It seems as though we as society forgot the meaning of social capital. Sure, technology and the demands of hectic daily expectations may overshadow this sense of connection to others, but it can also be painfully isolating. Technology is a brilliant and necessary tool, but it’s not going to provide friendship or a hug during trying times, or, in the case of New Orleans, provide sweat equity for a new place to live when a home is lost along with every single material possession a person has ever owned.
I’m finishing “Bowling Alone” by Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam, who paints a clear picture of what a society would lose if they are poorly connected. Losses include safety concerns due to lack of neighborhood trust, faltering educational systems, and poor health. Imagine what has happened to New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Picture a society built on strong neighborhood ties and jazz born in the streets of Treme and Congo Square. Hurricane Katrina forced people apart, severely limiting communal ties because residents were displaced throughout the U.S., and many still struggle financially to return to the Big Easy and rebuild everything they’ve lost.
I was fortunate to rebuild in New Orleans with our Berklee crew last year. I fought back tears as we witnessed not only the devastation of a city, but neighborhoods so scarcely rebuilt. Social capital? Forget it.
This year, I’m back as one of the two staff administrators on the trip, and there’s a very inspiring change. Neighborhoods are beginning to return. Abandoned houses are being razed and refreshed with a brand new, safe place to live. There are obvious signs of life, and for that, there is hope. Its amazing Berklee has cared so much for this city, and we’ve been thanked over and over for it by the people of New Orleans. We are bringing community back, one house at a time. And the best part are the connections for the faculty and staff on this trip, who are simultaneously building that very idea of community for themselves.
This is Kathryn Hencir, academic advisor and staff administrator for Berklee rebuilding in New Orleans. Thanks for tuning in; there will definitely be more to come.
- The House on Piety - June 24, 2009
- Kathryn, coming back - June 23, 2009
Roya
Hi, Kathryn.
I really enjoyed reading your entry; it was very insightful. Keep up the good work.
Jenna
This is great. NOLA is lucky to have you back. That book is powerful, indeed, and the fact that so much remains to be done in NOLA so many years later is an indication of the path we’re on as a society… but the fact that so many are still willing to work hard on strangers’ houses is an indication of the change people like you will make to our world.
Keep it up, Kathryn Hencir! (and everybody else!!)
Rob Hochschild
Good stuff, Kathryn and all of you! “Bowling Alone” sounds interesting. I had a similar feeling when I went on the trip two years ago; I had a sense of connectedness to a community, and people in general, that I’d never had before. I’m glad to hear it’s been similar for you, though I am sad that things have been so slow to change and that there remains physical and cultural voids in parts of the city that had been devastated.
The house’s purple-pink color is really cool. You guys are doing great work, and I’m psyched to see you went out to hear some music at dba’s! I know there’s not a lot of energy at the end of the day for that.
Thanks for your work and for representing your fellow Berklee-ites so well. Long Live New Orleans!