Crossposted at Shadow Blog for America
One of the things I had hoped for this blog would be that it would be an opportunity for Dean-inspired activists to stay connected whether or not we still post or lurk on Blog for America. I want us to be able to easily find out what our fellow “Deaniacs” are up to, and how to support them if we feel so inclined. That’s why I post things like Lauren in Tokyo’s Sending Smiles project, mentioned here. It’s why I have a blogroll consisting of links to our diaries or individual blogs, and it’s why I post links to new diary posts when I find them, with the hope that we can help each other out with recommendations if we so choose. In that spirit, I’d like to share the most recent post by Quintus Jett of African Americans for Dean, posted over at the Underground Railroad. I think this is a discussion that many in the “liberal blogosphere” are interested in, but they may not know that this particular discussion is going on right now.
Quintus writes:
Like so many people, I am deeply concerned about the evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. What I think most about is how so many have had their political voices effectively cut off by being scattered to adjacent states and all around the country.
Presently, the way I look at it breaks down into three things:
- Who are the evacuees? How can we get real data of who they are, capturing the variety of people who are out there? How can we get communicate who the evacuees are, in ways that break down any presumptions or stereotypes we may have?
- What would it look like to have all kinds of evacuees reconnected with each other, wherever they may happen to be now? Surely, we know that this is happening already, due to the efforts of governments, churches, families, and numerous volunteer efforts. Is there some kind of order to these reunions that we can all opt-in to?
- What would it look like to have evacuees speaking for themselves in a systematic way, despite being spread out all around the country? Could they be reconnected with the local and state politicians already elected to represent them? (I hear these officials are all congregated in Baton Rouge).
Are you motivated to work on any of these issues? Do you know others who are contributing to these issues already?
