It was 10 years ago that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. What it also revealed was the racial and economic inequality as well as the unpreparedness for such a disaster.
It was also this incident that propelled Obama into the spotlight given that he believed that America deserved a better future. So, it was fitting that he visited New Orleans to commemorate the 10th anniversary and a new community center built in the Ninth Ward.
In touting New Orleans as an example of American resilience, he said, “Americans like you — the people of New Orleans . . . you’re what recovery has been all about. You’re why I’m confident that we can recover from crisis and start to move forward. You’re the reason 13 million new jobs have been created. You’re the reason the unemployment rate fell from 10 percent to 5.3. You’re the reason that layoffs are near an all-time low.”
He also spoke of the struggles that poor people with color also faced as well as the structural inequality that was exposed after the storm was over.
Yet he summed things up on a positive note in stating that citizens have rebuilt the city in a manner that it should be.
It was clear that this successful rebuilding was a matter of personal pride for the President since it also pointed out to what the government could accomplish along with its people.
Finally, he also said that he had promised to rebuild the Gulf Coast as a Senator and that he had kept that promise.