It's been two long years since my life along with hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents were changed by the fury of Hurricane Katrina. As a New Orleans native and someone that was "racially put in my place" by numerous Federal and State officials, I must say that not much has changed. I am still stuck hundreds of miles away from my beloved hometown and I am still struggling to rebuild my life in literally hundreds of ways. There is still bureaucratic red tape that is preventing thousands upon thousands of people from resuming their livelihoods. Most of the country has moved on choosing to focus on more recent tragedies like school shootings and Paris Hilton's plight in jail. The United States has forgotten that our government caused one of the biggest examples of pain and suffering in this country's history this side of slavery.
I can't say that I am surprised at the lack of attention Hurricane Katrina evacuees are receiving as American society has never wanted to expose the rampant racism against Black people that is still in place. It is so easy for people to simply believe that any person still suffering because of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina must not be taking advantage of the resources that have been put in place to help. These people ignore the truth that there are NO resources for evacuees. There have been NO payments by this government for ruining our lives. There has been NO compensation for the obvious display of racism that was seen all over the world. It's not that we are begging for anything. This government owes us for causing the flooding of New Orleans. Not to mention keeping thousands of African-Americans in limbo for a week while waiting for assistance. Who will make me whole for the U.S. military denying me a drink of water at the Superdome while cases of water were stacked behind the very people denying me this basic resource?
The media has admitted that they were inaccurate in reporting that evacuees in New Orleans were shooting at rescue helicopters. But no one is listening to them. It's too late and the damage has been done. I can't tell you how many people ask me why were we shooting at the police and rescue workers. I am tired of educating people to the fact that the gunshots that were heard were people frantically shooting holes in their rooftops to escape rising floodwaters. Not only did the powers that be flood New Orleans, but their racist assumptions have ruined the reputations of evacuees everywhere. Who will make us whole for that?
FEMA paid some people's rent for a few months but most evacuees were disqualified for assistance shortly after the Hurricane. There are now thousands of evacuees on the brink of homelessness. Does anyone care about these people who are mostly black? Obviously not because nothing has been done. The media doesn't even report on the protests and demonstrations that have been consistently held by disenfranchised New Orleanians that don't qualify for the limitted financial assistance that has been given out to the white homeowners. As a struggling college student I would have been grateful for a scholarship so I can graduate and make myself whole. I would be grateful if I was able to get a driver's license in Colorado. I can't because of missing paperwork that was washed away by the water of Lake Ponchatrain. Imagine that, people don't even understand that regulations need to be eased to allow us to start our lives over in new places. If mostly white people had been affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, it would be a different story.
I want to go home to New Orleans and finish my College education that I feel was stolen away from me by the Federally mismanaged levee system that allowed New Orleans to flood. I cannot say enough that it was not Hurricane Katrina that washed my life away, but years of neglect and looking the other way. Had the Army Corps of Engineers which was responsible for the levee failures in New Orleans cared even half as much about New Orleans as much as they would have about Beverly Hills if it had been in the same geographic situation as the Crescent City none of this mess probably would have happened. But to many people in the United States, it is only African-Americans that are affected by this so it is easy not to care.
