I read this opinion piece by comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, and I’m 100% with him. I understand that a lot of people have left NYC for a lot of reasons, and that many will not be back. That’s okay. I support them in their endeavors elsewhere.
As for me, I’ll be here rebuilding, remaking, and regenerating the place that I will always call home. I love New York and I always will. I’m not going anywhere.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the people most impacted by #HurricaneLaura are Black and Latinx; it should outrage you. It’s not right, and so we have to say something and do something. And not just when the storm is front page news, but for a lifetime. This is a wrong that has to be righted, and I’m going to work hard to right it.
Environmental injustice, made worse by climate change, is one of the many hideous dimensions of racism in this country, and it’s getting worse by the day. That’s why I’m making it a main focus of my research and work. These inequities are systemic, and we have to change them deep within our laws, institutions, and investments. And not just as a storm hits, but long before. We cannot wait for disaster to mitigate it. Then, it’s too late.
If one community suffers, we all suffer. That’s what it means to be a nation— to be in communion with others. The suffering from this storm will be brutal, intense, and extraordinarily unequal. The predictions are dire. Those of us who can give have the responsibility to help others.
My thoughts are with everyone impacted by these storms, and so is my heart, my wallet, my education, my skillset, and my time. And I am especially focused on those who are most vulnerable and will not have the means to recover on their own.
Christa Avampato 