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|Jo rtlan h © bseruer
November 23. 2005
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
Katrina Aftermath: An Unnatural Disaster
The unnatural disaster of racism swept dents would own more assets, and the
away the savings accounts and credit cards mule would now be a Buick.
Nor has this unnatural disaster abated
with which poor black people could have
bought the ir escape. A century o f J i m Crow today as I learned from my ownexperience.
laws barred black families in the South from Almost immediately after Katrina hit my
certain schools and jobs. Social Security town, I saw spray-painted signs warning
benefits were not available at first to do that looters would be shot and killed. I was
mestic and agricultural workers, the occu warned by a white neighbor not to move
pations of most African
Americans at that time.
Due to discrim ination,
most black World War II
veterans were unable to
use the GI Bill, which gave
most white veterans the
homeownership and col
lege educations that have
made their children and
around too much lest I be mistaken as a
grandchildren so prosperous.
The unnatural disaster o f racism swept looter.
When my daughter came to get me from
away the cars with which poor black people
could have escaped Katrina. Almost a third my damaged house and drove me to her
of residents of the Hooded neighborhoods home in Indiana, we were turned away by
did not own the cars on which the evacu a white motel clerk i n 11 linois on the pretext
ation plan relied. If the promise to the freed that there were no vacancies. A later phone
slaves of 40 acres and a mule had been kept, call confirmed what their sign said, that
then six generations later, their descen rooms were available. 1 also experienced
Institutional
racism hit us
as well
by E mma D ixon
first-hand racial discrimination in gas lines
and in food and water distribution lines by
a police officer.
The world noticed that the evacuees
stuck in the SuperDome and those turned
back at gunpoint at the Gretna bridge were
mostly black. But who noticed that the first
no-bid federal contracts went to white busi
nessmen, cronies of white poli
ticians?
It’s hard for me to believe,
but this persistent racism is
invisible to many white people.
A Time Magazine poll taken in
September found that while
three quarters o f blacks be
lieve race and income level
played a role in the govern
ment response to Hurricane Katrina, only
29 percent of whites felt the same.
The color o f money is green, but the
color of poverty has a darker hue. Families
in the flooded black neighborhoods of
New Orleans had a 2004 median income of
only $25,759 a year, barely more than half
the national average. Why? Louisiana is a
low-wage, anti-union state. Many workers
When will we rebuild our
society so that everyone,
regardless of race, has the means
to escape the next disaster? ’
When Hurricane Katrina tore up the
roof of my house, it didn’t care that I’m
black. My white neighbors, like my black
neighbors, saw trees fall on their homes
and saw their refrigerators rot and mold.
They, like I, lived without electricity or
phone for over a week after that color-blind
natural disaster.
But an unnatural disaster hit us as well,
the institutionalized racism that began cen
turies ago. The flooded areas of New O r
leans were three-quarters black, while in
dry areas African Americans were a minor
ity. Over the years, many well-off white
people have left the city for gated subur
ban communities. The remaining whites
tend to live on higher ground.
have pay so low that they receive public
housing and food stamps. New Orleans
voters made history by approving a
citywide living wage in 2002, bu, a court
blocked it, allowing poverty wages to con
tinue.
Last week I drove home to Louisiana. In
my neighborhood I hear the constant buzz
ing of chain saws removing uprooted trees,
and the sounds o f hammering as roofers
repair endless numbers of damaged roofs.
The fragrances of Pi neSol and bleach tinge
the air as residents attempt to save refrig
erators and rain-soaked carpets. I thank
God that my family and I survived the storm
and that the recovery has begun.
Yet I ask myself when the other recovery
will begin.
Katrina revealed the racial wealth divide
in New Orleans and the unnatural disaster
that caused it. When will we rebuild our
society so that everyone, regardless of
race, has the means to escape the next
disaster?
Emma Dixon of Mandeville, La. is a
financial literacy educator with United
for a Fair Economy.
Protecting Our Children and Senior Health
Both federal and state governments have
introduced legislation intended to make
healthcare more accessible, but confusion
in federal law and a lack of funding for state
proposals prevent these initiatives from
making a big enough impact. A national,
comprehensive and uniform health plan is
needed to ensure A merica’s most fragile
by J udge G reg M athis
Most Americans feel the sting of rising citizens are protected.
Last Wednesday marked the beginning
healthcare costs. But those most hurt by
the skyrocketing medical fees, pricey pre of the new Medicare prescription drug
scription drugs and expensive insurance plan. But instead of being excited about the
premiums are society’s most vulnerable: new change and the seemingly vast amount
of options to them, eligible senior citizens
children and seniors.
Healthcare
system needs
national solution
URSDAY, PE r
3
I F FAN Y CENTER ■ 1 4 1 0
M O RRI
enrollment penalty, add
ing deadline pressure to
an already confusing and
stressful selection pro
cess.
