California Story Fund
From the Bayou to the Bay
Brava! for Women in the ArtsSan Francisco
Project Director: Ellen Gavin
Documenting the stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in the San Francisco Bay area
This drama project gathered stories from African American Hurricane Katrina evacuees now living in the San Francisco Bay Area and then dramatized the stories on stage at the Brava Theater Center in San Francisco.
Among those contributing stories were young evacuees, many of whom relocated to attend school; and poor families, who relocated to live with relatives in public housing projects in San Francisco or who were placed in projects by the City of San Francisco.
Playwright Robert Alexander wrote the play from interviews conducted by members of Colored Ink, the Brava youth ensemble led by Javier Reyes.
Project director Ellen Gavin said, “After seeing what happened in New Orleans, the question now is, how do we address issues of racial and economic inequity in cities throughout the country. These stories give us a solid basis from which to advocate for change.”