Mrs. Xuyen Pham is a Vietnamese-American oyster shucker and gardener living in New Orleans East, Louisiana. Pham was born in 1948 in a small village near Hai Phong, North Vietnam. Her father, Thoan Van Pham, was a fisherman. Mrs. Pham helped her mother, Xuy Thi Pham, dry fish and shrimp to make and sell nuoc mam sauce. Her father and grandfather fished on stilts and made a boat carved from bamboo. In 1954 her family, disguised as merchants, made it to Hai Phong, then escaped North Vietnam to the South upon hearing of the country’s division.

Mr. Tuan Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American living in New Orleans who is the Deputy Director of Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation and served on Louisiana Congressman Joseph Cao's oil disaster Rapid Response Team following the BP Deepwater oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. Nguyen was born, one of thirteen children, in 1980 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Thanh Nguyen and Than Nguyen of Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

Thieu Tran is a Vietnamese-American tuna fisherman living in New Orleans. Tran was born, one of eleven children, in 1960 in Vung Tau, South Vietnam. His parents sent him to live in a seminary during the Vietnam War, returning home in 1974. Mr. Tran’s father was a fisherman and also joined the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnamese Army) providing security for their town. Mr. Tran’s mother helped sell the fish catch when it came in. Mr.

Mrs. Lauderman was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 14, 1937. She grew up in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. She attended St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metarie, Louisiana. She worked as a social worker. She currently encourages students to get more involved in wetlands preservation through the use of oral histories.

Mr. Muoi Pham is a Vietnamese-American living in New Orleans who is a tuna boat deckhand. Pham was born, the youngest of ten children, on October 8, 1957, in Phan Thiet, Vietnam. His parents originated from North Vietnam; his father fled from the Viet Minh to Phan Thiet where he met Mr. Pham’s mother. Mr. Pham quit school to begin fishing with his father, as deckhands, at age eighteen in Phan Thiet, a fishing village. Mr. Pham was imprisoned in reeducation camp in 1977 but escaped after two weeks.

Michael "Hollywood" Broadway is a seasoned oyster shucker from New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his career by teaching himself how to shuck oysters while working as a busboy at an oyster bar. Over the years, he honed his skills and became a senior master shucker at Acme Oyster House, where he has served for over thirty-three years. Broadway is passionate about passing on his knowledge and expertise in oyster shucking, emphasizing the importance of safety, presentation, and professionalism.

Mrs. Green was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 18, 1935. Her grandfather, Jim Webb, managed her father-in-laws land for 50 years. After his passing, Mrs. Green along with her cousin, Skip Haller, took over the management of the land which spans seven parishes. Upon realizing the devastation facing the land, Mrs. Green began working with CWPPRA to restore the land. She has been a wetlands and coastal restoration advocate since then.

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Lucy Boyer Thomas was born in 1923, grew up in the Fazendeville village near Chalmette, and attended school in New Orleans through the eleventh grade. She studied nursing at UCLA and worked as a nurse in California and Louisiana. She married Francis Thomas and they had five children. She lived in the Ninth Ward for more than fifty years, surviving Hurricane Betsy. She died in 2004 at age eighty-one.

Lucille D. Duminy moved into New Orleans' Ninth Ward around 1949. She survived Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and rebuilt her house and life there.

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Duminy discusses her childhood, living in the Ninth Ward in the 1950s and 1960s, her ordeal in surviving Hurricane Betsy, her encounters with relief agencies afterward, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and other hurricanes.

Khong Tran is a Vietnamese-American shrimper living in New Orleans. Mr. Khong Tran was born, one of nine children, on September 23, 1955, in Kien Giang Province, South Vietnam. He began fishing and shrimping with his father at the age of ten. His mother sold their catch at the local markets. In 1978 Mr. Tran escaped Vietnam by boat with friends to avoid being drafted to fight in Cambodia. He escaped with thirty to forty people toward Thailand and three months later made it to Hawaii, where he lived for one year before moving to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1980. Mr.