-Zin-

As I sat down with Zin, I had an overwhelming urge to thank him – it must have manifested itself as the appearance of fawning or infatuation, this deep sense of gratitude.  It wasn’t until a couple of days later, when I was on a Greyhound to New York , that I would place those feelings.  I met a gentleman on his way from Toronto to New Orleans .  What he was going to do once he got there, he didn’t know.  Where he was going to go, he didn’t know.  All he knew was that he needed to help move his mother, whose huge 83^rd birthday celebration had been thwarted by Hurricane Katrina, and a brother who had stayed during the floods and wasn’t doing so well.  It was then that I realized why it meant so much to me to meet Zin.  When the hurricane hit, and the world witnessed the inaction and abandon of the American government, there was a sense of desperation.  Someone had to do something, quick.  As watchers, we felt helpless – what could we do?  We could send money, but we all knew was that it wasn’t a lack of public resources that was stopping help from reaching the people of New Orleans .  It was action that they needed. Here, in Toronto , we prayed...and it was people like Zin and his fellow activists that were the answer to those prayers.  People who just gave of themselves, because that’s what needed to be done when people were suffering and dying.

At the age of 33, Zin is a Texas-based activist that shows true heart, passion and knowledge about the fight that he fights every day. Having been involved in aspects of community development for the past 12 years, he has covered everything from spoken word, to print, to radio broadcast.  He works with a number of organizations, including the National Black United Fund, Shape Community Center and the Nation of Islam.  He also hosts a radio program on KPFT, called "S.O.S. Radio".  At an early age, becoming a dancer in high school was Zin's natural entry into getting involved with the community.  From there, he went on to college, where he became a Spoken-Word artist, a writer, a poet, a community worker and – of course – an activist. Zin has also been hosting poetry nights in Houston for the past 11 years, but it is writing from the heart that keeps him true.

More recently, Zin dedicated his time and efforts to helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, namely the citizens whom the U.S. government has failed – people of colour and those who live in poverty.  Waking up to hear about what was happening to these people, Zin grabbed his tape-recorder and a camera, and jumped on a train heading to the Astrodome.  He wanted to see what was going on – whether there were people down there doing outreach and whether people were getting support from the community. But what he witnessed there changed him.  There were hundreds of dead bodies, suffering and displaced people...and Zin panicked.

That evening, he got on his cell phone and sent out an S.O.S., asking people to come down and help by bringing anything from money (if they had it) to clothing – because, at this point in their lives, the people around him had absolutely nothing.  From about 10 p.m. that night to 10 a.m. the next morning, Zin and several of the people he had called to help out collected over $400.  With that money, they bought water, wet wipes, and sanitary napkins, putting them together to make about 350 packages – which they distributed in the Astrodome parking lot.  Zin also wanted to share the survivors' stories through photographs, but found it difficult (at first) to feel comfortable enough to take pictures. He soon realized that pictures speak more than words, and that in order for everyone else in the world to get anywhere near a true understanding of what was going on, they would need to see for themselves – and be more inclined to help.

Over the next few days, through the Indie Media project (indiemedia.org), a low-power FM station called "Evacuation Radio" was set up to get information to people on the grounds, and thousands of short-wave radios were handed out.  There were resources such as one-way tickets, legal services and job opportunities that people knew nothing about.  "Evacuation Radio" worked to fill the gap in getting information to the people, by keeping them informed.

Last October, Zin travelled to Toronto to give a multimedia presentation that incorporated Hip-Hop with the footage, pictures, and voices of the people from the Astrodome, depicting the first days after the Hurricane – when everyone was literally scrambling to survive.  He also came to Toronto to see how people from a different country were influenced, whether there was a “connectiveness”, being a person who's always been interested in knowing how “people are affected by the things that affect people.”  Zin is doing what he can to call people to action and get people to share their resources, if they have them to give.  As part of the multimedia presentation, Zin also put together a CD compiled of interviews and conversations with Katrina survivors, backed by a Hip-Hop soundtrack. As an experienced public educator, he shows a commitment to exploring ways of disseminating information in a manner that makes it accessible to everyone.  He believes that Hip-Hop is his tool, one of the most valuable weapons he has to relate to youth culture and get the across socio-economic lines of our generation.  With the creation of the CD,  he is able to highlight the struggles of the people affected by Katrina while raising funds in the process.  It is a powerful and moving piece of work, one that sent shivers up my spine.

There are reasons why Zin’s efforts are focused around working with people of colour and those who are struggling financially.  Although Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster and effected people of all hues and socio-economic standing without bias, there are grave examples of racist and classist behaviour – by those who were entrusted with the relief efforts.  There were reports of how the city's Caucasian residents were provided with guns, while Afrikan-American residents were left trapped, with no way of getting out.  There were reports of rescuers laughing as they passed people of colour by, without stopping to help...and of M.R.E.’s ("Meals Ready to Eat") being dropped in abundance in Caucasian neighbourhoods...while being grossly inadequate in the neighbourhoods populated by people of colour.

The immediate relief effort is over, but there is still a lot of work to be done.  While the future of those people displaced by the Hurricane is still yet to be decided, Zin is working with community groups to ensure that citizens' rights are not being further violated.  There are projects underway to fight for the right of return – the right for people to go back to their homes – as well as the right of Economic Development, the advocation for the small businesses and indigenous citizens who should have a voice and stake in rebuilding the city.  Over 50% of the people that fled from the city were renters, meaning that they don’t have a legal claim to ownership of that land.  However, it is the energies of these people that made New Orleans the city that it was; it was the culture of the people that lived on its soil without owning it, that brought millions of people from around the world to visit the city.  People are also exploring the possibility of filing wrongful death suits against the U.S. government.

Zin's view is that we already know what the government is doing and going to do, and so we have to look at how we the people can affect social change. He sees this as his opportunity to be a part of something larger and help facilitate that change. He also wants to make sure that he got a chance to big up Spin (Ryerson Students' Union's Event Coordinator) for bringing him to Toronto, the people at Ryerson for hosting his presentation, and for the opportunity to present his work.  It is important for Zin to see that people in Toronto have heart for and care about the survivors of Katrina.

For more information on community development in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, you can catch Zin on "S.O.S Radio", from 5 a.m to 7 a.m every Thursday, at www.kpft.org. To contact Zin, or order a "Hurricane Katrina: Aftermath" CD, send e-mail to trickledownentertainment@hotmail.com or sosradiohouston@yahoo.com.

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