Hurricanes, Race, Class, and Other Sh%$
I am glued to my TV and to my New York Times and my laptop, reading and watching what I can about this hurricane. I am depressed, I am angry, I am devastated, I am heartbroken. The people trapped and dying and starving are the poorest people in the South, and the majority of them are people of color.Our bro Terry's family has evacuated to Mississippi and I pray that their family home, located in the New Orleans metro area, can survive the flood. Neighbors say there was 4 ft of water in the neighborhood yesterday. Sadly, his SAVE THE DATE card for his Dec. 29th wedding in New Orleans arrived in my mailbox the day the hurricane hit. In my mailbox that same day was a COME TO NEW ORLEANS tourist packet that I had requested online so that we could prep for his wedding celebration. Luckily, the home we were planning to rent (and had signed the contract for and sent in our deposit) is on dry land. But the rest of the city and its people?
So why did these levee breaches happen? Partly because the Bush administration diverted funds from New Orleans and continued to cut the funding from this traditionally Democratic city.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0831-04.htm
The NY Times today also has a good story today on the ways the Bush administration continued to cut funding for hurricane protection for the low-lying city. you have to register on the site, otherwise i'd post the link.
The media continues to perpetuate stereotypes of blacks as subhuman, immoral, and animalistic in their coverage of the hurricane. My student sent me these links:
Black people loot. White people find.
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10208301530
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10908301723
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/photos_ts_afp/050830071810_shxwaoma_photo1
And this story about race, class and the hurricane: http://www.slate.com/id/2124688/nav/tap2/
And when you watch the babies dying on screen, the people breaking into stores for food and water, and the devastation on the streets, ask yourselves why FEMA has done so little so late, why Bush continued to vacation despite the devastation, and why so many of our resources -- people, money, etc -- are overseas in Iraq.
My heart is broken for the people who already had so little who are now left with nothing but the clothes on their backs because they were too poor to evacuate. My heart breaks for one of the most historic, intriguing, and beautiful cities in the world and its people. If any of you have ever been to New Orleans, or have family there, I know your heart is breaking too. Say a prayer for the people clinging to life waiting for the rescue helicopters today.
So why did these levee breaches happen? Partly because the Bush administration diverted funds from New Orleans and continued to cut the funding from this traditionally Democratic city.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0831-04.htm
The NY Times today also has a good story today on the ways the Bush administration continued to cut funding for hurricane protection for the low-lying city. you have to register on the site, otherwise i'd post the link.
The media continues to perpetuate stereotypes of blacks as subhuman, immoral, and animalistic in their coverage of the hurricane. My student sent me these links:
Black people loot. White people find.
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10208301530
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10908301723
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/photos_ts_afp/050830071810_shxwaoma_photo1
And this story about race, class and the hurricane: http://www.slate.com/id/2124688/nav/tap2/
And when you watch the babies dying on screen, the people breaking into stores for food and water, and the devastation on the streets, ask yourselves why FEMA has done so little so late, why Bush continued to vacation despite the devastation, and why so many of our resources -- people, money, etc -- are overseas in Iraq.
My heart is broken for the people who already had so little who are now left with nothing but the clothes on their backs because they were too poor to evacuate. My heart breaks for one of the most historic, intriguing, and beautiful cities in the world and its people. If any of you have ever been to New Orleans, or have family there, I know your heart is breaking too. Say a prayer for the people clinging to life waiting for the rescue helicopters today.