It Takes a Nation

This 4th of July, we want to take the time to acknowledge our family & friends, the neighbors near and far that come together in time of need and are there for us when we need them most, much like the neighboring communities featured in our book, "It Takes a Nation."

It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

Edited by Laura Dawn
Photographs by C.B. Smith
Foreword by Barack Obama


Edited by the cultural director of MoveOn.org, It Takes A Nation tells the extraordinary story of how thousands of Americans came together to provide shelter, sustenance, and hope to survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Through MoveOn.org's Hurricane Housing website, volunteers brought aid to evacuees by providing housing, cars, jobs, clothes, healthcare, and, perhaps most important, community. Presenting a positive contrast to the national shame that was widely felt about the Bush administration's handling of the Katrina crisis, these candid first-person accounts and portraits are a moving testament to the power of everyday people to make miracles happen.


Have a safe and exciting holiday!