Race-Class FEMA

Jus somethin i read
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LeeCamp:https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/06/23/these-3-studies-can-prove-to-anyone-that-systemic-racism-is-very-very-real/
June 23, 2020
These 3 Studies Can Prove To Anyone That Systemic Racism Is Very Very Real
by Lee Camp

“….But racist policies often come into play after the storms or flood waters have subsided. An NPR investigation “found that white communities nationwide have disproportionately received more federal buyouts after a disaster than communities of color.”

One of FEMA’s services for disaster-ravaged towns is to purchase damaged properties when people don’t want to live there anymore. And yet, according to the NPR report:

Federal disaster aid is allocated based on a cost-benefit calculation meant to minimize taxpayer risk. That means money is not necessarily doled out to those who need it most but rather to those whose property is worth more — and to those who own property in the first place.

This fact kind of blew me away. We have created a Federal Emergency Management Agency designed to help the rich the most after a horrible disaster. Just off the top of your head, who do you think needs the most help after a natural disaster? I’ll give you a hint—it’s not the rich.

This whole thing would be sort of funny if you read it in a satirical novel about a dystopian future or something. But seeing as it’s written by our government, it’s about as funny as flesh-eating bacteria.

In this particular instance, systemic racism does not originate in race but instead in the way the rich have crafted our laws and our systems to favor the rich. So it’s a class issue, rather than a race issue. Unfortunately, other factors of systemic racism—such as hiring practices, and who gets promoted—ensure that white people are more likely to be extremely wealthy and less likely to be extremely poor. Therefore, our country has a racial wealth gap the size of the Grand Canyon (although the racial wealth gap tour is much less fun).

Workplace racism would require an entirely separate column, so I won’t get into it here, other than to point out you’re 50% less likely to get the first interview for a job if you have a black-sounding name.

Back to the wealth gap. According to a Duke University paper titled “What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap”…” see link