OPINION: It is imperative that groups seeking to offer humanitarian relief direct funds to grassroots groups who are clNonprofits and churches are always the first, and often the only, to step up and provide basic needs during disasters....

The word resilient is one that has been oft-used to describe those of us in Louisiana who survived Hurricane Katrina. A description one finds in media spectacles, political assurances, and academic studies. However, this notion of resiliency overlooks all those who lost homes and lives, those who did not make it and those who could not return, those who could not withstand or recovery quickly, and those who don’t get recognized at all despite their resilience....

For Immediate Release: September 8, 2021  Baton Rouge, LA– On September 8, ten days after Hurricane Ida made landfall, Governor John Bel Edwards approved Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s emergency election plan, pushing the fall elections back by a month. The primary election will now be Saturday, November 13 and the runoff election will take place on Saturday, December 11.  “We want to thank the Governor and Secretary of State for making this decision,” says Ashley Shelton, CEO of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “Recovery from this devastating storm needs to be the priority of our communities right now. By delaying the election we can ensure that more people will be able to participate in democracy.” The Secretary of State’s office cited damage to polling locations, displaced election workers, and that the storm affected 42% of the state’s voters as drivers of this decision.  “There are 4 statewide Constitutional...

For Immediate Release: September 7, 2021  New Orleans, LA– Power Coalition for Equity and Justice is on the front lines of Hurricane Ida response, amplifying the work of community partners and organizers. In times of crisis, directly impacted people know what they need and Hurricane Ida is no different. Throughout Southeast Louisiana we have seen an outpouring of support from neighbors, faith leaders, community organizers, and community members who know how to respond to each other’s needs. To aid in these efforts, Power Coalition regranted over $150,000 to grassroots organizers and mutual aid groups on the ground in the first week of hurricane recovery. “We are proud of our ability to regrant dollars to the community and know that there is a grassroots infrastructure that has been built so that we are responsive to community needs immediately,” says Ashley Shelton, Founder and CEO of Power Coalition. “We are steeped in...

“WE CANNOT EXCUSE THE SUFFERING OF MARGINALIZED PEOPLE AS A MATTER OF FATE; IT IS A MATTER OF POLITICAL WILL,” SAYS ASHLEY SHELTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE POWER COALITION FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE....

“It is imperative that groups seeking to offer humanitarian relief direct funds to grassroots groups who are closest to the pain of marginalization,” says Ashley Shelton, executive director of the Power Coalition for Equality and Justice....

Entergy New Orleans customers could end up paying higher electricity bills to cover the cost of repairs from Hurricane Ida  — but how big of an increase they’ll see would depend on whether the local and federal governments agree to foot some of the bill, the company said Wednesday. ...

Today, one day after the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I cannot help but reflect as Ida ravishes our state. This storm comes as our region faces the worst impacts of a fourth surge of COVID-19, the Delta variant, exacerbating joblessness, food, and housing insecurity.  I have always been struck by the inhumanity of these storms; they always hit at the end of the month when working class folks are forced to choose between evacuating and paying bills. The utter destruction of all that they have worked to build is cruel, but the storm is the first slight. The rebuilding process is the next, and given the strained supply chain, rebuilding is always more difficult than it looks ....