ColorofChange.org

Our sisters and brothers were left behind to die, because no one answers to them.

It's time to stand together and make a change.

Most politicians ignore poor Black folks because they can't make big donations or deliver votes. And, to be real, a whole lot of us have tip-toed out of the hood and left them behind too, making our folks invisible even to the people who above all others should have their backs.

But they weren't invisible after Katrina hit. The media showed us faces we recognized: people who looked like us; people doing everything they could to save their families; people surviving, not "looting." And the more we looked, the more we knew -- it didn't have to be like that.

We are heart-broken and outraged by the catastrophe that followed Hurricane Katrina. We are disgusted by the lack of response by the Bush administration which would never have left rich, white people to suffer and die. And we are also devastated to realize that as a Black community, we did not have the capacity and political power to demand and receive immediate action to care for our suffering brothers and sisters.

If there were ever a time to step up, that time is now.

We are asking 250,000 people -- African-Americans and concerned allies of any race -- to make a commitment. To ensure that our brothers and sisters, including all folks who find themselves in the same boat, are protected and are never abandoned again. To make sure that our folks in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have a chance to be a major part of the rebuilding effort, and are given a chance to thrive. To ensure that Bush cannot use this crisis as another way to fatten the pockets of his friends, and further erode our government's support for those who need it most.

No matter what your race or income level, you know what you saw was wrong. Join us and help to make it right.

We are calling out to all people who are ready to stand up for justice. It is time to come together and raise our voices. Let's all become the color of change.