HISTORY OF THE GCCWP [printable pdf version]
To produce change, one must act. Within the sociology course, Social Action, students from San Jose State University sought out to produce “changes” in their community through organizing student-led groups aimed at inequalities such as homelessness. To promote the awareness of homelessness within the San Jose community, students organized the Student Homeless Alliance (SHA) in 2006. With the guidance of San Jose State sociology professor, Dr. Myers-Lipton, SHA organized the first campus sleep-out on November 6, 2006, “Poverty under the Stars,” to illustrate to the community the reality of homelessness and poverty. One of the programs within the sleep-out was the screening of Spike Lee’s film, When the Levees Broke: A Four Act Requiem. Due to the screening, students and faculty were inspired to take action towards the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast. The following morning, students and faculty launched the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 executive order, Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was aimed towards providing jobs for citizens due to the devastation of the Great Depression.
The proposal of Gulf Coast Civic Works Project is a plan to rebuild the Gulf Coast by implementing “100,000” living wage jobs for Gulf Coast residents. Residents will not only rebuild their own communities, the GCCWP also hopes to restore a sense of personal empowerment and faith in the government among citizens. Inspired by the Mississippi Freedom Summer(s) of 1964, Dr. Myers-Lipton and students organized the first Louisiana Winter to see the devastation of Hurricane Katrina themselves. Students and faculty from a total of 25 universities traveled through Gulf Coast communities and neighborhoods to promote the GCCWP. Louisiana Winter illustrated the actuality of injustice in the Gulf Coast: debris from the storm was plentiful and the eeriness of silence reigned in neighborhoods like the Lower Ninth Ward. The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act, HR 4048, was introduced to congress on November 1, 2007 by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) with original co-sponsorship from Charlie Melancon (D-LA) and Gene Taylor (D-MS). Since the establishment of the GCCWP, students, faculty and grassroots organizations have continued on with the campaign of HR 4048 through a variety of actions and events. The Gulf Coast Civic Works Act rebuilds the Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast Civic Works Project highlights the danger of ignoring the inequality of one region for such an act threatens the recognition of inequality in our own communities.
Due to the nature of the political arena, it is essential that we have the support of congressional members around the nation for HR 4048 to get passed. That means we need to contact them multiple times via phone, email, and in person until they get the message.
Email Congress today: Help us reach our goal of getting 100 co-sponsors for HR 4048 by April 1st, 2008---->Click here.
JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORKING GROUPS
Join the Facebook campaign to bring the Gulf Coast to the debates.
Join the Myspace campaign to bring the Gulf Coast to the debates.
HOST A POST-KATRINA SUMMIT AT YOUR COLLEGE
So, what is a Post-Katrina Summit?
The Post-Katrina Summit is a week long series of events that raise awareness about Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath which has affected millions of Gulf Coast residents. In addition to shedding light on the devastation, the summit provides students a platform to get involved in the struggle for reclaiming the Gulf Coast for the residents who have been deeply affected by the hurricane. This includes: advocating for HR4048 (a bill that will provide 100,000 jobs for Gulf Coast residents), contacting local figures and congressmen for their support, and any other relevant projects that will provoke change. Though this is not the only means of raising awareness and generating action on a campus setting, it is one of the most effective in terms of educating and getting people involved.
Sample Agendas [pdf]
College Summit Flyer [pdf coming soon]
Tables for petitions
Home Week - Congress members will be in their home districts this week: invite them to attend your summit
Invite speakers (Professors who focus on the Gulf Coast or poverty/racism, students that have gone to the Gulf Coast to rebuild, labor and religious leaders)
Invite a displaced person from your community to speak
Show Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke
Organize an Art/Photo Show about the Gulf Coast
Study University of Michigan's Roosevelt Relief Policy Publication [pdf coming soon]
Study Columbia's "On The Edge – The Louisiana Child & Family Health Study [pdf]