by *** As part of blogging, I will highlight people and places that have been important to my journey. Here’s my first “interview”.
New Orleans has been a city near and dear to my heart since the spring break my family drove the ~12 hours from Louisville to visit an aging aunt in Tangipahoa, LA and stopped in New Orleans for a few days. Though at the time I had sights on attending another college, all roads led back to Xavier University of Louisiana. I made life-long friends during my time there and gained the foundation I needed to be confident about pursuing medical school. When one of these life-long friends called me upset and crying during my Emergency Medicine Clinical Rotation in September 2005, Katrina became even more real for me. She was fortunate; she made it out to her family in New Roads, LA. But, as the nation watched, many had nowhere to go and no means to get out the city. When I first started doing locums, I attended a conference in New Orleans, where Lt. Honore, the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, gave a keynote address in which he addressed the helplessness of the people of the city and lack of infrastructure to support them.
Photos from the NAHSE (National Association of
Health Executives Meeting) New Orleans, LA 2015
My goal here is not recount the events of Katrina, but to set the stage for my interview today. When we discuss the social determinants of health, one of, if not the most important one is education. For the past eleven years, my friend whom I mentioned above, has worked in New Orleans as a social worker in a nationally recognized charter school. She is also raising a six-year old, which also challenges her to exam the school system in a different way.
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- Tell us about yourself.
My name is Patrice Hammond. I am married and a mother of a beautiful 6 year old girl. I’m originally from the small town of New Roads, Louisiana (112 miles west of New Orleans). My first move to New Orleans was in 1998 to attend college. I lived there for 4 years and moved after graduation. I moved backed to New Orleans one week before hurricane Katrina (2005) because the city had stolen my heart. I am a school social worker at KIPP Believe College Prep.
- You were affected by Hurricane Katrina, how did it change your life personally and professionally?
I didn’t know a hurricane was coming because 2 days prior, no one was really talking about it. I happened to catch the news on a whim Saturday morning before the storm hit. I have always been terrified of bad weather. Once I saw the mayor of the city on TV asking people to evacuate, I immediately packed a bag with two days worth of clothes in it (these things don’t last long right? At least that’s what I thought). I went and filled my car with gas. The lines weren’t long. I made the 90 minute trip to my hometown with no traffic on the road. As the day went on, the predictions became more dire. Monday the storm hit. It didn’t seem to do much damage. People in the city thought they had dodged the big one once again. Some hours later the levies broke and that’s when all hell broke loose. The images of the city whose people I loved were horrific. Cell phones were not working. I didn’t know if my friends were alive. There was so much misinformation about violence. In my small hometown, there were rumors of New Orleans “refugees” robbing people and it was a lie. I went to Walmart to get more clothes because the two days worth that I had packed clearly weren’t enough. My debit card did not work because the banks weren’t functioning. Although it seemed like a small thing considering I was alive and safe, I broke down and cried. A stranger paid for my things. Finally, I was able to communicate by text messages. My friends were all alive, although some were evacuated to different states. Some lost their homes. Others were not as fortunate.
People always question why some choose to stay when there’s a prediction of a hurricane. There are several reasons one must take into account: 1) there have been plenty of predictions about the big one coming and it hadn’t, some people were not convinced 2) evacuating is expensive, especially when your entire family lives in New Orleans thus finding funds at a drop of a dime for hotel, gas, food, etc. is difficult in a poverty stricken city, 3) many people travel by public transportation, therefore many people didn’t have a way to leave.
After Katrina, some suggested rebuilding New Orleans was a waste. Some suggested it was a blessing and the city could be “cleansed” of certain residents. I was not sure of a career path, but I knew I wanted to help rebuild my city. After all, New Orleans is so rich in culture. It’s unlike any city in America.
- How did you find out about KIPP? How long have you worked there? What do you like best about KIPP?
During the rebuilding process, I searched for jobs to help others find their way back home and came across an ad for a middle school social worker in April 2006. That’s it! I thought. It was hard to find an operating school in the city. If we build schools, families could come back. I liked KIPP because they were hands on from the start. We had to go door to door searching for families. If a house was standing, we knocked on the door to ask if a 5th grader lived inside. Teachers helped families move into FEMA trailers and participated in the cleanup of destroyed homes. KIPP has always been hands on with kids and families. I have been there 11 years. My students are my family.
- As a middle school social worker in New Orleans, what makes you the happiest and what makes you the most disappointed about the education system?
I’m happiest when I see students work through struggles and persevere. My kids have been through things that no kids should have to experience and their resiliency teaches me so much about life and what is really important. My first class will graduate college next year, most will be the first in their family to graduate. The thought of it makes me tear up. I’m beyond proud of the work I do.
The most frustrating part of working in the education system is seeing the disparities and segregation that exist within the public charter school system. Playgrounds at one public school can look completely different from playgrounds at another. Some schools don’t have school buses to restrict access to those without transportation. Kids are on an unequal playing field and it’s intentional.
- For those who are interested in changing the state of our education system in this country, how would you recommend getting involved?
Become a mentor. Volunteer. Donate time or reading books to your local school. Kids and families are very relational. If you can volunteer to become a tutor and spend quality time with a kid, even if it’s one hour a week, it could mean all the difference in the world. It could change a kid’s trajectory.
Resources:
https://www.kippneworleans.org/school/kipp-believe-college-prep
