In September 2005, the AFROMATION HIGHWAY and M.D. Woods refocused its attentions, energies and resources on the New Orleans Crisis. Now, close to 10 1/2 years later, we finally begin the process of sharing what really happened in New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina response. Our tax exempt nonprofit research organization is looking forward to fulfilling the public awareness portion of our mission statement via presentations, interviews, blogs, books, film projects, exhibits, etc.

We use the term “The Shades” (as in Shades of Blackness) to help explain what happened to the people of New Orleans during Katrina had less to do with the color of their skin, and more to do with the tone of their skin. The first of many new books by Woods to come will be Yellow Like Me. It’s the story of a, one generation removed from Louisiana, Midwesterner’s journey through Post-Katrina Creole New Orleans. Its intent is to illustrate life in “The Shades” of New Orleans. Treme Press will be tweeting a publication date soon.

Last July, after a vigorous texting thread between Woods and a dear friend from Detroit on the subject of former Spokane NAACP Branch President Rachael Dolezal, and then the senseless shooting deaths at Charleston Emanuel A.M.E. Church, Woods drafted the essay “Black Like Us?” (click NAACP image below to read). The ten year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was the other big news of last summer. Moved by his decade-long experience down the in Big Easy, Woods for the first time ever posted his professional business affairs on his personal Facebook wall. This was evidently followed by Metropolitan Community College’s Dr. Cynthia Gooch, Ph.D., who asked North Omaha native Woods if he’d like to come home during Black History Month to speak. Woods replied, “Let’s do this!” On February 1, 2016, he will speak publicly for the first time ever on the subject of the Hurricane Katrina Response. Woods says, “I’ve been running my mouth in a retail one-on-one manner nonstop since the ’05 mega storm, as I’m sure my family, friends and strangers can attest. It’s time to use a mic now. It’s time to move the crowds. Lord knows I have a lot to share…”

Team Afromation thanks Metro College’s Dr. Gooch for inviting Woods home to North Omaha, and Barbara Velazquez for facilitating this public awareness event in the 68111 zip code where Woods’ story first began. Full circle!

We invite you to review The Contraflow Project (TCP), the nonprofit research and community service organization launched by the AFROMATION HIGHWAY during the Katrina Recovery Efforts, 2016 funding letter. If you’d like to support our public awareness projects by making a tax deductible donation, just click the “Donate” button below. Thank you for your interest and support. Happy New Years and Dr. Martin Luther King Day 2016! We encourage you to follow us on social media.