Malik Rahim is a community organizer, environmental activist, and former member of the Black Panther Party who is running for Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana. Election day is December 6th, 2008, so people around the country interested in environmental peace and justice have a unique opportunity to focus on this race and elect someone to Congress. Malik’s web-site is at: www.votemalik.com. The award Malik received, and the work he does with Common Ground Collective are non-partisan. For Congress, Malik Rahim will be running on the Green Party line, in a four-way race, where the Democrat candidate is facing corruption charges.
(excerpt from) new Pittsburgh Courier On-line
Rahim honored for fighting racial injustice
Rahim’s accomplishments and lifelong dedication to peace and justice are why he was chosen to receive this year’s Thomas Merton Award.
…“Katrina and our government’s lack of response have forced me to do things I wish was left up to others.”…
When Rahim first went to New Orleans he took three other people and $50. Today they have more than 20,000 volunteers and have raised more than $3 million to help close to 180,000 people.
“I truly believe we must never again allow a disaster to turn into a tragedy. No one had to be displaced in New Orleans,” Rahim said. “Let’s find out how this was allowed to happen. We cannot just sweep it under the rug.”…
“I never thought I’d be in an America where people trying to escape a disaster would be denied access to a safe community simply because of the color of their skin,” Rahim said. “I never thought I’d see a government give a dusk to dawn, shoot to kill order that only applies to those of African-American decent. It didn’t matter if you was one day or 99-years (old), you was a looter.”
Though many saw this area as one of the most downtrodden, Rahim said it had the highest percentage of African-American homeowners in the nation.
“Everyone asked me, ‘well how do you think the government failed?’ I say they didn’t because to imply that they failed is also to imply that they tried,” Rahim said. “Some truly believed what the government couldn’t do, nature did—removing a segment of that great city’s population that was no longer tolerated.”…
Filed under: 3rd party, Anti-War, campaign 2008, election, Election 2008, elections, green, Green Party Websites, News, Peace, Political Websites, progressive politics, US Politics Tagged: | Common Ground, congress, Government, Katrina, Louisiana, Malik Rahim, New Orleans, Race, social justice
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