Many Black Students Put Off Spring Break Partying to Help Rebuild Gulf
Date: Thursday, March 09, 2006
By: Monica Lewis, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Each year when the calendar turns to March, it’s tradition for college students across the country to ditch the rigors of school for the rest, relaxation and often raucous rite known as Spring Break.

However, this year many students are choosing not to indulge in the week of fun and sun, but are instead looking to roll up their sleeves and work to repair the Gulf Coast region still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. It’s been over six months since the devastating storm took its toll on parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and some coeds have determined have their Spring Break could be better spent there than on a sandy beach.

Nicole Davis, a senior from Southern University at Baton Rouge, said Southern students would regularly go to New Orleans for recreation prior to Katrina. But since the hurricane, Davis said she and others have shied away. But next week, as the school closes for spring recess, she’ll be in New Orleans to see what help she can be.

“I feel like I’ve been putting it off for too long, and I just need to go down and see what has happened,” Davis told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “Spring Break is my perfect opportunity to do something. If you just think about the money you save and spend for Spring Break; you can use that to go down and donate your time to help clean up or rebuild a house.”