Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc. supports all those Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) who remain in the Katrina and Rita Diaspora to be restored to their rightful place in the Gulf Coast. Our work remains dedicated to various awareness campaigns focused on the continued violations of basic constitutional, civil and human rights in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes. The compounded result of these violations has meant the chronological progression of the depopulation of vulnerable communities throughout the Gulf Coast. Our goal in each campaign is to bring decision-makers and community members together around equitable solutions.
What is Operation Recover and Restore? Operation Recover and Restore is a restorative justice project consisting of a threefold awareness and regional advocacy campaign that works with residents from the Gulf Coast through the following community-based initiatives.
2009-2010 Public Education and Awareness Campaign: The Public Education and Awareness Campaign, in partnership with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights/Education Fund (LCCR/EF) and Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA) will focus on four (4) areas of messaging, including ways to...
● Decrease myths about the US Census in Hard to Count Communities (HTC’s) and actively participate in obtaining an accurate count of vulnerable communities;
● To help establish Complete Count Committees (CCC’s) in three key cities across the Gulf Coast region, including New Orleans, LA, Biloxi, MS and Mobile, AL;
● To produce messaging strategically geared toward reaching HTC’s in the Gulf Coast; and
● To host and coordinate Regional Public Education and Training conferences to allow Hard to Count communities to engage in conversations directly with Census Bureau Specialists.
2009-2010 Exceptional Count Initiative (Diaspora): The Exceptional Count Initiative advocates for displaced persons who are and have been actively rebuilding from the hurricanes of 2005- to be counted by the US Census Bureau at their pre-storm residence. A failure to do so will result in billions of dollars redirected from the Gulf Coast and thereby forsaking the most vulnerable population from a full recovery.
● To advocate for a Congressional Oversight hearing on Gulf Coast enumeration and redistricting
● To co-create and/or support collaborative effort to bring advocates and displaced community members to D.C. to meet with Dr. Groves, Director Sanchez and William “Lacy” Clay to rally for support for a congressional hearing. See original Clay letter here: (dumondeimmigration.com/181319.html)
● To contribute to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights/Education Fund report Counting in the Wake of Catastrophe: Challenges and Recommendations for the 2010 Census in the Gulf Coast Region, http://www.civilrights.org/publications/gulf-coast-census/
MFGC 2010-2013 Redistricting Awareness & Advocacy Initiative: Not counting displaced persons who are and have been actively rebuilding will also adversely affect congressional redistricting. Louisiana post Katrina stands to lose one Congressional District and one Electoral vote in March of 2011. The Redistricting Awareness & Advocacy Initiative seeks to...
● Facilitate series of regional Speakers Bureau's in partnership with regional advocacy groups and in partnership with regional Complete Count Committees to increase community awareness on the importance of fair redistricting & reapportionment in 2011.
● Develop website to support public awareness of the redistricting & reapportionment Initiative, and to distribute important media to support spreading the message.
● Produce audio PSA’s and Commercial Spot T.V. ads to promote awareness, as well as a Micro-Documentary (15min)
● Produce a collaborative report,"Redistricting in the Wake of Disaster"
● Advocate for Congress to authorize a federally funded special census in 2012 or 2013 in designated communities recovering from natural disaster (eg. Gulf Coast recovery post Katrina, recovery as a result of wild fires in California.)
● Organize & facilitate information and trainings sessions on redistricting process while empowering residents to draw fair district maps and enter those maps into record in preparation for possible unfair redistricting plans
● Co-Create and/or support collaborative initiatives that seek to take legal action for a fair 2010 Census enumeration and 2011 redistricting and reapportionment.
