Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, LA (August 19, 2015)—As New Orleans prepares to mark ten years since it was forever changed by one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, The Atlantic will gather city leaders and those shaping its future for “New Orleans: Ten Years Later” on Monday, August 24—a daylong symposium recognizing the city’s resilience and evaluating how it and other great cities will surmount shared challenges. The event is organized with the Urban Institute. A detailed agenda and full list of speakers is below; updated information will be shared at theatlantic.com/atlanticnola.
“New Orleans: Ten Years Later” will feature Mayor Mitch Landrieu in conversation with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. In the September issue of The Atlantic, Goldberg explores Landrieu’s crusade to break the cycle of violence in his city.
Voices of New Orleans will resonate throughout the event. 19-year-old poet Madeleine LeCesne of New Orleans, one of five National Student Poets, will recite a recent work. Three brothers from one long-time local family will share the stage, and their story: Dean, Terry, and Wayne Baquet. Dean is executive editor of The New York Times, Terry is director of print for The Times-Picayune, and Wayne owns the local cafe Li’l Dizzy’s. The Atlantic’s Editor in Chief and President James Bennet, who covered post-Katrina New Orleans for The New York Times, will lead a discussion about neighborhood development. We’ll understand how schools are faring with John White, superintendent of education for Louisiana, Kira Orange Jones of Teach for America, Andre Perry of The Hechinger Report, and parent Rosylin York. Other conversations will address the disappearing coast; racial inequality and opportunities for young black men in New Orleans; the culture that permeates the city; and what the future holds.
