Support Hard Knock Radio and Third World Majority’s Media Justice

Support Hard Knock Radio and Third World Majority's Media Justice fact finding and relief delegation of Journalists of Color to the Gulf States impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The cities covered include Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA, Biloxi, MS, Jackson, MS, and Selma, AL from September 11-21, 2005.

This delegation will be traveling to cover the personal stories of Black, Latino, and Asian families neglected by mainstream media and criminalized by local and national government. The delegation will provide much needed office infrastructure to the community institutions on the frontlines courageously struggling to help their people survive. Organizers from these areas have requested their stories of survival and resistance in this intense conditions be told because it could make the difference between organizations receiving aid, rescue, and rebuilding funds. The collection of these stories document the lack of response from local, state, and federal government agencies who have been unaccountable to poor communities of col9r. These collected stories will ensure future accountability of the local J states, and federal government.

To maximize the impact of these stories, Jeff Chang, a national award-winning author, will submit write ups of the collected stories to print and internet outlets. In addition, radio interview stories will be broadcasted on the Pacifica network and available via podcast, while video documentary will be available via progressive television and news outlets.

Stories we are confirmed to cover:

• Ongoing harrowing stories of survival by people of the Gulf States. This includes stories of separation, cooperation, kindness, and despair as people were abandoned by their local, state, and federal government who were responsible to protect them.
• Abuse of citizens trying to flee or survive by the militarized force of local police, national guard, and army. Many are reporting the racist impacts of this martial law and have heartbreaking stories, many of them involve people whose attempt to leave resulted in them being forced to stay at gunpoint to "prevent looting". These situations will only worsen as the government infrastructure and military jurisdiction in the area increases over time.
• The courage of community organizations supporting their communities despite their exclusion from relief funds by the Red Cross and FEMA. From churches, labor unions, youth, and other social justice groups, members of these organizations have bravely supported their memberships. At the same time staff and members, have also personally lost their homes, livelihoods, and family members.
• The independent monitoring of the body count in New Orleans by parallel media journalists to guarantee accuracy and accountability of the government.
• The abandonment of youth and adult inmates in prison in the Gulf States area. In addition the ongoing criminalization of survivors "stealing food and water", branding them as looters in temporary jails.

Stories we are researching to cover (we are still identifying individuals and community organizations as sources):

• The independent monitoring of the toxic clean-up by environmental justice organizers.
• The connection to this "natural disaster" with global warming and environmental racism
• The rebuilding of New Orleans by corporate profiteers from oil, gambling, and real estate industries, and the community struggle of the People's Committee for New Orleans to fight for oversight and community accountability in this struggle.
• The experience of Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and other communities living in the Gulf States. Their stories of resistance have been marginalized in the coverage of Katrina as the racial divide in the region and the country has been framed again and again solely as black and white, effectively making these communities' plight invisible. Of note is what has happened to the undocumented workers in this area.

 

Some of the organizations we hope to connect and help (not a full list and we are still attempting to contact folks):

• The People's Hurricane Fund & Community Oversight Committee
• Incite Gulf States Chapter
• FFLIC (Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children)
• Louisiana Welfare Rights Organization
• Louisiana Bucket Brigade
• Southern Echo
• 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement
• Malcolm X Grassroots Movement Gulf States Chapters
• NAACP
• IMER-C in Mississippi
• Southern Relief Fund c/o Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights

Ways that you can help:

• Please send us information about progressive organizations in the region that are your allies that require new and/or additional equipment. Much of this info is .coming out via our political networks but in isolated pockets. If you can send us that info ASAP we can make sure they get office equipment now or in the future. You can send that info to wandalove [at] gmail [dot] com or Thenmozhi [at] ureach [dot] com
• Please send stories that are breaking within your community, family, and organizing networks. Many of the stories are only coming out because of these relationships. Please send this info to both thenmozhi [at] ureach [dot] com andjeffchang41 Q [at] mindspring [dot] com
• Please donate office equipment and supplies to Third World Majority's office at 369 15th St, Oakland, Ca 94612 before September 10, 2005. Office equipment received will go to progressive organizations who had their infrastructure destroyed and require these equipment to continue to support their membership in this time of crisis. Office equipment that is needed includes laptops, fax machines, printers, scanners, office supplies, etc. This delegation will leave September 11-21, 2005. Any equipment received after this time will still be shipped to the organizations shortly after donation. If you are willing to donate equipment and are not based in the Bay Area please contact the TWM office and we will connect you to the appropriate regional drop off point or organization for your donation.
• Please donate funds to cover future shipping costs of equipment. Shipping to this area is extremely expensive given the breakdown of infrastructure in this region.
• Please continue to donate to grassroots sources of funding in the region. A quick link to these funds is below.
• Please send stories that are breaking within your community, family, and organizing networks. Many of the stories are only coming out because of these relationships.
• Please send this info to both thenmozhi [at] ureach [dot] com and jeffchang410 [at] mindspring [dot] com
• Please donate funds to support this delegation. We are bringing radio and video producers from Hard Knock and Third World Majority as well as journalists/organizers of color from the Southeast. We want to support these journalists who are in these areas to get their stories out. The more funding we receive for this delegation the more we can support their participation.

For any other questions please contact Hard Knock Radio and Third World Majority below:

Hard Knock Radio c/o KPFA
1929 M L King Jr Way
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
510-848-6767
hardknock [at] kpfa [dot] org

Third World Majority
369 15th St
Oakland, CA 94612
510-682-6624
Thenmozhi [at] ureach [dot] com
wandalove [at] gmail [dot] com