Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans 20 years ago this month. The storm left an indelible mark on the city, with scars that can still be seen in some places, but also remain in less visible ways. Those marks are no less severe.

This week on Behind The Lens, we speak with two people on the frontlines of education in New Orleans, Deborah Richardson and Ashana Bigard. Deborah was a longtime teacher at John McDonogh High School. She returned to New Orleans after the storm to a school system taken over by education reformers, an act she said resulted in the “hijacking” of the school — and indeed, it failed within a year.

Activist, organizer and author of Beyond Resilience: Katrina 20, Ashana Bigard also joins this weeks podcast. She writes that the education reform after the storm became a “catalyst for systematic wealth extraction from Black communities.”

Our guests this week Ashana Bigard, Deborah Richardson and Lens reporter Marta Jewson. 

Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music Afternoons and Beachhead by Podington Bear soundofpicture.com. 

You can also listen to Behind The Lens on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other services.

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