The Change is Clear: It's in the People

Posted: 25 August 2006

by Alejandro Rosales

Here in Biloxi, Miss., as the sun sets on the beach still strewn with debris, more continues to wash onto the shore. A child’s bracelet. Pieces of two-by-fours. Unrecognizable remnants of buildings.

I pause in a busy day of talking to local partners, community members, and media to reflect on all of the things that Biloxi, the Gulf Coast, Oxfam America, and everybody has lived through in the last year since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the region, leaving nearly unimaginable destruction in its wake.

I think about progress, setbacks, victories, and defeats. But more than anything, I think about change.

Biloxi's lighthouse, still intact, and the bright lights of the Beau Rivage casino shine in the dusk.

So much has been done, so much has been lost, and so much is in danger of being lost in the near future.

Peoples' precarious situations are exacerbated by the slow pace of the economic recovery. Many mom and pop stores have yet to open. Many remain boarded up, as if a piece of plywood would protect them from losing their hopes and dreams.

I look at our progress over the last 12 months. Almost a year ago, I was sent down as part of a three-person disaster assessment team right after the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast. I didn’t know what to expect, nor how this situation would change me or how it would change Oxfam.

Yet now, as I sit on this scarred coastline, I realize our purpose, I understand our mission, and I see hope.

Regardless of the stark environment and what remains of the battered city, I see where the true change is: in the people, in their communities, and in their ideas.

People realize now that we all could have been better prepared, that communities need to be informed of decisions, and that everyone needs to be part of the solution.

The change is clear and so is Oxfam's purpose: to help people find their voices so they can effectively advocate for their community’s needs and concerns. I have seen the lasting impact Oxfam’s support can have—from emergency relief to long-term recovery.

I have seen how we can help grassroots organizations sprout from the community, empower themselves, and advocate on their own behalf. I have seen people organize and communities mobilize. I see the trust that the community has with Oxfam. I see the hope in people’s eyes, and compare that to their expressions in the first few weeks after the storm.

During the past year I have seen Oxfam support partners as they testified before Congress, far from the familiarity of Biloxi or New Orleans. I have seen fellow immigrants—mostly workers helping to rebuild the coast—directly benefit from the local organizations we support. They have helped to empower those workers, and advocate for their rights as residents and human beings. Most importantly, I have seen the transformation of people. Once voiceless, they now speak out with strength and hope.

I realize that although the recovery is moving slowly, a Gulf Coast—with empowered citizens who can advocate for themselves—has a bright future. I’m anxious, and hopeful, about what lies ahead. Whatever happens, I know we will be here supporting people and their communities.