A very well written post. Inner Cities are Full of Rage on Ordinary Day, it is just that many have no reason to know it or think about it.The quiet gnashing of teeth in frustration in many inner city areas where minorities of any kind live, is to be recognized as a symptom of the carefully hidden racism in this country. The color bar, the division in areas that few think about, like beauty parlors, and dining places, and clothing stores. Katrina put a real face on the pain of a collapsing set of resources, and on the humiliation of those who were left behind. Some stayed because in their wards, there was no water, and then they were told to get out because they were going to relieve the pressure of other places by shunting the water to that area.
Perhaps no one has noticed that the minorities in this country so far have only protested within their own communities. I worked deep ghetto in Washington, DC for three years. It was the most draining, the most difficult, the most expensive experience. I worked the digital divide during several administrations. Without proper use of media, the declaration has been that there is no digital divide, but there is, and an economic divide, but most important, the education divide. If you want to hear the stories , sometimes you have to go to the place where the people are who live those stories, and who occupy that place. But not with the perspective that the people are born looters, rapists, and not fit to educate, only that is to a certain level. Working a truck through the USA , as a part of a technology effort, many of us were able to define problem areas and concerns that should be addressed here. How ironic it is for some to send their sons to other countries when in reality in this country they do not have the same "freedoms" we are trying to bring to others, the vote ( DC) , good schools, most inner city areas where minorities live. It would be interesting to know who of the communities, is a part of the knowledge network in deciding homeland, or emergency action. A sign that says report suspicious activity? What is it that a minority does that is not suspicious activity? Particularly a poor minority person. If you neglect a people, leave them in wards where walking at night where even without the chaos of a hurricane or a disaster is a problem, what would one think would happen in a disaster? Sometimes the people making plans and creating the ideas are too far above the fray to understand the community.Sometimes those who have never walked the walk, or talked the talk cannot understand the frustration of those who have not. Katrina has opened the door to understanding. How many people are , in any city, devoid of transportation, resources and always living on the edge/ how many people are so disassociated, or were disassociated by the reality of the situation? The war on poverty ended and the rush to pretend it was over washed over us like waves ... but the reality is that poverty, need, low educational literacy, and poverty programs are needed . How many people know that we have our own third world countries, while people are polevaluting to help others, based on the idea, spread by whomever, that we don't have a problem? Sincerely Bonnie Bracey bbracey at aol.com Bonnie Bracey Outreach GLEF.org http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/bbracey My communities http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/summitforchildren http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/gendergap CyberEd Resources : ICT's and Education (owner) Games and Education (owner) Science without Frontiers STEM Initiatives K-12 (owner) http://www.digitaldivide.net/blog/bbracey Portal Work http://edreform.net/ Technology Applications for learning in the portal applications.edreform.net Technology Applications for Learning The Technology Applications for Learning Network is a catalog of technology applications for learning. http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/STEM _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