T he
change
in
M edicare’s prescription
drug plan isn't the only
healthcare-related reform happening in the
are confused.
Before deciding on one of the several country. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., has
dozen plans available, seniors much first introduced his All Kids plan, which makes
figure out which plans work with other affordable insurance available to the chil
state and federal assistance programs. dren of working parents. In Massachu
Then, they have to decide which plans setts, the legislature is negotiating com
their local pharma peting plans to cover all of the state’s half
cist is registered million uninsured residents. Oklahoma re
with. When all these cently started to enroll small companies
factors are consid and their staff in a program that would
ered, many are learn offset insurance premiums for company
ing they don’t have paid health insurance.
While the state plans are encouraging,
much choice at all.
Seniors have un it’s simply not enough. The healthcare
til May to enroll in a system cannot be repaired state by state.
plan; if they miss the Reform has to begin at the national level.
People of color have a lot at stake here.
d e a d lin e , th e y ’ll
have to pay a late- The vast majority of black children and
The poor state o f
America’s healthcare
system directly affects the
African-American community.
seniors are un- or under-insured. By advo
cating for a comprehensive, nationally
funded health plan, we can ensure our
community’s most valuable resources -
our youth and our elders - are cared for.
According to recent data, uninsured Af
rican-American children are 20 times more
likely not to receive the medical care they,
need. Parents aren't able to take their chil
dren for regular check-ups and a variety of
medical issues go undiagnosed. The poor
state of America’s healthcare system di
rectly affects the African-American commu
nity; for us, making sure the system is re
formed is, literally, a matter of life and death.
In the meantime, take advantage of the
resources that are available - studies show
that many of those eligible for subsidized
healthcare programs don’t enroll. If you’re
a senior and you need help figuring out the
new Medicare drug program, call 1 -800-
633-4227 or visit www.medicare.gov.
Judge Greg Mathis is chairman of the
Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a na
tional board member o f the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference.
Reality for Too Many People
Nearly a half million people turn to Food Bank
B y R achel B ristol
J ohnson
KEEPTHE P.
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LD AIDS DA
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7:30 PM
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and
R on
As we have all seen in the past
weeks, poverty is often invisible
until a catastrophe exposes it for
the world to see. Yet poverty and
hunger are realities every single
day for too many people in our
state.
In the Portland area alone, an
estim ated 540,000 people turned
to the Oregon Food B ank’s Port
land M etro Services for food as
sistance last year.
The Food B ank’s just-released
statistics on “The State o f H un
ger’’ in O regon show that more
than 2.2 million people in Oregon
or approxim ately one in five resi
dents ate meals from em ergency
food boxes last year - and that
Oregon rem ains am ong the 10
hungriest states in the nation.
These statistics make it clear that
much work rem ains to be done to
help the n eediest O regonians
among us.
The good news is that Oregon
Food Bank, with the generous
help individuals and businesses
in this com m unity, continues to
diligently do everything it can to
help meet local needs. But with
the costs o f basic needs in O r
e g o n — s u c h as h o u s in g ,
childcare, m edical bills and pre
scription costs — continuing to
rise while federal dollars allocated
for food stam ps decrease, they
need your help more than ever.
We urge you to please contact
O regon Food B ank’s Portland
M etro Services at 503-282-0555
or w w w .oregonfoodbank.org to
learn more about the ways you
can help the m ost vulnerable
m em bers of our com m unity, such
as:
D onate M oney: The Oregon
Food Bank can m ultiply every
dollar donated by recovering and
distributing food. Your donation
can also help fund program s that
address the root causes o f hun
ger.
Lend a Hand: W hether you can
help assem ble em ergency food
boxes, transport food to those
who need it, or sort and pack
donated food, volunteers are al
ways needed.
Pull T ogether aT eam : Get oth
Cl,r Jlortlanb (©bseruer Established 1970
USPS 9 59-680
_____ _______________________________
4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luthe r King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
Charles H. Washington
E ditor M ichael L eighton
D istribution M anager .' M ark W ashington
C reative D irector : Paul N eufeldt
O ffice M anager : K athy L inder
ers involved to help stop hunger
in Oregon. Ask your com pany for
support through sponsorships or
a gift-matching program. Consider
starting an annual food drive
am ong m em bers o f your fam ily,
com m unity, faith group or co
workers.
Make Your Voice Heard: C on
tact your local and federal repre
sentatives to express your sup
port for federal program s that
make a big difference in the fight
against hunger. It’s an im portant
way to help ensure that the needi
est am ong us have a voice.
We shouldn't w ait for a disas
ter to hit the N orthw est before we
take local action; poverty and
hunger are realities every single
day for too many people in our
state. We urge all M ultnom ah
County residents to take action
today, because no one should be
hungry.
Rachel Bristol is the execu
tive director o f the Oregon Food
Bank and Ron Johnson is chair
man o f the organization’s board
o f directors and vice president of
Portland General Electric.
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