Katrina Fundraiser - A Poetic Protest

Join poets, artists and activists in a show of support for the sick, disabled and elderly victims of Hurricane Katrina survivors, Tuesday, September 20, 2005, 7-10 p.m. at La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA, (510) 849-2568. The suggested donation is $5-$25, although no amount is too small.

What is evident since Hurricane Katrina hit the southern states is how the most vulnerable populations are often the first forgotten: the elderly, the disabled, and the young. Many wheelchair users drowned, while others died in the ensuing days from an inadequate continuum of care.

There will be a fine art silent auction beginning at 7 p.m., along with a screening of ANSWER Coalition filmmaker, Gloria La Riva's recently shot short video of Katrina?s aftermath in Louisiana (http://answerla.org/.) This will be followed by performances of some of the San Francisco Bay Area's most exciting poets and performance artists, interspersed with updates by service providers and survivors now living here.

Confirmed artists: Charles Hawkins Jr., (a Katrina survivor), Lee Williams, devorah major, Karla Brundage, Charles Blackwell, Paradise, Hassaun Ali Jones Bey, Leroy F. Moore, Jr., Wanda Sabir, Kaylah Marin, Kim Shuck, Robert Henry Johnson, Reggie James, Shaka Jamal, Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd.

Proceeds will go to the Center for Independent Living, Inc. (Berkeley) for use with survivors here and for their affiliate organizations in Houston, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi. There will also be information about other grassroots organizations assisting survivors here and elsewhere.