Research Paper Example: Racism in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

📌Category: Disasters, Environment, Racism, Social Issues
📌Words: 1142
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 20 June 2022

Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst disasters to hit the American south, causing over 100 billion dollars in damages, leaving 1,800 people dead and around 800,000 people homeless. However, in this national time of strife, racism was one of the leading causes of the lack of response. In the aftermath of Katrina, the media and government's racism ended up raising the death toll. Instead of being proactive, and trying to help, racism embedded in local, state, and federal government systems was one of the worst damages of all. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, white Americans fared better than their black counterparts due to racism in housing and media and in the federal response to the crisis. Sadly, even sixty years after the events of Henrietta Lacks and the racism that plagued her healthcare and life, the injustices against Black Americans are still relentless. 

Racism in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) system contributed to a large number of damages that the minority took. An article from the New York Times about racism in disaster relief stated that: "New research shows that FEMA [...] tends to favor white disaster victims more than people of color. These differences occur even when damages are the same. White Americans and their communities receive more aid, says several studies based on federal data." (Flavelle) A recent earner of a Harvard Ph.D. in Poverty and Justice, Ethan Raker, used public records to gather 5.4 million FEMA assistance applications. These applications were from residents affected by hurricanes between 2005 - 2016. He found racial differences at almost every step. ZIP codes with higher black percentages were less likely to receive inspection, something that FEMA requires to provide assistance. These disparities between the treatment of white and colored residents show one of the fundamental problems with FEMA's response to the hurricane. The data collected by Raker takes us inside the workings of FEMA and how it interacts with the population’s diversity. These findings show that FEMAs disparities were not among different neighborhoods but among the races of said neighborhoods. Because ZIP codes with higher black percentages did not receive inspection despite the similarities in damages, communities ended up facing even harsher backlash from the hurricane. This impact does not end there; the same difference in treatment is seen in FEMA’s responses to other disasters such as Hurricane Maria. 

Black people and minorities, in general, get the worst from disasters due to social relations and the realm of politics. This is elaborated in the article Katrina Exposes American Racism. "It is a sad reality that the public sphere, which African Americans have long sought to ennoble and empower as the common ground for equality and justice, continues to be racialized against the individual and collective interests of black and brown citizens of the Republic." (Price) Black Americans are getting the worst possible case when it comes to natural disasters. Black Americans have to deal with the disadvantages of poor homes and disaster prevention. Even after disaster strikes, they are bombarded by the media and society, as seen in the following snippets. The University of Rochester provides us with images taken off of Yahoo from the AP and the AFP headlines. This analysis shows the "spheres" that Price spoke of. The first image features a black American wading through chest-high water with a trash bag containing items salvaged from a grocery store. The headline states: "A young man walks through chest-deep water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans [...]" another image posted on the same day only two hours apart by the AFP shows two white residents doing the same thing; however, this time the title reads very differently: "Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store [...]." The juxtaposition of these two stories clearly displays the racism and injustice black Americans faced during their strife in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. These headlines represent the power differences formed by ideologically-based news, which condones certain groups' activities while denying and demeaning others. 

During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, racism seen in Henrietta Lacks' story is also seen here. In the later part of the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Skloot introduces us to the story of Ted Slavin, a hemophiliac who ended up gaining crazy amounts of Hepatitis B antibodies in his blood from the numerous transfusions and tests performed. Much like Henrietta, his body contained something scarce and eventually life-saving. However, this is where the similarities end. In this exert, the book says how Slavin's doctor treated him and made him aware: "When the results of the test came back, Slavin's doctor [...] told him his body was producing something extremely valuable." (Skloot 202) This quote, showing the treatment of Slavin, clearly shows the racial difference in Henriettas condition. Here Slavin, a white male, is told of his condition and the usefulness of the cells in his blood. On the other hand, Henrietta is told nothing, and her cells are produced and sold en-mass without her knowledge or consent. This racial difference of two people doing almost the same thing but with different races is also shown in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As previously reported by the AP and AFP, three people, two white and one black were seen looting products from an abandoned grocery shop. The headlines pitied the white people, stating they were "finding" food and water, while the black man's acts are labeled as "looting." These two examples, in which two races do comparable duties with similar consequences, demonstrate that racism has not vanished in the modern world, but has simply taken on a new form. 

In conclusion, racism in the media and the federal response to Hurricane Katrina led to white Americans faring better than the black population in the resulting disaster. These discrepancies are seen clearly in FEMA's responses. Racial bombardment on the negro population of New Orleans led to a more significant lack of responses to the crisis. The racial injustices seen during this crisis parallel those found in the story of Henrietta Lacks, where two people were doing similar if not the same thing is viewed and treated very differently. These events put the problems that modern American society still faces into the light, problems that have been around for so long that they have managed to get into the roots of our society. How can racism exist in almost the same form sixty years ago and still today? 

Works Cited

Blodorn, Alison, et al. "Understanding Perceptions of Racism in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: The Roles of System and Group Justification." Social Justice Research, vol. 29, no. 2, June 2016, pp. 139–158. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11211-016-0259-9.

Broder, John M. "Amid Criticism of Federal Efforts, Charges of Racism Are Lodged." The New York Times, 5 Sept. 2005, p. A9(L). Gale in Context: U.S. History, link-gale-com.bps.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A135803749/UHIC?u=berkeley&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=414cc30d. Accessed 27 Oct. 2021.

Flavelle, Christopher. "Why Does Disaster Aid Often Favor White People?" New York Times, 7 June 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/climate/FEMA-race-climate.html. Accessed 14 Oct. 2021.

Price, Clement Alexander. "Katrina Exposes American Racism." Race and Ethnicity, edited by Uma Kukathas, Detroit, MI, Greenhaven Press, 2008. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link-gale-com.bps.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010080221/OVIC?u=berkeley&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=e538f093. Accessed 14 Oct. 2021. Originally published in After the Storm: Black Intellectuals Explore the Meaning of Hurricane Katrina, New Press, 2006.

Ross, Janell. "The Remarkable Racial Divide in the Days after Hurricane Katrina." The Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2015. The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/28/the-remarkable-racial-divide-in-the-days-after-hurricane-katrina/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2021.

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