Lawn Chair Rendezvous
Of the one thousand plus national organizing events held on November 15th, perhaps none was more inspirational than the one hosted by Alan and Deborah Langhoff on Canal Street... in New Orleans. Because all of the furniture was lost to Hurricane Katrina, attendees used lawn chairs for seating as a generator provided power for event. But it wasn’t the lights hanging from wooden beams that illuminated the room that shined brightest that night -- it was the awe-inspiring commitment of that group to democracy and Democratic principles that left a lasting impression on everyone at DNC Headquarters as we became aware of the "Lawn Chair Rendezvous" over the course of the day. After we heard her story, we asked her to introduce Governor Dean on the 7:30 call. He was so moved by their commitment that he couldn’t help but share their story with participants on the final conference call of the evening, and hasn’t stopped talking about it since.
One attendee from California, who just happened to be in Louisiana that evening on his way to Pensacola, was at the event and wrote the following on his blog.
The Democratic Party is holding national neighborhood house parties on November 15. I'm flying into New Orleans that day so I checked to see if there were any house parties happening in the city. I was pleasantly surprised to see one being hosted on Canal Street. It's BYOL, Bring Your Own Lawnchair, because they don't have any furniture left. I'm signed up to go and will take some pictures and update this blog afterwards.
And update Thom did:
It's overwhelming listening to people's stories. An outsider cannot fully comprehend what is happening here. It's not just losing your family, your friends, your home, your possessions, your job. It's losing an entire way of life. Losing the place where your grandparents, your parents, you, and your children grew up. I think many feel that they haven't just lost their houses, but that they are losing their home town. Concern about the levees was strong at the DNC New Orleans Lawn Chair Rendezvous (because all their furniture was lost to Katrina). Democrats from around the country can help by contacting your legislators and urging them to fully fund safe levees.
This story is so unique that as we continue to get first-person accounts and photos from the event, you will be able to find them on our blog. And Thom is correct, an outsider cannot comprehend what is happening in New Orleans; losing an entire way of life. What we can do, however, is our best to approach the level of commitment displayed by the attendees of the “Lawn Chair Rendezvous” on November 15th. Many of us do our best to organize and participate in the dirty work of democracy; from now on, whenever we grow tired or frustrated, hopefully we can think of Canal Street and walk that one extra block, write that one more letter, or make those last 10 phone calls on the list.
Here are some more pictures from the event that evening:
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