“I cannot wait for things to get back to normal.”

How many times have you heard people say that during the pandemic?

In New Orleans, like many communities across the globe, “normal” didn’t work before the pandemic, especially for people of color. But in the Crescent City, the pandemic and social unrest have been punctuated with multiple climate crises and violence against youth, producing reoccurring traumas in a short time.

It’s created resilience fatigue for generations of New Orleanians who are working to tackle systemic issues of racial, economic, climate and health justice.

In the first I Am New Orleans conversation in 2022, Ashé Cultural Arts Center hosted an intergenerational conversation to start the community healing process and set the table for change. The special two-hour virtual conversation was part of WKKF’s National Day of Racial Healing.

Listen to the recorded conversation to hear community advocates and emerging youth leaders discuss the challenges, ways to strengthen families and opportunities to better support youth. And watch a short video about how change happens at the pace of the people.