's work now has an enhanced meaning for New Orleans. The efforts of New Orleans' citizens embody and honor King's work.

Seven days after King's assassination, Congress passed the federal Fair Housing Act. They did so because for all King's accomplishments, he was unable to fully challenge and defeat housing discrimination and provide for the affordable housing needs of America in the 60's.

- Facing South: Work of New Orleans advocates honors Martin Luther King's legacy, 4/6/08

Kudos to the legions of activists working hard to heal New Orleans, and to to the Institute for Southern Studies (publisher of the Facing South blog) for continuing to shine sunlight on the deplorable treatment of an entire city.