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Students Invite Group of Experts to Examine the Impact of Disasters on Human Rights
In November, students involved with Gulf Coast Recovers, a group organized to improve the health and wellness of those affected by Hurricane Katrina, invited experts from across the University and around the country to participate in a weeklong series of panel discussions to explore-through a human rights framework-the definition of disaster as both a product of natural events and structural violence.
Entitled "Daring to Speak: A Closer Look at Disaster & Human Rights," the event sought to explore experiences of gentrification, internal migration, environmental racism, and other structurally mediated events into the framework of disaster. Using four main themes, panelists considered the epidemiology of disasters and how morbidity and mortality numbers can influence the amount and type of aid delivered to affected populations. They moved on to the perceptions and portrayals of disaster, as well as the ethical concerns and social impacts of representations of disaster.
The discussion then reviewed how certain natural and built environments, and thus certain populations, are positioned to be more vulnerable to disasters than others. Said Shekinah Elmore, a student in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences and an organizer of the event, "The communities affected by Hurricane Katrina are a perfect example of how the built environment not only failed to protect its residents, it played an enormous role in the human suffering and destruction that ensued."
Rounding out the program, panelists explored how the public health community can work to prevent and remediate the effects of disasters in the future.
This month, in direct response to the Daring to Speak events, Gulf Coast Recovers organized a postcard campaign to advocate for the reopening of public housing in New Orleans currently in danger of demolition. Students have been working with Lionel McIntyre, Nancy and George Rupp Associate Professor in the Practice of Community Development at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and a native of New Orleans, to design a postcard with the message "Stop Demolition! Home for the Holidays," which will be sent to members of the Senate prior to the holidays. Students also held a "Home for the Holidays" benefit event on December 14, where more than 200 postcards were signed and $75 was raised for the housing efforts of the People's Hurricane Relief Fund.
For more information on the Daring to Speak panelists and discussions, please visit the website www.daringtospeak.org.
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