Weathering Racism: When Forecasts Turn Deadly for Non-English Speakers

BEP Narrator: 00:00:02

A Black Executive Perspective.

2

: 00:00:04

Now presents need to know with

the award-winning hyphenated Dr.

3

: 00:00:08

Nsenga Burton, Dr.

4

: 00:00:09

Burton.

5

: 00:00:10

What do we need to know?

6

: 00:00:13

Dr. Nsenga Burton:

7

: 00:00:13

Good afternoon and welcome

to Need To Know with Dr.

8

: 00:00:15

Nsenga Burton.

9

: 00:00:16

I am she.

10

: 00:00:17

And today we are going to be talking

about, um, that person whose name,

11

: 00:00:23

uh, we don't say so we're just gonna

say the number 45 or 47 and all of

12

: 00:00:28

the things that have happened or

transpired as it relates, um, to.

13

: 00:00:33

This kind of x xenophobia, xenophobia that

he has around people who are not white.

14

: 00:00:40

So, um, one of the things, um, that

just recently happened is that, um, the

15

: 00:00:47

weather service, and we know we've been

doing a whole bunch of stuff that's

16

: 00:00:50

gonna negatively impact the weather

service anyway, but in this case, I

17

: 00:00:54

wanna talk about the weather service,

no longer giving out information

18

: 00:00:58

in languages other than English.

19

: 00:01:01

So we have a nation.

20

: 00:01:04

Um, English is not the official

language of the United States.

21

: 00:01:07

We don't have an official language

because the idea behind the United

22

: 00:01:10

States is that we have one country

made up of many different types

23

: 00:01:14

of people, uh, before 45 and 47.

24

: 00:01:18

And I would argue, um, even with

the founding fathers, if that's

25

: 00:01:21

the term you wanna use, are people

who are, uh, now our ancestors.

26

: 00:01:26

Were in play.

27

: 00:01:27

This country was founded for people, um,

who wanted to have a greater idea, um,

28

: 00:01:33

who wanted to realize democracy, right?

29

: 00:01:35

They wanted to have certain

freedoms that were not afforded

30

: 00:01:37

to them in other countries.

31

: 00:01:39

They were able to come here and

practice their own, um, you know,

32

: 00:01:42

whatever religious they had, um,

whatever, uh, belief system they have.

33

: 00:01:47

Um, whatever languages they speak and

whatever culture they have, as long as it

34

: 00:01:51

did not infringe on the rights of others.

35

: 00:01:54

So, uh, we did that very well.

36

: 00:01:57

You know, even with all of the

segregation, Jim Crow, all the other

37

: 00:02:00

things, um, there were cities, um,

especially in cities, and I would say like

38

: 00:02:04

if you look at places like, uh, Louisiana.

39

: 00:02:07

North Carolina and so forth and so on,

even in the rural areas where you have

40

: 00:02:11

a lot of, uh, cultural mixing, um,

during those time periods where people

41

: 00:02:15

coexisted peacefully, they intermarried,

they did all things, um, and were

42

: 00:02:19

able to really just be who they were.

43

: 00:02:21

So there was no, uh.

44

: 00:02:25

Reason to have an official language.

45

: 00:02:28

Uh, and there still isn't.

46

: 00:02:28

I mean, like if you look at a

country like South Africa, they

47

: 00:02:30

have 11 official languages.

48

: 00:02:32

Uh, well, a country that size

with the number of people that

49

: 00:02:35

they have, that might make sense.

50

: 00:02:37

They have cultural practices.

51

: 00:02:38

They're very, very different

in many particular ways.

52

: 00:02:41

Um, so that might make sense.

53

: 00:02:43

Um, and even if we had an

official language here in the

54

: 00:02:45

United States, it probably would

be Spanish or it should be, um.

55

: 00:02:51

English and Spanish.

56

: 00:02:53

Um, and depending on which part

of the, the country you live in,

57

: 00:02:55

it could be other languages too.

58

: 00:02:57

Um, so my point is in raising

this issue is that this whole.

59

: 00:03:03

Attempt and, and they're pretty

effective in certain ways of this

60

: 00:03:08

administration to erase people of color.

61

: 00:03:10

Um, in general, I would say black

people specifically, 'cause that's

62

: 00:03:14

what I'm watching most clo closely,

but people in gen, people of color in

63

: 00:03:17

general, um, in this particular phase.

