Thousands Write to AP About Women and Katrina (2005)

More than 4,000 people wrote to the Associated Press in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 urging the media service to ask New Orlean's Mayor Ray Nagin, "Where are the Women?"

As Nagin begins rebuilding New Orleans, he has created a new commission to oversee the project. Although he promised to ensure that the commission reflect the diverse community of New Orleans, only 2 out of the 17 members - or 12 percent - are women. That hardly reflects the city where more than half the population is women and girls!

Unfortunately, the Associated Press did not answer our emails or ask Mayor Nagin about the lack of women on the new commission. We also reached out to cable networks, including MSNBC and CNN, but they declined as well.

But we won't let women and girls fade into the background. As stories continue about this horrible tragedy and the slow recovery, we'll look for ways to reinsert women and girls into the discussion - and make sure the local voices of women and girls are heard.