There isn’t much left to say about Katrina. It's two months later and still its influence looms over us all, victims and sympathizers alike. Destruction plagued all of New Orleans and a lot of Mississippi. Response from fellow Americans was enormous and well received. Everyone I know donated some amount of money. People even got together items like blankets, food, and books to get down there. Every single Web site I browsed had a Red Cross link so whoever didn't donate yet could have a chance. It was excellent.

However, response from the government was in complete disarray. From the local, state, and federal level, the response was slow and hesitant. FEMA seemed to be at a standstill. Nothing was going right. Millions of victims were migrating from one football stadium to another, separated from family and life. Strife had struck the United States. The wealthy, accomplished United States of America could not clean up this disaster? I questioned the reason for all this chaos. But the images I saw on television and the articles I read in newspapers explained it to me clearly. I couldn't comprehend why this would be the reason but it seemed the only viable one.

Discrimination. It was clear to me. Would the government have been so slow in response if the majority of victims were Caucasian middle class people? Would President Bush be on vacation for so long if the victims were of a different socioeconomic class? Where was the National Guard when they were needed most? Why were police departments and fire departments from other cities only sent down to help evacuees five days after the hurricane? The questions lurked in the heads of all but the answers never came. President Bush has not remarked on these issues except to say what an exceptional job is being done.

The bigger picture lies beyond Katrina. This just got me thinking about society. Is it really progressing? Discrimination is present in every aspect of our lives especially since the US is becoming more diverse by the day. But shouldn't we be looking past that now after all the battles against this evil? After all that the civil rights leaders did for us: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, etc. How can we still be so ignorant and harbor these ill feelings?

Katrina was a natural disaster but it brought to light so much more. To do your part in ridding society of discrimination, just be open-minded. It’s the only thing that keeps people appreciating one another for whatever they are.

close window