[Antiracism] Workshop on Disaster Racism

[hepage at anthro.umass.edu]

On Jan 29, 2006 at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society in Northampton 
a few doors west of Haymarket Cafe, the anthropologist, Dr. Enoch H. Page, is 
giving a workshop between 12 and 4 pm for a mixed audience on the topic of 
Disaster Racism. During this power-point presentation, staged with 
intermittent discussion and meditation with the audience, Page invites his 
audience to consider the racial implications of the poor Hurricane Katrina 
response and will provide reasons why people of color and poor people 
everywhere must be more vigilant and self-sufficient during what will be a 
long period of equally bad or worse natural disasters. While the increasing 
number of deep low frequency earthquakes is mentioned as one source of 
ecological, economical and emotional disturbance, more focus is on the 
devastating impact of escalating weather disturbances. Page argues that such 
disturbances may be insufficiently explained by the current theory which 
attributes the cause of global warming to greenhouse gases; additionally Page 
stresses the importance of contemplating two alternate hypotheses as 
explanations that complicate the greenhouse warming theory: 1. what appears to 
be signs of new developments in the weather-modification weaponry which our 
government has had since Viet Nam; and, 2. growing evidence that other planets 
in our solar system, not just Earth, are heating up, which possibly suggests 
the occurrence of a change in local astrophysical conditions. These are ideas 
to consider, Page says, that can not be proven at this time, but if either 
hypothesis is proven, in the near future, to have any merit, then government 
is not telling us something of crucial importance. The aim of this 
presentation is to begin a dialogue within the local community about what role 
spiritual practice and spiritual activism play in such a scenario. Should 
people of color and the poor who are most vulnerable simply ‘sit’ during these 
hypothesized changes, or should preparatory and precautionary action be taken 
that possibly may include a need to be prepared to defend oneself and family?