The I-10 Witness Project

 

The I-10 Witness Project is a community based story collective formed to document the myriad tales emerging from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Comprised of Louisiana artists, educators and community organizers, I-10 Witness sought to give voice to affected Louisiana citizens by documenting their stories through sound. Upon returning to New Orleans in the fall of 2005, we felt that people needed a safe space to express how the storm impacted their lives. Through the I-10 Witness Project, we aimed to cultivate a forum where citizens could voice their concerns about the reconstruction, redevelopment and rejuvenation of south Louisiana and New Orleans.

For almost three years after the storm we traveled throughout Louisiana and the surrounding areas to record stories from a diverse cross-section of the public. Participants included displaced citizens in shelters, relief workers, community organizers, neighborhood leaders, artists, medical staff, city planners and government officials, among others. All participants received a copy of their recorded interview. These interviews can be accessed by the community through this website and will be housed at the project headquarters. In the future, interviews will be made available through partnerships with public broadcast networks and credible local, state and national oral history archives.

Below you will find a compilation of a few of the stories, but to get a richer experience please visit the official site for the I-10 Witness Project.