Katrina documentary stirs emotions at ESSENCE Festival
A powerful new docuseries is giving Hurricane Katrina survivors the chance to tell their own stories. At the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, survivors took the stage during a panel for Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time.
The series, executive produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, is set to premiere July 27 on National Geographic. It will also stream on Hulu and Disney+ the next day. The film doesn’t just revisit history—it aims to change how the story is told.
Real stories from real people who lived Katrina
Director Traci A. Curry said the idea began during her last ESSENCE Fest visit. “Everyone I asked said the same thing,” she explained. “To y’all, New Orleans is the same. But to us, there was a before Katrina, and an after Katrina.”
That thought shaped every episode. Three New Orleans natives—Shelton Alexander, Lucrece Phillips, and Lynette Boutte—joined Curry to share raw and emotional testimonies. Their stories exposed how badly the media got it wrong back in 2005.
Shelton Alexander: ‘We were singing in the Superdome’
Shelton Alexander, a poet, brought a video camera with him into the Superdome as thousands sought shelter. His footage captured what TV news didn’t show—community, creativity, and calm.
“We were marching and singing in the Superdome,” Alexander said. “If I just said that, people would think I was exaggerating. Now you can see it.” He believes he was called to document the truth. “People wouldn’t believe it otherwise.”
Lynette Boutte: ‘They lied about us being violent’
Tremé native Lynette Boutte chose not to evacuate. She had survived Hurricane Betsy as a child and thought she’d be safe again. But she was wrong.
She described how a militia—not police—forced them from their homes. “They came with AKs,” she said. Worse, they were sent to an empty location and had to wade back through six feet of water.
Boutte rejected media lies about violence. “We took care of each other,” she said. “The same young men they called thugs were bringing us water and checking on the elders.”
Lucrece Phillips: ‘Please, find me’
Lucrece Phillips broke down in tears as she told her story. She sheltered children in a hotel until rescue teams took them away—because she wasn’t their legal guardian.
“They were with me for days,” she cried. “I fed them. I held them at night.” From the ESSENCE stage, she sent a message: “If you remember Ms. Lucrece from that hotel, if you’re still out there—please, find me. I just want to know you’re okay.”
Reclaiming the Katrina narrative through truth
Curry made her mission clear: this series is not about trauma—it’s about truth. “The levees broke. The systems broke. But the people did not break,” she said.
She wants the world to see Katrina through the eyes of those who lived it. “The media showed chaos and crime,” she said. “But if you listen to survivors, you’ll hear about care, faith, and community.”
Final words: ‘We were better than they said’
The panel ended with one of the most moving moments. Alexander said what many survivors feel. “We were better than what they wanted us to be. And we still are.”