64

: 00:03:19

And by saying, no, we're not gonna give

you information that can save your life.

65

: 00:03:24

Your native tongue or in a language

that you may be able to speak

66

: 00:03:29

or better decipher so that you

have a better chance of survival.

67

: 00:03:32

It's just, uh, another form

of violence, uh, that this

68

: 00:03:35

administration, uh, has put forth.

69

: 00:03:38

And so the Trump administration

is being lambasted for a lot of

70

: 00:03:42

things right now, but they are also

trumpeted, ha ha ha, pun intended.

71

: 00:03:50

Um, because they inflict pain.

72

: 00:03:53

On people.

73

: 00:03:53

Right?

74

: 00:03:54

It's a, it's a, it's a kind of a

trauma porn type of experience.

75

: 00:03:57

We had it in 45, you

in: 2016

76

: 00:04:01

We saw this already.

77

: 00:04:02

We've experienced this already.

78

: 00:04:03

How much pain can we inflict on people?

79

: 00:04:05

You know, we're like, oh my gosh, can

you believe they're just ripping people

80

: 00:04:08

out of cars and taking them in and not

even seeing if they're even citizens.

81

: 00:04:13

And if they're citizens and they're

deported, is sent somewhere else

82

: 00:04:16

and they find other citizens and

they're not even bringing them back.

83

: 00:04:18

Can you believe that?

84

: 00:04:19

Well, of course we can believe that.

85

: 00:04:20

'cause they had children in cages.

86

: 00:04:21

In 2016, 2017.

87

: 00:04:24

But you know, our

memories are really short.

88

: 00:04:26

We forgot about that.

89

: 00:04:27

Oh, can you believe that?

90

: 00:04:29

You know, more children are dying

of measles than ever before.

91

: 00:04:31

It had been completely eradicated,

but since we've had this anti-vax

92

: 00:04:35

movement that these poor little

kids are sick and they're dying.

93

: 00:04:40

Yeah, we had over a million

people die with Covid.

94

: 00:04:42

It was preventable.

95

: 00:04:43

It was preventable.

96

: 00:04:44

People forget that part about Covid.

97

: 00:04:46

Oh, we had no choice.

98

: 00:04:47

There was nothing we could do about it.

99

: 00:04:48

Oh, there's plenty we could do about it.

100

: 00:04:49

It never had to get here.

101

: 00:04:51

It never had to be here.

102

: 00:04:52

Um.

103

: 00:04:53

And so when you think, I don't know

why people keep waiting for the best

104

: 00:04:58

possible scenario to happen, it's

just not going to happen under 47.

105

: 00:05:02

Part of their mission, part of

their goal, part of their identity

106

: 00:05:06

is inflicting pain, right?

107

: 00:05:09

It's a very violent

approach to leadership.

108

: 00:05:12

It's like, how much violence

can we inflict on people?

109

: 00:05:15

And you know, just because they're not

shooting people down the streets yet.

110

: 00:05:18

I'm sure that will come because it

looks like that's where we're headed.

111

: 00:05:21

But just, you know, a lot of people think

about physical, physical violence, but I'm

112

: 00:05:24

talking about emotional violence, right?

113

: 00:05:26

Or policies that you do,

um, that you enact, like.

114

: 00:05:31

You can no longer do the National Weather

Service announcements in any L language

115

: 00:05:36

other than English, even though we

have large populations of people that

116

: 00:05:39

live in the United States where English

is not their first language, and so

117

: 00:05:42

they will not know what is going on.

118

: 00:05:45

Um.

119

: 00:05:46

If they don't have their, uh,

closed captions on, if they don't

120

: 00:05:49

have a television, let's say

they're listening to the radio,

121

: 00:05:51

what if they're hearing impaired?

122

: 00:05:52

Like, there's a lot of like scenarios.

123

: 00:05:54

So instead of doing the least

amount that you can do, IE, we're

124

: 00:05:57

only gonna do them in English.

125

: 00:05:58

You should do the most right to make

sure you reach the largest number of

126

: 00:06:02

people so that you know people now who

are surviving floods, dying in floods.

127

: 00:06:06

You know, people are, are

surviving, some of them people

128

: 00:06:09

who are dying in these tornadoes.

129

: 00:06:11

Um, for some reason those people

are not getting the information.

130

: 00:06:14

Some people, you know, we

see those people on the news.

131

: 00:06:16

They're like, I'm just gonna board it up

and pray, or Good for you, or whatever.

