"No habia humanidad": Critiquing English Monolingualism and Other Entwined Systems of White Supremacy in Local Emergency Management Responses

In 2018, the City of Salem issued drinking water advisories for "vulnerable populations," after detecting cyanotoxins in the water supply. Informed by Spanish-speaking, Latinx community member testimonials and the authors' lived experiences, as well as drawing connections between othe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social justice (San Francisco, Calif.) Calif.), 2021-03, Vol.47 (1-2), p.135
Main Authors: de Onis, Catalina M, Cubelos, Emilia, del Rocio Ortiz Chavarria, Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Company business management
Drinking water
Emergency management
Emergency preparedness
Marine toxins
White supremacy movements
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Summary:In 2018, the City of Salem issued drinking water advisories for "vulnerable populations," after detecting cyanotoxins in the water supply. Informed by Spanish-speaking, Latinx community member testimonials and the authors' lived experiences, as well as drawing connections between other crisis contexts in Puerto Rico and Flint, Michigan, this essay details several communication problems involving English monolingualism and intersecting injustices. To do so, this article triangulates scholarship on disaster capitalism, risk communication, and border rhetorics to comprehend and challenge the dominant assumptions and practices shaping city-level responses in crisis situations. The conclusion suggests several interventions to transform oppressive emergency management ideologies and communication for more equitable, culturally and linguistically adapted alternatives.
ISSN:1043-1578
2327-641X