A documentary from Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) will premiere on Peacock with community screenings in New Orleans and Mississippi this August.
Experience the power of “Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina.” Watch the full documentary on Peacock.
Released days before the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, “Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina” highlights the leadership of communities in New Orleans and along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast working to rebuild and reimagine more equitable systems.
The feature-length documentary marks Trymaine Lee’s return to the region, where he first reported on Katrina as part of The Times-Picayune newsroom in 2005. The film traces the arc of recovery through the voices of those who never left — educators, organizers, farmers and families who have spent two decades not only rebuilding but transforming the systems that failed their communities long before the storm.
“Hope in High Water” was made possible with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). Guided by its mission to create conditions where all children can thrive, WKKF has worked alongside communities in New Orleans and Mississippi since the 1940s, investing in locally driven efforts to improve health, education and economic opportunity. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, WKKF responded with $27 million in emergency funding to help meet urgent needs. Today, the foundation maintains a staffed presence in both New Orleans and Jackson and invests about $34 million annually in efforts led by and for the people of the region.
“It is important we honor the strength and leadership of communities who are reimagining and rebuilding — not just their homes and neighborhoods, but systems rooted in equity, culture and care. As more communities across the country and world face climate threats and systemic disruption, we have much to learn from the Gulf South. We are proud to support ‘Hope in High Water’ and to uplift the stories of people leading the way toward a more just future for all children.”
-La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of WKKF
At the center of “Hope in High Water” are leaders and WKKF grantees whose vision and persistence show what community-driven change looks like today. These educators, farmers and advocates are shaping a more just and equitable future across New Orleans and Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Kimberly Novod, Saul’s Light — Expanding support for families navigating neonatal and maternal health.
Jonshell Johnson, Grow Dat Youth Farm — Developing young leaders through urban farming and community building.
Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, Ashé Cultural Arts Center — Preserving and celebrating African diasporic culture through the arts.
Adrinda Kelly, BE NOLA — Elevating Black educators and ensuring students thrive in culturally affirming schools.
Kimberly Jones Merchant, Mississippi Center for Justice — Advancing racial and economic justice through legal advocacy.
Jane Nguyen, Boat People SOS – Gulf Coast — Serving immigrant and refugee communities with programs that protect rights and strengthen families.
Rashida Ferdinand, Sankofa CDC — Expanding food access and promoting health through community-driven programs in the Lower Ninth Ward.
“Hope in High Water” weaves together intimate storytelling, archival footage and unflinching reporting to reflect on what recovery has meant — and what it still demands. The documentary unfolds across several core themes:
Rebuilding of schools and working for equity in classrooms
Confronting trauma and systemic disparities in healthcare
Farmers, markets and families ensuring communities can thrive
Protecting wetlands and preparing for new climate threats
Each chapter features local leaders who refused to give up, showing progress made and challenges that remain.
Trymaine Lee is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning journalist known for his work examining the intersection of race, justice and inequality. Lee, an MSNBC contributor, has spent two decades reporting on the collision of race, power, politics and violence. Time and again, he has returned to New Orleans to track Katrina’s enduring impact on Black communities in the Gulf South.
His upcoming book, “A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America” (to be published by St. Martin’s Press on Sept. 9, 2025), and “Hope in High Water” continue his legacy of telling urgent, deeply personal stories rooted in American truth.
“Hope in High Water’ is about what it means to have your entire world upended and still find a way forward.”
-Trymaine Lee
“Hope in High Water” was made possible with support from the WKKF. Guided by its mission to create conditions where all children can thrive, WKKF has worked alongside communities in New Orleans and Mississippi since the 1940s, investing in locally driven efforts to improve health, education and economic opportunity.
The documentary is a co-production between Lee’s I Am Somebody Media and Haimy Assefa’s Blue Black Studio. It is executive produced and hosted by Lee and produced and directed by Assefa.
Discover more stories of people-powered progress through the Rooted in Us series and discover additional events hosted by WKKF grantees during the Week of Action here.
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, “Hope in High Water” follows Pulitzer Prize – and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee as he revisits New Orleans and Mississippi. Supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the documentary traces the arc of recovery, resistance and centers the voices of everyday people who have led change in the face of long-standing inequities and new climate threats.
Trymaine retained full editorial control over the documentary, ensuring it reflected an independent journalistic perspective and honored the authenticity of the stories shared.
“Hope in High Water” weaves together intimate storytelling, archival footage and unflinching reporting to reflect on what recovery has meant — and what it still demands. The documentary unfolds across several core themes:
– Education: Rebuilding of schools and working for equity in classrooms
– Health: Confronting trauma and systemic disparities in healthcare
– Food Access: Farmers, markets and families ensuring communities can thrive
– Environmental Survival: Protecting wetlands and preparing for new climate threats
Each chapter features local leaders who refused to give up, showing progress made and challenges that remain.
Rebuilding of schools and working for equity in classrooms
Confronting trauma and systemic disparities in healthcare
Farmers, markets and families ensuring communities can thrive
Protecting wetlands and preparing for new climate threats
“Hope in High Water” weaves together intimate storytelling, archival footage and unflinching reporting to reflect on what recovery has meant — and what it still demands. The documentary unfolds across several core themes:
– Education: Rebuilding of schools and working for equity in classrooms
– Health: Confronting trauma and systemic disparities in healthcare
– Food Access: Farmers, markets and families ensuring communities can thrive
– Environmental Survival: Protecting wetlands and preparing for new climate threats
Each chapter features local leaders who refused to give up, showing progress made and challenges that remain.
Surrounding the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we’re sharing powerful stories through our Rooted in Us series — plus events, tools and equity-driven news rooted in New Orleans, Mississippi and beyond that helps all children and families thrive.
