Tom Piazza, Writer: With all its problems, with all the corruption, with all the racism, with all the crime, with all the poverty New Orleans has kept its culture alive and kept its history alive with all these different elements that have come together, and have marinated together for hundreds of years. There is culture here that is very precious, beautiful, and unduplicatable.
Lawrence N. Powell, Historian: I'm not sure that, that we could understand American race relations today without reference to New Orleans. I'm not sure American culture would look the same. It's one of these cities, had you removed it from the national equation, I'm not sure America would be the same. And I don't think you can say that for many other places in the United States.
James Gill, Journalist: America needs New Orleans because it needs a place with a soul that you don't find elsewhere. This is a place where there is invention and, and innovation. America feeds off that, even if people aren't necessarily aware of it.
John Biguenet, Writer: We made music that came up out of the neighborhoods rather than being taught in conservatories. We took recipes that our grandparents had taught us and turned it into one of the great cuisines on Earth. So this was a place that allowed what was here to flower, rather than trying to turn it into something else. There are very few places that have made that choice.
John Scott, Artist: The promise of that city is the lesson that can be learned from that city. At its best, when the people are doing what they do naturally--blending a seamless culture it has a oneness about it that very few places in the rest of this country has. New Orleans' promise is we can teach America how to be America. If anybody's listening.