Alive in Truth recorded life histories of people from New Orleans, Louisiana and nearby areas who were affected by Hurricane Katrina from 2005 to 2006. Our goal was to document individual lives, restore community bonds, and to uphold the voices, culture, rights, and history of New Orleanians.

Teams of Alive in Truth citizen interviewers began listening to the stories of displaced people on September 4th, 2005 at the Austin Convention Center, a temporary shelter for 6,000 evacuees. The principles of empathetic listening, valuing each individual life experience, resource-sharing and community support were the underpinnings of our work.

Alive in Truth was an independent, all-volunteer effort, and was awarded a Best Of Austin Award in 2005.

Please explore our new digital archive of oral histories. We encourage you to read, reflect, and respond to these stories. Click here to open a separate window.