This Friday, Aug. 29, marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina changed the course of New Orleans and the Gulf South region. It remade the physical landscape. It cast in bright relief the failure of essential public health, safety and community support systems. It reminded us that we can’t simply rely on engineering to confront the severity and inevitability of catastrophic weather events. And it reminded us that the profundity of the traumas created by the tragedy and its aftermath is measured in human terms: the stories and life trajectories of the people whose past, present and futures are rooted in New Orleans and intertwined with its fate.

Kresge’s engagement in New Orleans has been grounded in those stories, and will continue to be going forward. They sketch a portrait that makes the observance of the twenty-year milestone both sobering and inspirational. Sobering because of the fault-lines it continues to reveal how one of the nation’s iconic cities continues to struggle with issues of opportunity, equity and justice. Inspirational because of the unconquerable spirit of New Orleanians — in rebuilding that which should not, cannot, be lost . . . in fortifying the uniqueness of the city’s culture, identity and history . . . in projecting a new arc of aspiration . . . in reimagining institutions and systems that will undergird the New Orleans of the future.

Kresge’s relationship with the Crescent City began not in crisis, but in a sense of hope — stretching back to 1959 through investments in the city’s historically Black universities: Dillard and Xavier. And over the twenty years since Katrina, our work has been increasingly molded by hope — by the community’s ability to face urgent needs head-on while simultaneously pivoting to the rich possibilities of developing comprehensive, collaborative, community-based vision.

Look at the heroic and inspirational renewal of the Lower Ninth Ward. Or at the role that arts and culture have played in strengthening the social sinews of Treme. Or at the gradual, but continual, revitalization of Central City’s Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, Claiborne and St. Charles Avenues. Or at the transformational promise of the BioDistrict being forged by Louisiana State University, Xavier, Tulane, Delgado Community College, and the city. To say nothing of the daily acts of creativity that are reshaping every corner of New Orleans civil society.

To date, Kresge has invested $68 million through grants and program-related investments in New Orleans. But our financial commitments tell only a fraction of the story. We have been guided every step of the way by the innovation, energy and commitment of those on the front lines of community life. We trust their wisdom, their experience, their vision. And we hope that we have earned their trust in return.

We will continue to stand with this great city. Its challenges – and opportunities – are becoming increasingly complex. With each new challenge — whether Katrina, Rita or Ida . . . or COVID . . . or deepening health disparities, housing insecurities, and educational gaps – the city has proved itself resilient. But it has needed, and has asked for, help. We will continue to listen and respond with all the tools at our disposal.

Rip Rapson is Kresge’s President & CEO. To learn more about post-Katrina New Orleans, listen to this week’s PathBreakers Podcast featuring Dr. Beverly Wright who leads the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, available now.