Malik Rahim
During the chaos of the storm and in the devastation that followed Hurricane Katrina, Malik Rahim stood his ground demanding justice for those left behind. He forced the media to recognize the failures of the government and the racial and social inequalities uncovered by the hurricane. In response to the ineffectiveness of local and national authorities, Mr. Rahim has become a leading organizer in rebuilding his community in New Orleans.
Mr. Rahim opened his home to volunteers from around the country and turned it into a hub of activity in the community. He is caring for those without access to medical care, food and shelter and united efforts to remake the community under the banner of sustainability. His vision and plan include a grander future for New Orleans, one rooted in justice and equality. Immediately following the storm he co-founded Rebuild Green and the Common Ground Collective to reconstruct the city socially and environmentally. Mr. Rahim has created momentum to truly integrate the city and dismantle the stratification that left thousands of community members without food, shelter, electricity or clan water for months. He is working to turn New Orleans into a showplace of environmental and social progress.
Mr. Rahim, a former Black Panther, is a veteran community organizer, working with public housing tenants in San Francisco and New Orleans for decades. Four years after the hurricane, Mr. Rahim is still demanding rights for the poor and detoxifying and rebuilding his neighborhood.
Malik Rahim is available for the following talks:
COINTELPRO, Katrina-Style
By now, most of us have heard about Brandon Darby, the co-founder of Common Ground Relief who in December 2008 admitted to being an FBI informant. Although Darby has denied working for the FBI when he was at Common Ground Relief, Malik Rahim and others who were there are now convinced that Darby actively tried to destroy the organization from the inside. Malik also believes Darby fits into a pattern of COINTELPRO-like government activities that took place in the South in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Drawing from his heartbreaking experience with Darby and his former days as a Black Panther when the iron fist of COINTELPRO was in full swing, Malik will discuss lessons he learned the hard way, and how activists and organizers can become more aware of warning signs of government disruption and infiltration.
Racial Currents in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Contrary to media reports following Hurricane Katrina, an eighteen-month investigation by journalist A.C. Thompson — reported in the 1/5/09 issue of The Nation — has revealed that the biggest thugs roaming the streets after Katrina hit were not African-American gang members (as Mayor Ray Nagin told Oprah Winfrey at the time) but armed white males hell-bent on protecting “their” neighborhoods from black people — even those who were their neighbors. Malik Rahim lived through the horrors described in the article, and he’s had his pulse on race relations in New Orleans ever since.
Still Going Strong: The Current Work of Common Ground Relief
Common Ground Relief is a community-initiated volunteer organization offering assistance, mutual aid and support. From their initial days in 2005 of providing food, water and basic medical care; to 2006-2007 when volunteers gutted close to 3,000 homes and planted 20,000 wetlands grasses, trees and seeds; to their current focus on rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward, Common Ground Relief consistently has advocated to New Orleanians’ right to return home after Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers work side by side with residents of New Orleans to rebuild their homes, recreate their neighborhoods, and restore their environment. Malik will highlight Common Ground Relief’s current projects, including advocacy and legal services, job training, wetlands restoration, and skilled volunteer home rebuilding.
