THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blacks urged to rally around hurricane victims

By Kenneth Mallory and Valencia Mohammed

Special to the NNPA from Afro Newspapers

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – In arguably the most resounding response to Hurricane Katrina from African-American leadership, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members, leaders of the NAACP, the National Urban League and other prominent Black organizations are finding ways to work together to help victims while prodding the federal government to act more swiftly.

‘’Now is the time for Americans to immediately respond,’’ U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said at a news conference called by some of the leaders. ‘’Now is the time for us as a people to take action with a force equal to that of Hurricane Katrina.’’

Cummings said he was disappointed with the response from the federal government, indicting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and President Bush for their alleged lax response to aid hurricane victims.

CBC members decried what many have considered a listless response from federal emergency aid officials and President Bush — even as he was making his way to New Orleans after a visit to Mississippi to survey the damage to the Gulf region.

They pointed out that many of Katrina’s victims are sequestered in unsavory conditions at Louisiana’s Superdome and now in the Astrodome in Houston. Their voices trembling with outrage, they urged state, local, and private entities to merge efforts to bring food, clothing, shelter, and restoration of  hope. Although Cummings acknowledged that Congress would appropriate $10.5 billion in emergency aid to FEMA, he said he was not pleased with its efforts so far in aiding victims.

‘’I disagree with the president [in his statement that he is] doing all that he can as fast as he can,’’ he said. ‘’To be very frank with you, I for one have not been very impressed with FEMA to date.’’

In a published report, FEMA head Michael Brown said he believed many victims ‘’bear some responsibility for their fates,’’ because they did not respond to pre-hurricane warnings to evacuate. But controversy surrounds the agency’s communication protocol with local emergency-preparedness response providers. Brown said he did not know “victims were told to go to the [New Orleans] Convention Center,’’ so the agency initially did not know where to direct aid.

Amid charges of ineptitude, some in the Black community have called for Brown’s resignation.

But CBC members were determined to focus on the immediate needs of those most affected by the catastrophic storm.

‘’I’m not calling for the resignation of the head of FEMA . . . I’m calling for America to take care of Americans regardless of their color. . . It ain’t about name calling right now; it’s about action,’’ said Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-Ohio).

Action for victim aid was not solely the responsibility of the federal government, but of anyone who could help, said the speakers.

‘’We all have to do whatever we can,’’ said civil rights icon Dorothy Height.

‘’This is the time for those with wealth and resources to step up to the plate and demonstrate that compassion. This is the time to save human lives. People are dying because they have no water. Companies that bottle water now have the power to save lives. Infants are dying because there is no baby formula to keep them alive. Companies that make this formula must be on the front lines. Food companies could work with the National Guard to coordinate the distribution of food to the victims,’’ said Cummings. ‘’Private contractors that have helicopters and boats and buses at their disposal could put those tools to work in the service of their country. It has been reported that oil producers and home improvement stores may actually benefit in the long run from Hurricane Katrina. These are industries that should be the first to offer support,’’ he said.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said jurisdictions could look to Detroit, Mich., as a model to structure their aid efforts for victims. Kilpatrick has opened the city to thousands of hurricane victims.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) said he was “appalled’’ at the news media’s shift in coverage of the devastation that the hurricane has wreaked on its victims “to what people do in desperate circumstances,’’ like looting and stealing.   

‘’The people are not refugees. They are American citizens. They pay taxes, they raise their families, they help America grow, and I wish the media would call them American citizens,’’ CBC member Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) said.

‘’We are under an obligation as Americans to move these people out of the region as quickly as possible. Malaria, tuberculosis and other issues of human illness and disease are certainly sure to follow. The Congress of the United States must step forward,” said Jackson. “And the president of the United States, who is coming off of a historic record of vacations, must go to work now and rebuild America.’’