I’m not exactly sure what my expectations were when I woke up this morning. I knew that it was going to be an arduous day because we were traveling to Houston and Galveston to assess damage and assist our units impacted by the hurricane. What’s interesting is that as we were traveling to Houston, there were electronic signs on the highway telling drivers not to go to Houston or Beaumont, Texas. In hindsight, this was ironic because when we finally made it to Houston to visit local shelters in the Black community it seems as though “aid” was told not to enter these areas as well.

Our first stop in the city was to the Marcie Keys Activity Center in the community of Sunnyside; a predominately Black population heavily hit by Ike. The shelter, opened and sustained by the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, was the housing place for displaced residents primarily from Galveston. The incredible thing about the church was that for four days they were able to assist residents utilizing only resources gathered from their congregation. Although residents first arrived to the center on Friday, cots from the American Red Cross weren’t received until Sunday night and power was restored the same day. Even though the shelter operators were extremely appreciative of what they had received, what they needed was food, water, supplies and direction…yet every avenue they tried to get information, they were turned around in circles.

The funny thing about this lack of support was that over the past four days, the shelter had been visited by the mayor, city council members and of course the media…yet none of these “leaders” told the shelter how to gain the resources they needed to sustain their operation. Thankfully, the NAACP has been engaged in strategic disaster relief calls on the federal, state and local level and was able to tell the shelter operators exactly how to receive real assistance from the American Red Cross and FEMA. I say this not to toot the horn of the Association, but to exemplify why it’s important for advocacy organizations to serve as a liaison between our community, aid organizations and the government. It’s no secret that many communities of color, especially Black neighborhoods, are often underserved when it comes to the allocation of resources and distribution of service providers in times of crisis (or everyday for that matter). I’m just happy that through the strengthening of relationships with these various institutions and congressional leaders (thanks Congressman Al Green!), the NAACP has been able to work on behalf of those most in need.

The thing I will treasure most about my time here in Texas is that I’ve met so many everyday heroes who have shown tenacity and commitment to improving the lives of their neighbors – many of whom they’ve never met before. Through this experience I realize more and more that the beauty of life is not having the ability to get all that you want, but having the opportunity to give all that you can.

…on to Galveston.

Stefanie Brown

National Director

NAACP Youth & College Division