"George Bush doesn't care about black people."

West's impromptu statements during an NBC benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims will likely top Rodney King's "Can't we all just get along?" as the most repeated emotional outcry by a black male in the past decade. Both West and King's utterances betray the frustration and despair brought on by American racism but while King's lament conjures dreams of that elusive day when blacks and whites will hold hands and sing those ole Negro spirituals together, West taps into some rotten truths about American democracy that most of us just don't want to face.

For pointing out what many of us see as "the obvious"-- 1. that the majority of the folks stranded in New Orleans are black and poor and had no way to evacuate the city 2. that our administration and FEMA dragged their asses responding to the most devastating natural disaster to hit the United States 3. that the news media has overrepresented blacks as looters and criminals--West has been criticized and censored (on the West coast). NBC disassociated itself from the views of West, declaring "It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion." One person's opinion?!

On the contrary, West said aloud what many of the people trapped in New Orleans have been feeling for days as they have been forced to wade through waist and neck-high water polluted with sewage and dead bodies. As they've tried to comfort their frightened and starved children and explain to them why days have passed and no one has come to help them. West's sentiment also echoed several members of the Congressional Black Caucus who have pointed out that racial and class disparities could have something to do with the sluggish response to the victims. Hm, ya think?

Race and class also has colored the media's representation of hurricane victims. West's criticism of the news media--"If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food''--was likely in response to the controversy stirred by two juxtaposed photos that appeared on Yahoo News describing a black man procurring supplies as a "looter" and a white couple doing the same as "finding food."
Though Associated Press has apologized, backpeddled and removed the photo of the white couple from the site--explaining that they consider everyone who goes into a store and walks out with goods a "looter"--the fact remains that the media's portrayal of "anarchy" and "chaos" stinks of racial bias. It is deplorable that some people have taken advantage of a dire situation to loot stores and homes for nonessential items and to shoot at police officers, set fires and rape women--SHAME ON THEM. However, a great number of frustrated and desperate black and white people--and apparently even some police officers--procurred food, water and supplies from local Wal-Marts and Rite-Aids because they were hungry and thirsty and had children to feed!

The big issue NBC and other critics have with West's speech is that he deterred from the "script," not just the cue cards with big black bold letters but the "consensual sentiment" demanded of featured celebrities and performers (see former blog post "The Meaning of Memory") ...

present a united front. look how americans come together in moments of crisis. everyone's doing everything they can. play nice kanye. no reason to play the race card. this is america.

Moments of crisis do bring out the best of what a country as diverse as ours has to offer but it also exposes those ugly secrets we prefer to keep hidden. We come face to face with people living in abject poverty in the wealthiest country in the world. We see firsthand the consequences of funding wars to end human lives instead of investing in education, jobs and infrastructure to improve human lives. And we wonder if in the event of an even more grave emergency if lives saved and lives lost will be determined by race, sex and class.