With the feeling of war looming domestically and internationally on the United States, recent natural disasters have acted as a distraction to the more controversial issues we've been exposed to in the past few months. Issues of race and nuclear war have taken over news headlines, creating a depressing tone in the media. While natural disasters may not create world peace, at least they allow the media to breathe by covering stories of natural disaster relief. We often forget that in a world of terror and hostility, that there are still people out there who are restoring faith in humanity.
Let's take a brief look at the contentious news that was circling before Hurricane Harvey and Irma attacked.
Racist Terror in Charlottesville
On August 12th, 2017, all eyes were on Charlottesville, Virginia as white nationalists and supremacists marched in retaliation of a Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee being removed from the once quiet town. They soon clashed with the Black Lives Matter movement who decided to march in protest of the white nationalist beliefs. Things became violent once the two groups came head to head. The situation tragically culminated in murder when 32-year-old Heather Hyer was killed by a car that crashed into a group of counter-protesters. This sparked outrage on the topic of race, and the feeling of fear from those of color.
Many banded together in protest against these racist thoughts and condemned President Donald Trump for not calling out the white nationalists specifically. This act of terror showed that we are still living among racist individuals.
Nuclear Weapon Threat from North Korea
On August 29th, 2017, Japan was faced with an unwanted visitor of a Hwasong-12 missile sent as a warning by North Korea.
Kim Jong-Un, North Korea's supreme leader, ordered the missile to be flown over Japan as a warning following training sessions with the U.S in South Korea. Not long after, North Korea claimed that they have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, causing many world leaders to object claiming that they have crossed the line.
Coming Together for Hurricane Relief
While Hurricane Season may only last a few months, we are faced with problems of war, race, and terrorism every day. As Harvey and Irma have made landfall in major U.S cities, it is clear that as American citizens we are all in this together. CNN reported that thousands of volunteers made their way down to Texas, Louisiana and now Florida to help those in need. It is heart-warming to see the photos and videos, shared by National Geographic, of people helping strangers just because they know it is the right thing to do. Many assisted government officials by using private boats to recuse those who stayed in their homes during the massive hurricane Harvey. Also, the number of donations, of both money and materials, has been outstanding.
In these times of need, we must come together for a common cause: Survival. While race, gender, and culture may separate us, often times we all have the same goal of living the best life that we can. These natural disasters have shown that Americans are still able to unite in desperate times, and maybe we are not as divided as we originally thought.
