Following the defeat of Amendment 3 in the March 29 election, which sought to send more youth to adult prisons, Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR) announced the launch of our narrative campaign, #ItTakesAVillageNOLA. The campaign coincides with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and calls upon New Orleanians to own the responsibility to its youth. Louisiana voters exemplified ‘The Village’ by showing up at the polls and stating that we do not believe in throwing our kids away. In New Orleans alone, 91% of voters voted ‘no’ on Amendment 3. It’s time for us to continue this momentum in proactively supporting the young people in our city.
#ItTakesAVillageNOLA is LCCR’s first narrative campaign led by Cierra Chenier, our Strategic Storyteller, as part of a wider effort to combat the harmful narratives surrounding Black youth and promote alternative, positive narratives that reassert the humanity of young people in our city. In response to the negative stereotypes youth have been labeled with post-Katrina, the concept of ‘The Village’ extends accountability from solely the kids to also include those responsible for them–all of us. As members of The Village, this campaign will emphasize the individual and collective roles we hold and reexamine how we can, and should, prioritize youth in our daily lives.
The campaign intentionally aligns with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and prompts us to examine, “What happened to the village?” while elevating the next generation as the future of New Orleans. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s catastrophic flooding and destruction, the question– “Should New Orleans rebuild?” arose in response. Many across the country said no- that New Orleans was ‘a lost cause’ and ‘unsustainable city’ due to its position below sea level and vulnerability to environmental threats and societal issues. Locally, some even questioned whether certain neighborhoods should have the opportunity to rebuild and offered proposals to ‘shrink the footprint’ of the city.
We rebuilt anyway. New Orleans decided that even after our tragedy, we were worth redemption. We decided that our vulnerability did not make us disposable– it meant that we just needed additional protection. The goal of #ItTakesAVillageNOLA is for local communities to recognize that just like New Orleans was worth rebuilding and supporting after Katrina, our city’s youth are worthy of the same grace, healing, and investment to carry New Orleans into the future. “The children are ours. Every single one of them. Whether they succeed or fail lies in how we support, nurture, and respond to them,” says Kristen Rome, Executive Director of LCCR.
Through storytelling, marketing, social advocacy, and policy engagement, #ItTakesAVillageNOLA aims to create a new narrative for the next generation: one that humanizes young people for who they are and emphasizes their capability to grow from challenges and learn from mistakes with the proper community support.
#ItTakesAVillageNOLA invites all to join The Village by learning more at www.ittakesavillagenola.org, signing the community pledge, and becoming a partner. The campaign is powered by Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights and supported by partners: Navigate NOLA, Black Education for New Orleans, State Senator Royce Duplessis, Center for Restorative Approaches, and Ubuntu Village.