132

: 00:06:20

But if that's what you wanna do.

133

: 00:06:21

But if you are someone who wants

to, uh, comply and to get out

134

: 00:06:25

of these poor weather situations

and they're coming so much more

135

: 00:06:28

frequently, so why would you do less?

136

: 00:06:32

It's because you're a violent person.

137

: 00:06:34

You, you're violent in nature.

138

: 00:06:36

A violent person wants to remove

Harriet Tubman from a website.

139

: 00:06:40

Um, when you're talking about the history

of the United States of America, every

140

: 00:06:43

Harriet Tubman should be everybody's hero.

141

: 00:06:46

Everybody, regardless of race, class,

gender, sexual identity, all things

142

: 00:06:50

Harriet Tubman should be celebrated.

143

: 00:06:52

So why you would remove her

and then have to be beaten down

144

: 00:06:55

to put her back is beyond me.

145

: 00:06:58

But I'm gonna stay on fo uh, on track.

146

: 00:07:00

I want you to know what you need

to know is that the people who are

147

: 00:07:03

in charge and that you sometimes,

um, give your vote to willingly and

148

: 00:07:08

then those of us who don't, and then

have to live with the consequences.

149

: 00:07:11

There are real consequences

to what you are doing and what

150

: 00:07:14

you are not doing and what is

happening with this administration.

151

: 00:07:17

And it goes beyond what you're

seeing in the headlines.

152

: 00:07:20

You know, there's so much

stuff going on, um, and.

153

: 00:07:23

You know, you could call it chaos

theory, depending on what, what

154

: 00:07:25

theory you wanna, uh, use, um,

where there's so much going on, you

155

: 00:07:29

don't know what to pay attention to.

156

: 00:07:31

But do believe that any and all

opportunities they have to subjugate,

157

: 00:07:35

oppress, demean, or cause pain to

immigrant groups, to people of color,

158

: 00:07:41

they are doing it and they, they're

now using the weather service to do it.

159

: 00:07:46

So I need you to know

that this is happening.

160

: 00:07:49

So if you have someone in your life, let's

say maybe you are raised in a household

161

: 00:07:53

where you are the first English speaker

in the household, please make sure that

162

: 00:07:56

you're in contact with your relatives,

friends, family members, colleagues, or

163

: 00:08:00

whatever, um, so that you can help them

be safe during these perilous times.

164

: 00:08:07

I mean, to do this.

165

: 00:08:08

Especially during the tumultuous time

between the fires and California,

166

: 00:08:13

the flooding all over the country.

167

: 00:08:15

Uh, it's just, there's no reason

to do this other than to inflict

168

: 00:08:18

pain and harm, which is part of

this administration's motto, right?

169

: 00:08:25

Their mission, their

their, uh, modus operandi.

170

: 00:08:28

That is what they do.

171

: 00:08:29

They inflict pain and torture, so.

172

: 00:08:32

I need you to know that there's going

to be more types of violence coming,

173

: 00:08:37

whether it's physical violence,

whether it's emotional violence, um,

174

: 00:08:40

whether it's psychological violence.

175

: 00:08:42

Uh, there's lots of different types

of violence, but violence is the word

176

: 00:08:45

of the day and is the order of this

administration in any way, shape or form.

177

: 00:08:49

So you have to stay abreast.

178

: 00:08:52

You cannot tune out, you cannot

turn off, you don't have to march in

179

: 00:08:55

the streets, but you do have to pay

attention and you have to make sure.

180

: 00:08:59

Um, that you are staying abreast of

all of the changes that are coming that

181

: 00:09:03

will affect you and those you love.

182

: 00:09:06

And those of us who have empathy,

we may not know you, but we would

183

: 00:09:09

like for you to be okay in these

types of weather circumstances.

184

: 00:09:13

So tune in next Thursday to

another Need to know with Dr.

185

: 00:09:18

NNsenga Burton.

186

: 00:09:19

And of course you have

to tune into another.

187

: 00:09:22

The award-winning a Black

Executive Perspective podcast with

188

: 00:09:26

Tony Franklin, who was amazing.

189

: 00:09:28

Um, and learn some more information

that you need to know in order

190

: 00:09:32

to help you have a better life.

191

: 00:09:34

I will see you next week.

192

: 00:09:35

Bye.

193

: 00:09:36

Thank you.

194

: 00:09:40

BEP Narrator: A Black

Executive Perspective.