Mardi Gras
is
approaching,
and what
better way
to celebrate
the culture
of New
Orleans, than to
demand the
rebuilding
of the city
where jazz
was
created.
Sign up
(below) your
college to
have a Mardi
Gras party
and
procession
on you
campus.
Today, four
of the seven
general
hospitals
and 65% of
all schools
in New
Orleans
remained
closed. Over
150,000
people
remained in
toxic FEMA
trailers
throughout
the Gulf.
The good
news is that
there is a
solution to
this crisis
and it is HR
4048: The
Gulf Coast
Civic Works
Act.
This bill,
which was
introduced
into
Congress on
November 1,
2007 and was
co-sponsored
by Charlie
Melancon
from
southern
Louisiana
and Gene
Taylor from
southern
Mississippi,
calls on the
federal
government
to create a
minimum of
100,000
civic work
jobs at
prevailing
wages to
rebuild the
infrastructure
of the Gulf
Coast. A
1-page
summary and
the full
bill are
attached.
So on Mardi
Gras,
colleges
throughout
the nation
will
"Celebrate
for HR 4048"
by having
Mardi Gras
processions
on their
campuses.
Below is San
Jose State
University's
Mardi Gras
schedule,
and is
provided as
an example
of what your
college
might do:
9
am-noon:
Politically-themed
mask
making
and sign
making
(in
support
of HR
4048)
sponsored
by
Associated
Students
Noon:
Meet at
Smith &
Carlos
Statues
for
procession
around
campus
with
jazz
band
12:45ish
pm:
Barbecue
at the
pits
focusing
on New
Orleans
cuisine
2 pm:
Speaker
on New
Orleans
Culture
at the
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King
Library
3 pm
Student
report
out of
current
state of
New
Orleans
4 pm:
Video
showing:
"American
Blackout"
(a video
on Black
voter
suppression)
All Day:
Tabling
to sign
people
up for
the
campaign
to pass
HR 4048.
The goal of
the Gulf
Coast Civic
Work
Project—a
coalition of
over 40
college
campuses,
and which
created the
idea for HR
4048—is to
have Mardi
Gras
processions,
jazz bands,
throwing of
beads, etc.,
in order to
highlight
the crisis
in the Gulf
and the
solution.
Learn more
about Mardi
Gras [click
here]
and info on
HR4048
[Click
to Download the Bill]
[Summary
of the Bill]
This year
Mardi Gras
falls on
Super
Tuesday,
where 20
states will
hold
caucuses or
primary
elections to
choose their
presidential
candidates.
What better
day to
highlight to
America the
importance
of New
Orleans and
the Gulf
Coast!
Let's send a
loud message
to the
nation and
to the
presidential
candidates
that there
is solution
to the
crisis in
New Orleans
and the Gulf
Coast, and
it is the
Gulf Coast
Civic Works
Act.
