Today, for our last episode in this BATCH of Earth Stories, we look back at one of the most monumental environmental disasters in American history. While many stories have been written about how New Orleans came back after Katrina, at The Bitter Southerner, we were interested in a deeper question: Why did the people of New Orleans come back and rebuild their city?

In episode 10, journalist and filmmaker, Lolis Eric Elie reads his piece “The Whys” - it’s as powerful as anything we’ve ever published, and we’re excited to share it on BATCH.

Among many other works, Lolis’ credits include working on the HBO series “Treme;” co- producing and writing the PBS documentary, “Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans,” as well as co-authoring “Rodney Scott’s World of Barbecue: Every Day’s a Good Day”

A quick content warning for those listening with children or anyone who may not want to hear this right now; this episode has unbleeped adult language as well as mentions of death and suicide.

Original Story

The Whys

Credits

Hosted by Kyle Tibbs Jones

Produced by Ryan Engelberger

Engineered by Thomas Sully Allen and Mike Casentini

Featuring original music by Curt Castle

Recorded at Chase Park Transduction & Tweed Recording in Athens GA, and The Network Studios in Los Angeles, CA.

Made possible by the support of Southern Environmental Law Center