Hurricane Katrina was a devastating natural disaster, but it also acted as a magnifying glass, revealing to us the tears in the social fabric that should unite us all. On September 27 – 30, 2006, Katrina: After the Storm – Civic Engagement Through Arts, Humanities and Technology will address the critical issues raised by the storm and its aftermath – issues of social justice and equity, broken connections and the need for community healing. While Katrina brought these issues into sharp focus in New Orleans, these are issues that every community must face in order to be united and strong.
Katrina: After the Storm will utilize advanced technology to create a virtual community, connecting Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois with sites across the country in order to share common concerns and ignite dialogues that emphasize our interconnectedness. Our Katrina summit will weave together inspiration and input from the arts, humanities, and technology to spark creative, innovative suggestions for engaging all members of our community and mending the torn social fabric.
The Katrina summit was inspired in part by the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Quilt, created January 2006. Entitled "A Single Garment of Destiny – Our Common Threads" the quilt reminds us that our community is a patchwork of people stitched together by our common cause.
