Holy Rollers- The Church Van is Hero of Katrina Recovery for Blacks

[buzzsaw_23]

Holy Rollers -- The Church Van Is Hero of Katrina Recovery for Blacks

News Feature, Kevin Weston,
Pacific News Service, Sep 12, 2005
Editor's Note: In the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast, black churches are bringing resources and hope to areas the government can't or won't reach.

MOBILE, Ala.--When Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, her winds of despair awakened the organizing capacity of the black church to serve black people.
That venerable old cross that has supported African people in America almost since the moment we were stolen away has again proven itself the premiere grassroots organization in our community.

The black church van has always been visible on Gulf Coast roads -- usually loaded with parishioners going to Sunday school or Wednesday prayer sessions. Now, it carries supplies to storm victims, and transports evacuees to food, shelter and safety.

In Mobile, Ala., Paul Robinson -- a formerly incarcerated activist who works on voting rights -- is loading a church van with water, soft drinks, Pampers and dry goods, alongside half a dozen other men in the 90-degree Alabama heat. This van and three others are headed for Biloxi, Miss.

<snip>

Through his work on voting rights for the formerly incarcerated, Robinson has knowledge of exactly where to find the people in greatest need. "We are out there," he says. "You got to go into the hood. You get to know these people. We know where they are, and we brought in water, food and ice. They hadn't had any resources delivered to them."

http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=45a42e66655cdbbc374823d6040ae69b

[PatsFan2004]

1. Good to hear!

[gademocrat7]

2. I hope food and water will reach Harrisburg, Miss.

People are starving there and suffering from dehydration.