THE GRASSROOTS

…of the AFROMATION MOVEMENT: From Seattle’s Beacon Hill to
New Orleans’ Faubourg Treme (1994 – Present)

 

11 Years Pre-Katrina:
“Black History Cops
in Seattle” (1994)

11 Years Pre-Katrina:
Seattle Afromation
Launch (1994)

Seattle Launch

 

8 Years Pre-Katrina:
Gary “Friends of
Afromation” (1997)

4 Years Pre-Katrina:
Detroit in Afromotion
(2001)

Motor City

 

1 Year Pre-Katrina:
Afromation Lobby at
Boston DNC (2004)

DNC ‘04

3 Months Pre-Katrina:
Las Vegas City
Life Story (2005)

 

3 Months Pre-Katrina:
Las Vegas TV-1
Interview (2005)

TV-1

3 Months Pre-Katrina:
Borders Signing
Henderson, NV (2005)

Borders

In Seattle, Washington on March 26, 1994, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, The Afromation Movement to Integrate American History was launched. I traveled the nation for eleven years promoting and speaking on the topic of African and African Americans’ contribution to American history and its importance today.

Then everything changed when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August ’05. With the full support of the Friends of Afromation, on September 7, 2005, all of our focus was shifted to New Orleans. What started off as “Operation: Overground Railroad,” soon turned into The Contraflow Project (TCP).

Lower Ninth Ward - 8.30.05

Watching Rick Mathieu's WFAA-TV Dallas interview-gone-national from the flooded New Orleans 7th Ward

 

2 Months Post-Katrina:
Camp Mama D
in the 7th Ward
(2005)

5 Months Post-Katrina:
Repopulation Era As
Documented by “Water
Lines” Short (2006)

 

3 Years Post-Katrina:
Meeting of the Minds
in Detroit (2008)

3 Years Post-Katrina:
Soul Food Meets TCP
in Charlotte (2008)

 

4 Years Post-Katrina:
Pastor Sean and the
Afromation Highway
(2009)

5 Years Post-Katrina:
Sankofa Marketplace
in the Lower 9th Ward
(2010)

Borders

 

up to 5 Years Post-Katrina: Life in the Treme (2010)

Tourist in Treme at St. Augustine Catholic Church's Tomb of the Unknown Slave

The following is an excerpt from M. Woods’ 4.17.14 blog Groundhog Day ja Vu, describing life in the Treme in 2010:

“…for the next year I would find myself in noLA-noLA Land; finally getting a chance to enjoy New Orleans, to enjoy the people, to enjoy myself. HBO was filming the first season of Treme all around us, the South’s largest free music event The French Quarter Festival was only six blocks away and the NO Jazz & Heritage Festival was bigger and better than ever. Life was ‘easy’…”

There was nothing easy though about the 4 1/3 recovery years leading up to the new decade.

Dyan French Cole (aka Mama D) and Michael Woods at Relief Camp Dorgenois

Kalamu ya Salaam & Michael Woods at Recovery Camp Dorgenois
Najma Nazyat braiding Michael Woods' hair at Recovery Camp Dorgenois Michael Woods and Danny Glover at Recovery Camp Dorgenois on Christmas day '05 Kermit Ruffin and Michael Woods at the Zulu Parade in Treme

Michael Woods and the Mathieu Brothers, Rick & Manny, on Treme Street

 Lolis Elie & Michael Woods at the Treme Premier of "Faubourg Treme"
Lt. Governor (now Mayor) Mitch Landrieu & Michael Woods at the Old Mint in the French Quarter Mayor Ray Nagin and Michael Woods at the Zulu Ball

Michael Woods & former Nola Mayor Sidney Barthelemy at the Unity City Council meeting in Jan. '06
Michael Woods & Wendell Pierce on Esplanade Ave. watching the Crescent City Classic participants run by Troy Andrews (aka Trumbone Shorty) & Michael Woods at the French Quarter Fest Capital One Stage Michael Woods & Rollin Garcia (aka Bullet) in front of Bullet's Sports Bar in the 7th Ward
Jenifer Turner & Michael Woods in front of Community Book Center during JazzFest Maryse Dejean & Michael Woods at the Country Club Restaurant in the Bywater

Eddie didn't quit

New Orleans councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis in the Lower 9th Ward at the Sankofa Marketplace

French musician Nat Queen at Sidney's in the 7th Ward

M. Darryl Woods

 

17 Years Post-Katrina: Publishing the seven-part “Katrina Biography” the CONTRAFLOW Series (2022)

During the fall of ’09, Afromation founder M.D. Woods began sharing his independent Katrina Response research findings with other authors, journalists, researchers and scholars; quickly realizing how far ahead he was of the established pack. From that point forward, Woods was encouraged, inspired and motivated to see The Contraflow Project to fruition. Publishing in 2024 the 7-part story of Hurricane Katrina, CONTRAFLOW.


@afromation ~ @thecontraflow ~ @tremepress ~ @twelfthplace