Monday, September 05, 2005
Hurricane Katrina: Black America's 9/11?
The federal government and many in the media have been trying to downplay the racial subtext to the tragedy of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath but to put it bluntly, while I fully acknowledge that there have been victims of all races, creeds and background in this tragedy, the vast majority of those who are suffering have been black and poor.
Not to draw direct comparisons but it's hard not to in terms of the impact this tragedy has had - it has become Black America's 9/11, only with probably a whole lot more victims. With that in mind, seeing the lacklustre response of the government and, to be honest from my point of view, also the blase "lifes goes on" attitude in much of the rest of country is truly sad and speaks volumes about the true state of race relations in this country and what America really feels about us. Remember how quickly things snapped into place after the 9/11 attacks and compare it to the almost-week long response lag time and "Shoot-to-kill" orders issued to deal with people, the vast majority of whom were just trying to stay alive as best they could, this time around. And before you dismiss my thesis as racial paranoia, check out the following:
"It's black people who are dying, so Bush doesn't care." Kanye's not the only one saying it - anti-rap Harlem minister Rev. Calvin Butts speaks his piece too. But where are the other rappers on this issue - is it left to Celine Dion to speak out from the musician community? WTF?!
What Happens to a Race Deferred.
"To Me, It Just Seems Like Black People Are Marked."
While NEGROphile has a whole bunch of other essential links on this topic too.
But this isn't just a race issue. This week's events cut to the heart of Bush's very fitness to lead this country. Themes central to his presidency from the continued lies to the incompetence of his administration that have been repeatedly ignored or only fleetingly covered by a pliant, submissive media have finally come to a head in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. But let me break it down for y'all next time around....
