NEW YORK (press release) – Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee, announced a powerful new documentary, “Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina,” premiering on Peacock Aug. 22.
The documentary marks Lee’s return to New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he first reported on Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest disasters in American history, as part of the Times-Picayune newsroom. Twenty years later, “Hope in High Water” traces the arc of recovery through the voices of those who never left: local leaders who have spent two decades not only rebuilding but reimagining the systems that failed their communities long before the storm.
From the frontlines of the floodwaters to the front porches of those who stayed and rebuilt, the documentary weaves together intimate storytelling, archival footage and unflinching reporting to reflect on what recovery has meant and what it still demands. With a focus on health, education, food access and environmental survival, the documentary uplifts the persistence and vision of educators, organizers, farmers and families to create lasting change from the ground up. It offers a portrait of a region still in motion, where progress is real and the work continues.
“‘Hope in High Water’ is about what it means to have your entire world upended and still find a way forward,” said Trymaine Lee. “This is a story I’ve been living and telling for 20 years. From reporting on the devastation on the ground and in real time to returning with a new lens, I hope this documentary reminds people that while the waters may have receded, the fight for equity and belonging continues.”
“Hope in High Water” was made possible with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). Guided by its mission to create conditions where all children can thrive, WKKF has worked alongside communities in New Orleans and Mississippi since the 1940s, investing in locally driven efforts to improve health, education, and economic opportunity. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, WKKF responded with $27 million in emergency funding to help meet urgent needs. Since then, the foundation has maintained a staffed presence in both New Orleans and Jackson and now invests approximately $34 million annually in efforts led by and for the people of the region.
“It is important we honor the strength and leadership of communities who are reimagining and rebuilding — not just their homes and neighborhoods, but systems rooted in equity, culture and care,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of WKKF. “As more communities across the country and world face climate threats and systemic disruption, we have much to learn from the Gulf South. We are proud to support ‘Hope in High Water’ and to uplift the stories of people leading the way toward a more just future for all children.”
Trymaine Lee and “Hope in High Water”
Trymaine Lee is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning journalist known for his work examining the intersection of race, justice, and inequality. An MSNBC contributor, Lee has spent the last two decades reporting on the collision of race, power, politics and violence. Time and again, he’s returned to New Orleans to gauge Hurricane Katrina’s enduring impact on Black communities in the Gulf South. His upcoming book, “A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America” (St. Martin’s Press, Sept. 9), and this documentary continues his legacy of telling urgent, deeply personal stories rooted in American truth.
“Hope in High Water” is executive produced and hosted by Trymaine Lee and produced and directed by Haimy Assefa. The film is a co-production between Lee’s I Am Somebody Media and Assefa’s Blue Black Studio.
Upcoming “Hope in High Water” Screenings
Wednesday, Aug. 6 | 5–6:30 p.m. ET | The Charles Ogletree Public Forum Series
Union Chapel Education and Cultural Institute
55 Narragansett Ave., Oak Bluffs, Mass.
Special conversation featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker Trymaine Lee and W.K. Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron
First-look screening of a segment from “Hope in High Water”
Livestream of the Q&A will be available via Union Chapel’s Facebook page
Sunday, Aug. 24 | 5–7 p.m. CT | “Hope in High Water” Premiere
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., New Orleans
Monday, Aug. 25 | 5–7 p.m. CT | “Hope in High Water”
Biloxi High School
1845 Tribe Dr., Biloxi, Miss.
About Peacock
Peacock is NBCUniversal’s premium streaming service, offering a world-class slate of original series, blockbuster films, news, sports and cultural storytelling. The platform continues to elevate bold, socially relevant voices through documentaries and specials that inspire conversation and action.
About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti.
Following New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina, WKKF in 2008 named the city a priority place for its investments for at least a generation and has staffed offices in the Central City.
For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
