As the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina passes, the shocking and sickening images are again fresh in our minds. Seeing dead bodies on the street, dehydrated children and bewildered, hungry people abandoned outside the Superdome makes us question once again why this happened. We furiously ask why a part of the United States turned into a third world country overnight.
Certainly the government let these people down, by failing to help those who could not help themselves. But perhaps the blame does not all fall on the government. Perhaps we, U.S. citizens, failed these people, and gave the government permission to do the same.
Until Hurricane Katrina, many U.S. citizens were unaware of the large group of New Orleans citizens who were impoverished and without resources—people who were sick, elderly, without transportation and could not risk missing a day of work.
Many U.S. citizens were oblivious to their existence, and even more individuals completely ignored them. The poor of our country, often black, simply slipped between the cracks of our national consciousness.
Perhaps we ignored the poor U.S. population because it was easier, because the poor made us feel guilty, or because being poor does not fit with the national image of America the Beautiful. Or perhaps we just truly did not care.
Whatever the reason, however, making these people invisible by ignoring the situation gave the government permission to do the same.
Politicians ride the wave of public sentiment and opinion and cater their decisions in reaction to public mood. Because the plight of the poor was not a priority to the country, the government also pushed it to the bottom of their list, and instead of helping the poor when in need, government officials treated them like garbage left on the street to rot and fester.
As University of Pennsylvania professor Michael Eric Dyson told NBC news, ""The people in New Orleans were left behind long before the vicious winds and violent waters of Hurricane Katrina came along to wash them away.""
However, when faced with the images of the people stranded outside the Superdome, the U.S. public was forced to acknowledge this impoverished demographic. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams said, ""The faces on the television screen screamed about poverty, they screamed about black poverty and they screamed about the negligence of a government that refused to see them.""
Unfortunately, although Hurricane Katrina brought these issues to the forefront of the country's consciousness, it seemed to stay there only momentarily. The conditions these people live in are still bad, as they are without jobs, not enough government aid and living in trailers if they are lucky.
Across the country, people are still living in poverty and would still face great trouble should another emergency occur. Poor black citizens and other minorities are quickly dropping on our list of priorities again. Dyson said, ""The American people missed this opportunity to say, ‘Hey, what are we doing?'""
Another tragic event is inevitable unless we start making the poor our priority. We cannot claim to be the land of equality, when an entire demographic is ignored and left behind.
We must acknowledge and help these people. The government must feel that an improvement of conditions for the poor, such as health care and a higher minimum wage, is deeply important to the American people, and they will not get elected unless they make this a top issue. U.S. citizens must change their priorities and the government will follow.
