Institutional Racism In Hurricane Season
By: Isabel Prunés
President Donald Trump throws toilet paper to a crowd on his Puerto Rico Visit
Photo credit: https://www.businessinsider.com
“To kick fellow citizens when they are down is SHAMEFUL!¨
Nydia Velazquez calls out Trump for his tweets on PR
As the ongoing hurricanes occur it is clear to many that there are certain areas receiving more funding and donations from the government mostly based on the people's ethnicity. Our current president is no help to this ordeal as he is continuously making biased decisions about who gets help and who does not. Go to this link to see how President Trump tried to deny the reality of the actual death rates in PR: https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/13/politics/trump-puerto-rico-death-toll/index.html
President Placing Airplanes Over People??
Trump has a scheduled meeting to talk about hurricane relief but instead discusses airplane deals.
Video credit: https://www.independent.co.uk
Interview With FEMA
Reading about how the government is slow to take action when it comes to supplying relief to Puerto Rico, I became curious on whether the government funded hurricane relief organization was actually helping. So I contacted FEMA, which is the lead in coordinating the federal government's role in disasters. A FEMA Spokesperson, Corey DeMuro, eagerly got back to me in what I felt was in very roundabout answers. I concluded that because they are government funded they might not be so open to answer such “political” questions. But some answers they did give were very insightful.
Can you give me a brief summary of what FEMA does exactly?
Response:
- FEMA’s Missions is helping people before, during, and after disasters.
- It is important to note that FEMA is only one part of a large team of federal agencies, voluntary organizations, and private sector groups that come to support states following a disaster.
What areas is your organization currently helping?
Response:
- FEMA has regional offices through the country directly working with all states, tribes, and territories. Here in FEMA Region III, we work directly with Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
- (He goes on to say they are serving current federal disaster declarations only in both Maryland and West Virginia.)
Where does FEMA get most of its funding from?
Response:
- FEMA is funded by congress through a combination of regular appropriations and emergency funding in response to events.
When asked opinion questions about whether he thinks certain places get more funding than others under the current president, he responded in this way:
- I'm not sure I understand.
or..
- See above on congress determines FEMA funds.
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose”- Lyndon B. Johnson
There are so many ways to get involved!
Even with a government which doesn't seem to be helping much, it takes people willing to help to change the world. The link above is just one way to help out abroad but even places in your community fund and support minority groups throughout this hurricane season.
- What does this mean for students at Carver?
- Anyone can get involved and help. You don't have to live around or near a place where a hurricane has hit to make an impact.
2.What are the implications for future investigations?
- Try and get an organization that is not government funded to answer the deeper and more meaningful questions.