Jamala Rogers
For me, the Katrina aftermath can be counted as the third holocaust for people of African descent in this country. A holocaust includes dimensions of human destruction such as psychological, spiritual, cultural, economic and political.
The first was the Middle Passage, where millions were lost in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade as free Africans were captured and brought to America for free labor. The second was the system of slavery, including the period of Reconstruction when lynchings reached their height.
I am quite aware that victims of Katrina came in all ethnicities. However, Spike Lee noted as he watched the tragedy unfold on TV while in Vienna that it was black bodies floating in sewage. It was black folks suffering at the Superdome and Convention Center. It was black looters coming out of watery stores. The perception that it was a “black thang” may have affected the speed and quality of rescue efforts for whites, Native Americans and Asian Americans.
It that doesn’t get a rise out of you, let me direct you to this country’s war efforts. Your president’s irrational and irresponsible war, now referred to as the “endless war,” has a price tag of $1 billion per week. I do believe that we could have rebuilt the Gulf Coast and strengthened the levees with that kind of money. Federal dollars, $15 billion to be exact, have already been set aside for rebuilding, but not one cent has been released yet. Why not?
Mayor Ray Nagin is going to run into the same problem he had during Katrina when he finally tried to get federal aid. I truly believe he wants black folks to return to New Orleans, but he will hit the wall of frustration that made him lose his cool and demand that the feds get off their butts. Unfortunately, it was only then that we started to see any real movement by FEMA on the myriad of problems facing our Southern citizens.
I say it’s time for us to issue some demands of our own. It’s past time that we take charge in the face of malicious neglect by the government.
Here are two suggestions that require very little time but lots of compassion:
1) Contact your congressperson and demand that the Gulf Coast be given urgent priority. This means that rebuilding plans that won’t be complete until next year be sped up and dollars allocated. You can include some of your personal peeves, such as “I’d like to see these insurance companies get sanctioned who have weaseled out of payouts to insured victims.”
2) You can become a KINfolk and stay in touch with all the happenings by joining the Katrina Information Network (KIN) at www.katrinaaction.org. The site also gives you suggestions as to how to impact a particular issue or emerging situation.
Decent citizens like yourselves cannot be paralyzed into inaction by the immensity of the Katrina aftermath. We cannot hold a “that’s so sad” opinion or “better them than me” attitude – we are the conscience of the nation. If we continue as if what has happened and is happening is acceptable, then we join the camp of those in violation of people’s human rights at their most vulnerable hour.
Did I mention there’s an election coming up in November?