The levees break and the rest is history; it flows as murky and dark as the Mississippi.

It’s a past some would like to forget, and it’s a past that James Williams can’t. Thrusting a balled fist out to waist-height, he began our interview like this: “We had mud up to here in my house. There wasn’t no going back.” James Williams is a father of 10, a skilled carpenter, and a Katrina victim. And he’s the vendor of the week.

Williams’ story begins, like thousands of others, in the SuperDome, where he sought shelter from the storm.

“[The authorities] sectioned us off: whites, Blacks, and [Latinos]... and once you segregate, you’ve lost everything,” says Williams, “In a crisis situation, people need to work together. They lost that.”

And if you’re reading this paper, chances are you know that it didn’t end there for James Williams.

“My mother had to sue the insurance company to cover her house.” To this day, said Williams, she hasn’t seen a dime. And when Williams was finally relocated to Seattle, he was separated from his family, now scattered across Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia.

Then FEMA put Williams up in a hotel — and the money “ran out.” Then FEMA put Williams up in an apartment — and the money “ran out.” And that left Williams homeless.

“I lost my truck, my tools, and my contractor’s license in the flood,” said Williams, “I was broke and Seattle is an expensive place.”

So a friend of a friend told Williams about Real Change. Slowly, things changed — nowadays, he’s selling so many papers that he was able to afford a visit to his mother in Louisiana.

To the thousands of Seattleites that make life possible after the flood, Williams said, “God bless you.”

Who’s the special person who offers you Real Change? Nominate them for Vendor of the Week: editor@realchangenews.org.