by Robert Singleton
The Black Urban Times
Staff Writer
Late in the afternoon on January 12th, a powerful earthquake struck Haiti, a nation already known for bad luck. In less than a minute, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere became even more poor.
Almost entirely destroyed by a force of nature that seemed to single it out for punishment, this island, or part of an island, the population of which is primarily descendants of slaves, suffered the loss of tens of thousands, saw its physical and political infrastructure reduced to ruins, its people reduced to mournful wailing and tears.
The world looked on horrified at the images of pain, fear, and desperation. A powerful reminder of similar images from Hurricane Katrina's aftermath in New Orleans, another similarity was recalled in the minds of many sympathetic viewers, the image of masses of black people crying, suffering in pain. The image was eerily familiar.
Drawing more on the parallels of black people crying, there was the haunting reminder that while each of these communities was devastated by natural forces which some will call acts of God, the tears were not only the outpouring of grief for those who lost friends and family members, but of those who had lost everything, everything past, and maybe every hope for the future. These were poor people in Haiti, just as they were poor people in New Orleans, who lost what little they had, and a moment of reflection on the future could only have brought tears to their eyes.
Contrasted to these events, are those of recent floods in south Florida that destroyed whole communities of high-priced homes. The cameras of the media never captured pain and tears, but the sound-bites were from those who had horses to move, who were concerned about their airline reservations, who, indeed smiled as they told reporters about their bad luck. Some came to move their older relatives to temporary shelter in luxury hotels, or put them up in their vacation homes. There were no photos of bodies floating in the water, of children crushed under rocks and debris, of masses going hungry in the streets, wondering how they would eat, where they would get water to drink, who would dress their wounds. There were also no black people there, few poor people, fewer tears. It's amazing how that works.
Does the world ever tire of black people crying? Does the world see that there are some who have nothing because others have everything? Does anyone really believe that all contrasts in the news and in the world are acts of God?
Maybe when all the bodies are cleared from the streets of Port-au-Prince, when the last leg is amputated to save what's left of a crumpled life, someone might wake up and take another look at the world. They might see that some things are the acts of God, others the acts of men, and never the twain shall meet.
Media Outlets must credit The Black Urban Times
www.theblackurbantimes.com
twitter.com/blkutimes76
facebook.com/theblackurbantimes
Almost entirely destroyed by a force of nature that seemed to single it out for punishment, this island, or part of an island, the population of which is primarily descendants of slaves, suffered the loss of tens of thousands, saw its physical and political infrastructure reduced to ruins, its people reduced to mournful wailing and tears.
The world looked on horrified at the images of pain, fear, and desperation. A powerful reminder of similar images from Hurricane Katrina's aftermath in New Orleans, another similarity was recalled in the minds of many sympathetic viewers, the image of masses of black people crying, suffering in pain. The image was eerily familiar.
Drawing more on the parallels of black people crying, there was the haunting reminder that while each of these communities was devastated by natural forces which some will call acts of God, the tears were not only the outpouring of grief for those who lost friends and family members, but of those who had lost everything, everything past, and maybe every hope for the future. These were poor people in Haiti, just as they were poor people in New Orleans, who lost what little they had, and a moment of reflection on the future could only have brought tears to their eyes.
Contrasted to these events, are those of recent floods in south Florida that destroyed whole communities of high-priced homes. The cameras of the media never captured pain and tears, but the sound-bites were from those who had horses to move, who were concerned about their airline reservations, who, indeed smiled as they told reporters about their bad luck. Some came to move their older relatives to temporary shelter in luxury hotels, or put them up in their vacation homes. There were no photos of bodies floating in the water, of children crushed under rocks and debris, of masses going hungry in the streets, wondering how they would eat, where they would get water to drink, who would dress their wounds. There were also no black people there, few poor people, fewer tears. It's amazing how that works.
Does the world ever tire of black people crying? Does the world see that there are some who have nothing because others have everything? Does anyone really believe that all contrasts in the news and in the world are acts of God?
Maybe when all the bodies are cleared from the streets of Port-au-Prince, when the last leg is amputated to save what's left of a crumpled life, someone might wake up and take another look at the world. They might see that some things are the acts of God, others the acts of men, and never the twain shall meet.
Media Outlets must credit The Black Urban Times
www.theblackurbantimes.com
twitter.com/blkutimes76
facebook.com/theblackurbantimes
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