Ms. “Queen” Peters

Patrina Peters, a New Orleans native, is a mother, advocate, and legend. She originally lived in the Lower 9th Ward, where she raised her children. During Hurricane Katrina, she narrowly survived the storm by climbing to her rooftop until the coast guard eventually rescued her by boat. She lost her house, but her family survived. She persevered and bought her home in the Upper 9th in 2007 to be able to provide stability to her children and grandchildren, whose lives were upended by the storm. However, that stability was cut short 3 years later when she lost her son to gun violence. The tragic loss of her son rechartered her course and altered her life forever. Her grief manifested physically, causing her to have a heart attack and a stroke in the years after. She decided to turn her grief into something powerful and became a leader in the anti-violence movement under Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s term. She travelled all the way to the White House in 2023 to share her and her son’s story. In addition to being an advocate, Ms. Peters is a 5th-generation Mardi Gras Indian. She made the suits for her late son and is in the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame.

Rebuilding Together New Orleans was honored to help Ms. Peters during our annual She Builds event by securing the exterior of the home from weather, replacing handrails, and painting her home purple, in honor of her late son. When asked about her participation in She Builds, she said that God told her it's time to have joy in her life again. The pain of her loss has never left her, but she is now looking forward to honoring her son and being excited for life again with a new, colorful chapter.