Poor Abandoned in Hurricane

Opinion
By Katie Deem
Hurricane Katrina has laid open the harsh reality of being poor in the United States. The issue of poverty lingers in the wake of this natural disaster. Since Bush’s appointment to office, poverty has dropped off the nation’s priority list. The deprived appear faceless and nameless because our government does not acknowledge them.

Historically, African Americans have been shut out politically and deprived economically. A white upper class government that intends to stay upper class relies upon the systematic suppression of poor blacks and whites. Though Bush has appointed many African-Americans to high offices, giving the appearance of large minority representation, none readily address the dilemma of being African-American in this country. They do not acknowledge the poverty and alienation that grips black communities.

We live in a country that refuses to identify with the poor, and to acknowledge they exist. The underprivileged want the same opportunities, the same treatment offered to citizens with money. Most white Americans, even poor whites refuse to see the hardships of African-Americans. We can’t see the differences in treatment, in aid, and attention. The millions of poor left stranded in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina prove this. Social programs for black communities to aid the impoverished are downsized. Activist groups lose their spark and become hopeless when the numbers of those in need grow.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 16 percent of Louisiana residents live in poverty. This percentage is among the highest in the country. Nearly percent live without health insurance. And most of these residents are black. According to an article by the Associated Press “census data shows that the residents in the three dozen hardest-hit neighborhoods in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama also were disproportionately minority and had incomes $10,000 below the national average.”

Though many have rushed to the aid of hurricane victims, showing the altruistic nature of Americans in times of crisis, few social services exist to aid impoverished Southerners in times of peace. We have abandoned welfare recipients, poor people, and single mothers. Jonathan Alter from Newsweek quotes Senator Barak Obama as he spoke on the floor of the Senate "I hope we realize that the people of New Orleans weren't just abandoned during the hurricane, they were abandoned long ago-to murder and mayhem in the streets, to substandard schools, to dilapidated housing, to inadequate health care, to a pervasive sense of hopelessness."

Washington’s delayed response shocked the nation. It moved U.S. citizens to a greater understanding of where the capital’s interests lie. In relation to Hurricane Katrina, those concerns are not in the poor of America, the condition of African American communities, or a balance of resources between economic classes. In relation to our country as a whole, those concerns are not in single mothers, the poor of Appalachia or of the inner city, or the communities of the working class and minority groups.

Yet in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, America’s best and worst shines through. While thousands live without food or drinking water, without a home, or even a place to go, others rush to their aid. We have much to improve upon, and yet a great deal for which to be proud. African Americans have risen up out of crisis yet again. They have displayed their ability to adapt and persevere, to thrive and stand strong whether acknowledged or not.