TIES2
Sep 7th, 2005, 09:53 PM
It’s Time to Dust Off the Race Card
Allegations of race continue to creep into the Katrina story. It’s the factor cited in the government’s slow response. It’s said to be behind use of the word “refugee” versus other, perhaps kinder and gentler terms such as displaced persons or even evacuees. But is it a valid criticism? Is there any truth behind the allegations? One thing’s for sure, it’s on a lot of people’s minds. Mere mention of it causes us to squirm. It resides outside our comfort zone.
Like many Americans, on Tuesday following the storm, I was stunned watching the footage of the rampant looting. One of the many images that stuck in my mind was the one of the elderly white gentleman with a cane standing on the sidewalk about 3-4 feet from the center of the double doorway of some store silently watching as a throng of black people ran in and out of the store carrying armfuls of goods that did not include food and water.
As I stood watching this scene unfold, it occurred to me that 40 years after Watts, Detroit and Newark, not much had changed. In the midst of this national tragedy, our Nation’s dirtiest laundry was being hung out for the entire world to see.
And it was not a pretty sight. These weren’t the images of desperate individuals seeking sustenance. These were the images of individuals gleefully taking advantage of the moment. Later in the day, the footage shifted to a WalMart. Again, one did not get the sense that these were people seeking life’s base necessities unless one considers armfuls of clothing and shopping carts overflowing with shoes life sustaining.
And the images and news reports grew more grim as the days unfolded: Uncontrolled looting, people setting fires, gangs of armed thugs roaming the streets, rape, murders, mayhem. Overwhelmingly, the footage beamed around the world was of black people. Desperate black people plucked from the roofs of houses in blighted urban areas. Abandoned black people huddled like cattle awaiting either slaughter or salvation. And with each passing moment, the situation grew more and more tense. Time was running out, if help did not arrive, the situation was sure to erupt.
Who were these people? Where did they come from? In the minds of many Americans, this country broke the color barrier years ago. Just look around. From the highest levels of government to the executive suite, from a junior senator in Illinois that many believe will be president one day to an afternoon television talk show host whose popularity among Americans of all races cannot be denied, black Americans of both sexes have achieved what was once largely unattainable or simply unthinkable.
Yet, just like dirty laundry, we relegated the problems of our impoverished communities to the dank, dark recesses of our inner cities far from the glare of the camera’s lens. Despite our efforts to the contrary, there remains this terrible problem in these communities that continues to serve as the norm rather than the exception. It is a cycle of poverty and despair that we have difficulty even acknowledging, and have clearly yet to overcome. But as we face the days ahead, the question that remains is how long will the 200 – 300 thousand displaced Americans remain content living cot to cot with thousands of other individuals in the same desperate circumstances? Whether we like it or not, the problem has been brought front and center. Is this our opportunity to trump the race card once and for all for the betterment of impoverished Americans everywhere or will this, too, fade from our consciousness as the weeks turn into months?
Allegations of race continue to creep into the Katrina story. It’s the factor cited in the government’s slow response. It’s said to be behind use of the word “refugee” versus other, perhaps kinder and gentler terms such as displaced persons or even evacuees. But is it a valid criticism? Is there any truth behind the allegations? One thing’s for sure, it’s on a lot of people’s minds. Mere mention of it causes us to squirm. It resides outside our comfort zone.
Like many Americans, on Tuesday following the storm, I was stunned watching the footage of the rampant looting. One of the many images that stuck in my mind was the one of the elderly white gentleman with a cane standing on the sidewalk about 3-4 feet from the center of the double doorway of some store silently watching as a throng of black people ran in and out of the store carrying armfuls of goods that did not include food and water.
As I stood watching this scene unfold, it occurred to me that 40 years after Watts, Detroit and Newark, not much had changed. In the midst of this national tragedy, our Nation’s dirtiest laundry was being hung out for the entire world to see.
And it was not a pretty sight. These weren’t the images of desperate individuals seeking sustenance. These were the images of individuals gleefully taking advantage of the moment. Later in the day, the footage shifted to a WalMart. Again, one did not get the sense that these were people seeking life’s base necessities unless one considers armfuls of clothing and shopping carts overflowing with shoes life sustaining.
And the images and news reports grew more grim as the days unfolded: Uncontrolled looting, people setting fires, gangs of armed thugs roaming the streets, rape, murders, mayhem. Overwhelmingly, the footage beamed around the world was of black people. Desperate black people plucked from the roofs of houses in blighted urban areas. Abandoned black people huddled like cattle awaiting either slaughter or salvation. And with each passing moment, the situation grew more and more tense. Time was running out, if help did not arrive, the situation was sure to erupt.
Who were these people? Where did they come from? In the minds of many Americans, this country broke the color barrier years ago. Just look around. From the highest levels of government to the executive suite, from a junior senator in Illinois that many believe will be president one day to an afternoon television talk show host whose popularity among Americans of all races cannot be denied, black Americans of both sexes have achieved what was once largely unattainable or simply unthinkable.
Yet, just like dirty laundry, we relegated the problems of our impoverished communities to the dank, dark recesses of our inner cities far from the glare of the camera’s lens. Despite our efforts to the contrary, there remains this terrible problem in these communities that continues to serve as the norm rather than the exception. It is a cycle of poverty and despair that we have difficulty even acknowledging, and have clearly yet to overcome. But as we face the days ahead, the question that remains is how long will the 200 – 300 thousand displaced Americans remain content living cot to cot with thousands of other individuals in the same desperate circumstances? Whether we like it or not, the problem has been brought front and center. Is this our opportunity to trump the race card once and for all for the betterment of impoverished Americans everywhere or will this, too, fade from our consciousness as the weeks turn into months?