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When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, it didn’t just devastate cities and coastlines — it laid bare which neighborhoods were protected, which were left behind and whose voices were valued when decisions were being made.
Across the country, we saw teachers working out of borrowed classrooms. Mothers and grandmothers running pop-up clinics. Volunteers navigating neighborhoods with coolers and clipboards. They did this long before official aid arrived. And over time, those efforts became something more — a movement to reimagine and rebuild systems from the ground up.
Today, ahead of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is proud to launch Rooted in Us — a storytelling series honoring the people who’ve led the transformation across the Gulf South. Through personal reflections from grantees, community leaders and elders, the series uplifts two decades of ingenuity, organizing and progress — while holding space for the healing and unfinished work still ahead.
The South has always led
The Gulf South is no stranger to crisis — or to leadership.
It’s the region that birthed the Civil Rights Movement. Where freedom riders, domestic workers and student organizers redefined what democracy could look like. Where people who were excluded from power didn’t wait for permission—they built new systems rooted in care, dignity and solidarity.
That legacy is alive and evolving still today. After Katrina, educators didn’t just reopen schools — they created early learning collaboratives led by families. Community members didn’t just clear debris — they fought for Medicaid expansion, new birthing centers and green career pipelines to protect against future storms.
These are scalable models with national relevance, especially as more communities from coast to coast face climate risks.
But the work across the Gulf South is far from being done. Public and private dollars are still needed to ensure our communities equitably rebuild systems and structures that work for everyone so all children thrive.
Follow their stories
We invite you to follow these inspiring stories where our partners share the heartache, lessons learned and hope for a better tomorrow. Over the coming weeks, Rooted in Us will share reflections from:
- Educators expanding access and quality for young children
- Birth workers and health advocates reimagining maternal care
- Organizers and cultural leaders shifting policy and narrative
- Youth and entrepreneurs building climate-ready futures
Their stories are a living blueprint of what’s possible when you invest in the vision and leadership of community. The future we need is taking root — Rooted in Us.
Explore the series at iamneworleansvoices.com/katrina20
Working alongside communities for the long haul
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has invested in the South for more than 80 years. After Katrina, we deepened that commitment—naming New Orleans and Mississippi as priority places for at least a generation.
Our work here is grounded in community leadership, cultural strength and a commitment to building equitable systems — from early childhood education to maternal and child health to economic opportunity. We’ve walked with community organizers, culture bearers, birth workers and small business leaders — knowing that real change starts with those closest to the work.
As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, WKKF reaffirms its commitment to New Orleans and Mississippi — not just as funders, but as partners working alongside local leaders to ensure that every child and family thrives.
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