Brad Pitt, shocked at the conditions of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, collaborated with experts and assembled a team for the “Make It Right Project”. The name was inspired to help make it right after hurricane Katrina ripped through their neighborhoods. Homes were smashed to bits and torn from their foundations, with the Lower 9th Ward getting the worst of it. Brad was disturbed help didn't come sooner for those who needed it so was inspired to do something about it.
- "The heart and soul of New Orleans, specifically the people of the Lower 9th Ward, are paramount to this project," said Pitt. "The words of one elderly man who is determined to return to New Orleans led to the name of our organization: he asked us, directly simply and profoundly, to help make it right. So that's what we're doing. We're going to help to make it right with 150 sustainable, affordable houses—houses that stand out for their design both aesthetically and structurally, so that these people can live in beautiful safe structures that respect their spirit and provide a good quality of life." (Brad Pitt, Steve Bing Plan New 150-Home Community in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, New York, Press Release, Sept.26, 2007)
About Lower 9th Ward
The Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans has a rich culturally diverse population but is predominately African American. Some great musicians were born there including Fats Domino and Mahalia Jackson. It got its name after an industrial canal was made in the 1920’s, which cut through the ward, creating a “lower ward” below the canal. (Information obtained from Douglas Brinkley, Author and Historian, 2007)
- Brad Pitt announced the green rebuilding plans at the Clinton Global Initiative in Manhattan, New York and pledged to match 5 million dollars worth of contributions. Billionaire Steve Bing also made the same pledge in order to build 150 new sustainable homes in the Lower 9th Ward.
Some questioned whether poor people would care about green building and Brad's response was that they care about it the most. Conserving energy, improving the quality of lives and healing our environment are things that most people show an interest in.
The Make it Right Team:
- William McDonough and Partners: He is a leader in environmental architecture and co-authored the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (North Point Press, 2002) with Michael Braungart. They developed the Cradle-to-Cradle philosophy inspired by symbiotic relationships in nature, where one organism feeds off another, so everything is recycled.
- Cherokee Gives Back Foundation: A non-profit arm of Cherokee Investment Partners that specializes in the sustainable development of communities that have suffered environmental damage.
- Graft: An architecture firm that Brad Pitt previously collaborated with on projects around the world.
- Trevor Neilson and Nina Killeen: They are advisors to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation
Make It Right's Mission:
Make It Right’s mission is to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward by building sustainable safe homes inspired from Cradle-to-Cradle thinking. They focus on combining high quality designs with preserving the community’s culture. This is to be accomplished as quickly as possible so that residents can get back to their homes or have new ones created.
Help Make It Right:
Join Brad Pitt and help Lower 9th Ward residents rebuild and/or restore their homes in New Orleans by supporting the Make It Right Foundation. All donations will go towards homes that are affordable and sustainable.
For more information and resources see: Make It Right Foundation, 2007
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