As Bun B spoke with Rickey Smiley during his morning show interview, regarding the need for people of color to help our own communities during disasters, he emphasized how important is was for people to take the bull by the horns and work together take on the needs or our own communities – especially during disasters. Bun B, stated “these are the communities that are forgotten about any other time, so what makes you think they are going to be remembered during a disaster.”
As we look back at catastrophic events like Katrina, or the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, from poor neighborhoods to poor countries, many of these places still have not been rebuilt. Though organizations have raised billions to rebuild, many poor communities are left untouched and remain in dire conditions.
However, there is hope. We are starting to see a shift, especially with celebs who are speaking out about where they intend to donate their dollars. Rapper TI blatantly responded to Kevin Hart’s Hurricane Harvey Challenge, that he was willing to donate $25,000 but he would not be giving it to the American Red Cross. Tyler Perry also was eager to give, but was hesitant regarding where he should send his funds. In a Facebook post Perry stated, “I’ve given millions of dollars to charities in the past that never got to the people it was meant for. I know lots of people want to give and help but be careful. You really need to know how much of your donations actually get to the people before you choose an organization to give to.”
Even in a society where we often view people as self-centered, we all still have a beautiful human instinct that forges us together during a time of need. However, our natural hesitance towards giving to large, sometimes greedy, non-profit businesses is not without merit.
In 2010, the American Red Cross raised over a half-billion dollars for relief to Haiti, and by 2016 when the country dealt with another natural disaster, Hurricane Mathew, Haiti still had not recovered from the Earth quake of 2010.
In 2016, The Washington Post published an article titled, “Haitians are desperate for help. But they don’t want it from the American Red Cross”, in this article they discussed how NPR and ProPublica launched an investigation that discovered, despite collecting nearly a half-billion dollars in donations, the Red Cross managed to construct only SIX permanent homes. Six!
Many locals believe that large organizations, especially American organizations, do not care about people, especially people located in some of the more remote parts of Haiti.
Woy Magazine, a popular Haitian publication urged outsiders to send aid to local organization, and bypass foreign relief agencies like the Red Cross. Cleve Mesidor, a Haitian American and former Director of Public Affairs at the U.S. Commerce Department stated,
“I do not recommend contributing to non-Haitian entities. This includes those U.S. organizations who claim to be ‘locally managed’, which is code for powerless figurehead. Most of these entities are based in big cities like Port au Price , which are not located near the affected neighborhoods. These non-Haitian organizations will likely use your funding to resource their non-Haitian teams for the long trip to the affected communities (SUV, gas, etc) and set up camp. They will likely need to find accommodations for themselves (place to stay, maid to cook their food, etc) while ‘tent-cities’ pop up for locals.
Andy Loaroche, another Haitian-American says if you really want to fuel the Haitian economy, you should visit. They have an amazing culture, beautiful resorts, and amazing food and delicacies.
The tragedies of Haiti, even our own tragedies right here in America after Katrina, are causing people to become more aware of where these funds are going. The goal is to avoid putting money into the pockets of millionaires disguised as aid organizations. Instead, people are on a mission to get the money directly to the people in need; and get it to them as fast as possible.
Last week, the Hand in Hand telethon raised $44 million dollars for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Through small, local donations and large corporate giving, the proceeds will benefit organizations that already have boots on the ground in Texas and surrounding areas. These organizations include: Rebuild Texas Fund, ASPCA, Best Friends, Direct Relief, Feeding Florida, Feeding Texas, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, and United Way. Hand in Hand organizers are also evaluating the need for funds within the communities affected by the Hurricane.
The amazing Hand in Hand event all started with Houston rapper, Bun B sitting in his comfortable home wishing there was more he could do, as he watched his neighbors within surrounding communities suffer at the plight of the floods. He did what anyone in his position would do (or wish they could do), he called up one of the biggest stars in the world. With almost 100 million Instagram followers and 100 million followers on Twitter, he reached out to Justin Bieber. Bun B knew that he needed to get a celeb on board; but not just any celeb. He needed one that could get the word out about getting help for the city, faster than anyone, while simultaneously capturing a broad audience. Well, the Bible says, “you have not because you ask not”, and guess what – a simple ask turned into a major television event. Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun was all in. Bun B stated, “God bless Scooter for wanting to be involved – putting in his own time and getting others to contribute their services and resources for free.”
Finishing his radio interview with Rickey Smiley, Bun B said he never expected that his idea and his genuine need to help, would bring out the biggest stars in the world. The Houston rapper continued to emphasize that perhaps people cannot bring out the biggest stars in the world, but what most of us can do is take control of what goes on within our own communities. Because poor people are often the most forgotten when it comes to devasting events like Hurricane Harvey, it is time to stop relying on the government and become the boots on the ground. Bun explains that he’s from Houston; he’s not an outsider sent from the government in town for a few weeks to check things out. He knows exactly what areas have the most flooding and what areas are really the most affected. He’s excited that they have the funds available and the knowledge to be able to go directly to these areas and provide assistance quickly – this is definitely a new blue print for disaster assistance.
Most of us cannot pick up a phone and call the biggest celeb in the world, but when disaster hits your community, many of us can call our colleagues to travel out to areas within our own communities to see how we can help. We are from these communities, so it is easier for us to assess where the greatest needs are, and if the government won’t protect us, its up to us to do the work.
It’s not too late to help Houston. You can still donate to the Hand in Hand organization Here.
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