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PERSPECTIVES:
Rebuilding Communities After Katrina
September 23, 2005 Episode no. 904
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BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Now, a conversation about renewing lives and communities along the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina revealed the plight of those left behind in many ways in New Orleans. It was also a reminder that every city has its own core of people in need.
Robert Franklin is Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. He is also president of Atlanta's Regional Council of Churches.
Dr. Franklin, welcome.
Dr. ROBERT FRANKLIN (Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics, Candler School of Theology and President, Atlanta's Regional Council of Churches): Thank you, Bob.
ABERNETHY: This weekend the concern, the primary concern, is relief, emergency work again. But there have been conversations -- many of them -- about how to approach the whole rebuilding task, and you have some concerns about that. What are they?
Dr. FRANKLIN: I do. I think that there's a lot of money and a lot of planning energy already afoot with respect to rebuilding the Gulf Coast, rebuilding cities.
ABERNETHY: Levees, roads, houses?
Dr. FRANKLIN: That's right -- the infrastructure of a great city. But planners and politicians need to bear in mind that what makes a city a great city is the community -- the sense of compassion, of respect, of integrating everyone into the life of the city. That's really what we ought to aim for.
ABERNETHY: But how can anybody thinking about rebuilding a whole city -- how can they go about doing that? What does it take?
Dr. FRANKLIN: It takes a broad, comprehensive perspective on what makes for a good community and a just community. And faith leaders need to be at the table as we puzzle out how we rebuild and renew a sense of community; how we integrate the poor who are currently isolated for most of our cities; how we integrate people of color into cities where they often live on the margins. This is an opportunity. It's a disgrace; it's a disaster that we've lived through. But I think we have an opportunity to write a new script for America, and all of our communities have a role to play.
ABERNETHY: You talk about integrating. Do you have in mind -- and I want to get at the practical things that can happen -- do you have in mind more integrated neighborhoods, for instance?
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Dr. FRANKLIN: Absolutely. I think policy makers ought to revisit where we were in 1968 as Dr. King challenged us to become a true multiracial, multicultural society to really reflect the beauty of the American dream and the American promise. I think that churches can adopt a church, families can adopt a family, and individuals can assist a single individual in this renewal [and] rebuilding effort. We ought to figure out what we can do and commit ourselves to doing that.
ABERNETHY: Some of these people clearly need great help. They're sick, they're disabled. Some of them can do a lot for themselves, maybe. How do you encourage that?
Dr. FRANKLIN: Yes. I think the key is to provide opportunities for poor people to be exposed to people who are hopeful, who are working, who are contributing to society. That's why I like one of the measures and policies of a previous administration that focused on, through Hope VI and Section 8 housing, efforts to integrate poor people, people in public housing, into neighborhoods where there are working people. They need that exposure. They don't need just more money. They actually need the kind of self-improvement lessons and the guidelines, the social networks that come from living in neighborhoods that have resourceful people.
ABERNETHY: Bill Cosby got into a lot of controversy a year ago when he complained that poor blacks weren't doing enough to help themselves. Did you agree with him?
Dr. FRANKLIN: I did agree, and I think that Bill Cosby sounded one note in a larger symphony. There are other notes. There [is] lack of job opportunities in the inner cities. There is -- we have awful school systems in public education in many of our cities. And so that's the other side of the story. But the key is how do we mobilize, both within African-American communities, churches, the colleges, the nonprofit organizations and in the larger society, the will and intelligent policy to ensure that we can transform poor people's lives?
ABERNETHY: And you see a new attitude toward that developing, or not?
Dr. FRANKLIN: Absolutely. I think within the African-American community, like America's awareness of poverty during the Hurricane Katrina and Rita episodes, African Americans realize we've got to do more. Many of us have done well. Many of us are part of thriving churches. We have the resources and the smarts to make a difference for the one third of our community that's sinking in poverty.
ABERNETHY: Dr. Franklin, many thanks.
Dr. FRANKLIN: Thank you, Bob.
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Related R&E Material:
 Hurricane Katrina - How to Help
Military Chaplains' Hurricane Relief and Rescue Efforts, September 16, 2005
Katrina Aftermath, September 9, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts Undate, September 9, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Faith-Based Relief Efforts, September 2, 2005
Hurrican Katrina Commentary, September 2, 2005
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