Hurricane Katrina's Forgotten People
James Falcon
September 20, 2005
While news of President George W. Bush's malfeasance against the African-American communities in New Orleans during the wake of Hurricane Katrina is quite the number #1 star of CNN, MSNBC, and every news channel from here to eternity, there is one such minority that is not receiving the proper representation and documentation. The minority that I speak of is the Native Americans, who are slowly becoming "America's Forgotten People".
The Mobile-Washington Band of Choctaw Indians, Poarch Creek Band (Alabama), Chitimacha Tribe, Coushatta Indian Tribe, Jena Band of Choctaw, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, United Houma Nation (Louisiana), and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (Mississippi) were all affected by the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Did you see them or hear about them on CNN, or in your local newspaper (with the exception of Tanasi Journal, Indian Country Today, Native Voice, etc.). The answer: probably not.
While I consider myself among the thousands that are anti-Bush, I see the mainstream media using this windfall as an excuse to point out Bush's shortcomings (especially when another race is involved) to implicate him in a "he's a racist" ploy. It is more 'marketable' to spart a debate between white/black relations, as opposed to white/Native American relations. Why? Because nobody cares about the Native American, except for the Native American.
As rapper/musician Kanye West publically announced during a Hurricane Katrina relief telethon: "Bush doesn't like black people", it makes me wonder if Bush also "doesn't like Native Americans."
Tex Hall, the President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), announced that while he was at the watch, all tribal members affected would receive help, one way or another. I applaud the efforts of President Hall because I fear without his help, perhaps my Southern cousins would (still) be without help. Hall is surely a President to be proud of.
The Mobile-Washington Band of Choctaw Indians, Poarch Creek Band (Alabama), Chitimacha Tribe, Coushatta Indian Tribe, Jena Band of Choctaw, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, United Houma Nation (Louisiana), and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (Mississippi) were all affected by the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Did you see them or hear about them on CNN, or in your local newspaper (with the exception of Tanasi Journal, Indian Country Today, Native Voice, etc.). The answer: probably not.
While I consider myself among the thousands that are anti-Bush, I see the mainstream media using this windfall as an excuse to point out Bush's shortcomings (especially when another race is involved) to implicate him in a "he's a racist" ploy. It is more 'marketable' to spart a debate between white/black relations, as opposed to white/Native American relations. Why? Because nobody cares about the Native American, except for the Native American.
As rapper/musician Kanye West publically announced during a Hurricane Katrina relief telethon: "Bush doesn't like black people", it makes me wonder if Bush also "doesn't like Native Americans."
Tex Hall, the President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), announced that while he was at the watch, all tribal members affected would receive help, one way or another. I applaud the efforts of President Hall because I fear without his help, perhaps my Southern cousins would (still) be without help. Hall is surely a President to be proud of.
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