E-mail a friendJune 1, 2007
Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward: in Part 5, "Sixteen Months Gone," Jonathan Demme and Tavis visit with New Orleans residents Malik Rahim and Robert Green, Sr.
Malik Rahim
Malik Rahim
"The government refuses to even acknowledge the work we are doing" (4:26)
Malik Rahim is a New Orleans native and former Black Panther. He remained in New Orleans through Hurricane Katrina and wrote an article about conditions in the city. A tireless advocate for the underprivileged and overlooked, he co-founded the Common Ground Collective, which supports community rebuilding efforts. Rahim travels the country speaking about his observations and encouraging volunteers to come to New Orleans to work on the group's behalf.
Robert Green, Sr.
Robert Green, Sr.
Robert Green, Sr. lost both his mother and granddaughter in the hurricane. In the hours before Katrina came ashore, a barge crashed through a cement floodwall and sent 20 feet of water into his neighborhood. He and five of his family members traveled to Baton Rouge to provide DNA samples, in the hope of having their loved ones identified following the floods. A tax accountant, Green currently lives in a FEMA trailer and was one of the first residents to plan to rebuild.