Overview 

Due to climate change, disasters are increasing in number and intensity dramatically. Until humans can put a stop to the exploitative economic practices that are found at the heart of disasters both man-made and "natural" (to the extent that we can even consider disasters stemming from the man-made climate crisis to be "natural"), they show no signs of slowing down or easing up. Disasters wreak havoc on Black communities and are then exacerbated by inequities in emergency management. These frontline communities recognize this reality and are engaging in and modeling just and equitable responses to disasters, bringing hope to communities all over the country in similar situations. This program dissects the emergency response framework through the lens of Black Liberation and highlights how to navigate public and private systems effectively. Participants will gain tools to promote social justice and address antiblack policies and practices, ensuring fair and effective disaster response and recovery for all.

Course Objectives 

• Examine the Emergency Management framework and ways to navigate public and private emergency management systems with the associated responses. 
• Assess the inequity in the emergency management framework and how the historical disinvestment in Black communities impacts emergency responses. 
• Explore various methods of community engagement to sustain long term community involvement in advocacy efforts and support community led actions to improve equity in the emergency management framework. 
• Analyze key policies and regulations on varying levels of government and the associated Emergency Response Framework.  
• Apply the core concepts learned in this program to develop an action plan that advocates for an equity-based approach to the Emergency Management Framework.