By Sarah Carlson, Arts Editor
I Am The Enemy
In any tragedy, the most affected are almost always the poor.
Of the 484,674 residents in the city limits of New Orleans, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, 23.7 percent of families, 43.4 percent of single-mother families and 27.9 percent of individuals live below the poverty level.
With such large percentages of the city living in less than desirable conditions, is it any wonder many have become desperate and turned to complete lawlessness to survive in the wake of Hurricane Katrina?
New Orleans citizens are not only mainly poor, they are mainly minorities—67.3 percent are black. Living in the inner city, many were without transportation and had no easily accessible means to evacuate before the hurricane hit, unlike more middle class to affluent citizens. Some could drive to Houston and check into the Marriott, but what about the elderly living in homes or in hospice care? What about the single mother who normally walks to work while her children stay with a neighbor? The less fortunate, weak and disenfranchised always suffer the most.
Now, the weather can hardly be blamed for its destructive courses, and whether or not the government responded quickly enough with aid is not relevant here. The catastrophic outcome of Katrina has only reiterated the need to strengthen the fight against poverty.
In 2004, 37 million people in the United States were living in poverty, up 1.1 million from 2003, according to U.S. Census Bureau. Our country is fortunate in comparison with the rest of the world, where more than 1 billion people—1 in 6—are living in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1 a day. More than 800 million go hungry each day, and more than 8 million die each year because they are too poor to stay alive, according to NetAid, a non-profit organization that aims to inspire and enable young people to fight global poverty.
Statistics such as these are staggering and help feed the opinion that a fight against something as broad as poverty cannot be won. Fortunately, an increase in awareness on poverty has been building, thanks to groups such as the United Kingdom’s Make Poverty History and its U.S. version, the ONE campaign, both magnified this summer at the Live 8 concerts around the world prior to the G-8 summit in Scotland. Faith-based and non-profit groups from both sides of the political and religious spectrum worked together to increase knowledge about the problem of AIDS and poverty in Africa.
Relieving poverty-stricken nations and individuals takes more than cutting a check. Restructuring of education and court systems, increased access to sanitized water, improved awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, the advancement of women’s rights and more, are all needed to help fight that which causes millions of deaths worldwide each year. The ONE campaign calls for a 1 percent increase of the federal budget providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food for the world’s poorest countries, as well as debt cancellation, trade reform and anti-corruption measures.
On an individual scale, by simply giving whatever you can whenever you can to those who need it most is the best way to fight poverty. Helping those who cannot help themselves and serving as a voice for the voiceless is one of the most definitive Christian callings echoed throughout scripture. Continued support for organizations that seek to advance this calling is imperative to the survival of the less fortunate.
To learn more about how you can help fight poverty, come to IJM Chapel this Thursday in AD 219 to hear a representative from the ONE campaign.
