Tuesday, August 29 4:00pm Dudley Common - Blue Hill Ave. and Dudley St.
August 29th is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. When Katrina hit it devastated the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. The images of New Orleans even shocked people from developing countries. When the levee broke and people were stranded, the U.S. government did nothing for 4 days, they just left poor, Black, Native Americans and Latino’s there to die. This criminal negligence on the part of the government highlights how poor and oppressed people of color are treated less than human.
The reality is that all across this country, the conditions for poor, Black, Latino and other people of color are one in which our lives are Katrina-ized (criminally neglected). We can see this in the Immigration movement where undocumented immigrant workers receive ridiculously low wages, dangerous work environments, no health care and often unsafe overcrowded housing.
In general, the lives of the poor, Blacks, Native Americans, Latinos and other peoples of color are Katrina-ized by the lack of adequate money for decent housing, education, health and jobs with livable wages. The money that could be spent to improve the quality of life for all people here is used instead on war and occupation in Iraq and bombs killing women and children in Lebanon.
All of these things are connected. We cannot stop the violence in our community without the government stopping the violence and war in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. We can not build state of the art Levees, a wall of life, instead the government will spend our tax dollars to builda wall of death on the Mexico borders.
We will not have quality schools, heathcare, housing and jobs at livable wages as long as this government spends billions after billions on violence and war in other countries. We need those resources to make our lives better here in communities across the United States.
Like Rosa Parks we want a better society for poor, Black, Native American, Latino, Asian and all people in need. We want a society that is truly free, safe, equal and just. We want to be a central part of making decisions that impact our lives:
•We want to stop spending money on war and use it for social programs at home.• We want jobs with a livable wage (one that we can pay rent, utilities, food and transportation, clothes and other important necessities.)• We want decent and affordable housing that correspond to our income.• We want full and complete health coverage.• We want fully funded quality education for our children.• We want a healthy and safe environment to live.• We want to be treated like human beings and live with dignity.
Tell your family and friends. Be like Rosa Parks and stand up for dignity and human rights. Support the August 29 Rally to commemorate the horror of Katrina and the Katrina-ization that exist in our communities.
Endorsers: Tony Van Der Meer, Prof. UMASS Boston*; Chuck Turner, Boston City Council, District 7*; Clemencia Lee, Co-Founder Cultural Cafe; Dorotea Manuela, Puerto Rican Activist; Askia Toure, Poet & Political Activist; The Most Rev. Filipe Teixeira, OFSJC, Diocese of St. Francis of Assisi, CCA; Boston Workers Alliance; Encuentro Diaspora Afro; International Action Center; Women's Fightback Network; QueerToday.com; Survivors Inc.; MOCAA@MAC; Community Change, Inc; Committee to Defend the Somerville 5; New England Human Rights Organization for Haiti; MLK Jr., Bolivarian Circle; Dorchester People for Peace; Ed Childs, Chief Shop-Steward Unite/HERE L. 26*; United for Justice with Peace; Boston Anti-Zionist Action; Mystic River Green-Rainbow Action; Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts; The Lucy Parsons Center; Diocese of Saint Francis of Assisi, Catholic Church of the Americas; Greater Boston Stop The Wars Coalition; Workers World Party; Safety Net*id only
4 comments:
White people were stranded there, too, and were SHOT AT by blacks and other minorities.
Get your facts straight. What happened in NO was a tragedy, but there's no need to politicize it for your own purposes. Don't be foolish!
No doubt that white people were left stranded as well, but the government's reaction (or inaction)to these PREDOMINATELY minority areas was abysmal, as we all know. Had this tragedy occured in predominately white areas, there would not have been a FOUR DAY period of inaction. It just would not have happened. This IS a political issue, anonymous.
"White people were stranded there, too, and were SHOT AT by blacks and other minorities."
Of course, because white people don't shoot other people or anything...
please don't post things anonymously, it leaves the roads of accountability completely destroyed. if you're going to say things please own what you have to say. movement building is about holding each other accountable and actually addressing issues rather than hiding in anonymity. thanks...
Post a Comment