Race is not the issue. Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophic hurricane hitting the coast, is the story. Katrina was color blind. She was an equal opportunity destroyer.
Race is not the issue. The Mayor and most of the leadership of New Orleans are African-American. The governor of the state is a Democrat.
Race is not the issue. The Bush Administration has more African-Americans in leadership positions than any previous administration.
Preparedness is the issue. New Orleans and the rest of the gulf coast were not prepared for a hurricane the size, scope, and power of Katrina.
"We made it through Camille, so we thought we would make it through Katrina." Have you heard this story a few hundred times?
The issue is that Americans have been displaced because of a catastrophic hurricane and a city that was flooded. For some reason, buses were not used to transport those who wanted to get out of New Orleans. For some reason, people in $500,000 houses decided to stay along the Mississippi coast. For some reason, many people along the gulf coast in fishing communities, south of New Orleans, decided to weather the storm. The issue is not race, it is preparation. This should be the focus.
This is neither a political or racial issue, it is a preparedness issue. The sad thing is, by making this an issue of politics or race, solving the real race issues becomes more difficult.
About Me
- David Michael
- Katy, Texas, United States
- Being a husband and a father is the greatest blessing in my life. I am also a Special Educator to students with an autism spectrum disorder.
3 comments:
I was going to add my "Amen" - then I read Dee's comments. Absolutely right. My in-laws who are African-Americans in Missippi do NOT see this as a racial issue either. They decided to stay in Laurel, Mississippi - 200 miles north of New Orleans. My parents (who have weathered many hurricanes in Vero Beach, FL) called begging and pleading with us to convince them to leave and come to Lexington. There was no convincing them. I agree with Dee - folks simply did not understand the magnitude. I don't think it was possible for many to comprehend.
But again, this has nothing to do with race. Kanye West needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut, too. His comments about how "George Bush doesn't care about black people" ended up doing very little to improve anyone's situation.
I am not stupid enough to think that George Bush does not like Black folks...he does...they are voters...however, the real tragedy and maybe blessing of Hurricane Katrina is that race IS the issue. Not in terms of the storm response, but in terms of a people who have been "kept in their place" for decades. When the big blow came and their "caretakers" took off, there was no place for the poor and many times incredibly ignorant to go...If anyone, including the folks who live there don't see that the impoverished (both financally and educationally) were left behind without a plan AND if no one is willing to take the responsiblity, then I guess the President gets to...but all people need to bear the burden of not educating and motivating the poor. If we don't before a tragedy like this happens then we will AFTER it happens.
It makes us feel better to think the responsibility of the Katrina
aftermath lies with the folks who stayed... that if they had taken heed and left then this "response issue would not have been an issue....If that makes everyone feel better....indulge.
Wow. Interesting comments from anonymous and lots of good points in everyone's comments.
I find myself wondering about racism but more so I find myself wondering about the age-old problem of poverty.
For those with little to no resources, I imagine it would be extremely difficult to get prepared for such an event. If one has no vehicle or family to turn to or even a sane mind to respond with - what should they do? And because they have significant "limitations" - does that mean they don't deserve to survive? Heavy, I know.
It is a natural reaction for those experiencing a traumatic event (or of those who identify with parts of the trauma) to begin looking for reasons for such suffering. It is a very normal process to being looking for places to point the finger. People feel helpless and hopeless and want answers. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed and families torn apart.
I don't think certain people or organizations WANT anyone to experience pain and suffering - regardless of race or financial status. During times of crisis, I do believe that people do the best they can given the information, resources and experience they have. But in reality, sometimes it's not enough or even the right thing. People usually go into "fight or flight" mode and many default to denial. It's difficult for us to imagine such horrible things could *really* happen. But they do.
My wish for all those effected by Katrina is that they take the time they need to grieve, process and rebuild. I hope they are able to draw on their personal strengths to help them get through this and eventually provide healthy atmospheres for their children and less fortuneate peoples to learn, grow and become strong.
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