Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Katrina isn't the first, nor will it be the last.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. People seem to forget that hurricanes are a force of nature that happen all over the world, and most certainly affect people of color the most. Last October, I traveled to hurricane -ravaged Gonaives, Haiti, where Hurricane Jeanne turned the city of Gonaives into a big soup bowl. Keep in mind, there was NO infrastructure in most of Haiti. Haitian people went WEEKS without food and water, and were susceptibe to disease such as malaria, e-coli and others. Social problems existed and just like New Orleans, the problem was exascerbated by the wrath of the hurricane. You might also know that medicine is almost non-existent in Haiti. Countless lives were lost and almost a year later, you can rest assured that the city still remains in rubble. 
While CNN ran stories for about a week at the time, there was little other media attention, and support from the United States. Frankly, I'm not surprised. Though hurricane Jeanne affected many BLACK lives in Haiti, it still did't happen on US soil. So, it remains largely washed away from memory. 
 
I've heared the "black" race card used with regards to Katrina...mostly from other blacks. I wonder where the sentiment was when hurricanes hit Haiti, Jamaica, etc. Oh. I get it. It's not a black-AMEARICAN issue. It's a Carribean issue. 
 
i pray for the survivors of Katrina. i have seen first hand the resulting pain and anguish that comes to those many people who have lost family, homes, property, etc. Imagine a situation when you had NOTHING to begin with, and still lose? 
 
You can view my photoessay on The Aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne at www.fgpo.org/memproj.html. 
 
PS- I'll b trying to get to New Orleans in the coming weeks, preferrably withy humanitarian organizations. 
Any leads would b greatly appreciated. 
 
Peace & Light

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