Blue Velvet

                I actually went to New Orleans in 2010 with my church youth group. Every morning some of us would sneak away to sit on a dock overlooking the Mississippi River right off Bourbon Street. It is interesting the sound in the video Blue Velvet while above the water because it sounds exactly like New Orleans in the morning. When the street cleaners are done with their daily rounds and before anyone is normally awake, everything is peaceful and quiet, all you can hear is the breeze. Everyone I met in New Orleans was kind and so happy to tell their stories. I actually met a black man on the dock one of the mornings. He told me a very sad story. He was staying with a friend when Katrina took place and he clearly remembered people were hanging onto telephone wires and tons of people were up on their roofs. He remembered trying to help his friend’s mother, but they couldn’t hold on to her because she was kind of a big woman. He said they never saw her again. He also had no place to live and no books to read. I gave him the bible that everyone in my youth received and he was very grateful and wanted to pray with me.

                I am not sure why this really had an impact on my life, but it is difficult to picture all the suffering when sitting on that dock, all you hear is the peaceful breezes and see the beautiful river. I understand the importance of knowing who was left behind instead of being evacuated. This is why the music became so intense under the water in the video. When things get bad, that is when we see oppression of races or classes in motion. This man that I met may have been black and lower class, but he was kind and courteous. He had me in tears with his story, but he just kept saying how he still loved New Orleans and that there are good people there. That is why it is important to come back above the water to pick a new topic. While there is hidden racism or silencing of certain classes, there is always the peacefulness and the kindness of people above the water.