The Portrayal of African American Citizens During Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans– The Portrayal of African American Citizens during Hurricane Katrina.
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Throughout the countries brief, yet eventful History there has been many recorded incidents of black oppression in the United States of America. A nation built on the notion that all men are created equal. However, this is not a view shared by a large number of the African American population, past or present. A prime example of this is the aftermath and controversial treatment given to many in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast.
New Orleans was possibly the worst effected city due to what is considered as the “worst civil engineering disaster in U.S history” 1 Flood protectors failed to prevent the mass devastation and destruction of many neighborhoods surrounding the city. Neighborhoods that were home to predominantly two sets of families; those who had the economic means and ways of getting out of the evacuated areas were able to flee and survive the disaster. However the families who didn’t have the financial stability to leave their own homes were left with risking their lives in the hands of the government who were later blamed for not doing as much as they could have keep those without hope from danger. This is according to many reports of negligence towards the people of New Orleans. Accusations such as the denial of allowing hundreds of school busses to help evacuate citizens to safe ground, choosing to cover themselves from a “lack of insurance liability and bus drivers” 2 Showing a completely moral disregard for human survival.
Alongside the government’s accountability for the aftermath of Katrina, the media also played a huge part in the representations of the black community during the recovery, labeling survivors of different ethnicities in completely different ways, For example the popular news website (used by thousands of Americans daily) ‘Yahoo!.com’ provided a very
(10191108)
Throughout the countries brief, yet eventful History there has been many recorded incidents of black oppression in the United States of America. A nation built on the notion that all men are created equal. However, this is not a view shared by a large number of the African American population, past or present. A prime example of this is the aftermath and controversial treatment given to many in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast.
New Orleans was possibly the worst effected city due to what is considered as the “worst civil engineering disaster in U.S history” 1 Flood protectors failed to prevent the mass devastation and destruction of many neighborhoods surrounding the city. Neighborhoods that were home to predominantly two sets of families; those who had the economic means and ways of getting out of the evacuated areas were able to flee and survive the disaster. However the families who didn’t have the financial stability to leave their own homes were left with risking their lives in the hands of the government who were later blamed for not doing as much as they could have keep those without hope from danger. This is according to many reports of negligence towards the people of New Orleans. Accusations such as the denial of allowing hundreds of school busses to help evacuate citizens to safe ground, choosing to cover themselves from a “lack of insurance liability and bus drivers” 2 Showing a completely moral disregard for human survival.
Alongside the government’s accountability for the aftermath of Katrina, the media also played a huge part in the representations of the black community during the recovery, labeling survivors of different ethnicities in completely different ways, For example the popular news website (used by thousands of Americans daily) ‘Yahoo!.com’ provided a very
Bibliography: 1 - Sandy Rosenthal. (2012). Corps of Engineers Commander Has Confessed. Available: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-rosenthal/corps-of-engineers-comman_b_1833571.html. Last accessed 22nd November 2012. 2 - The Storm. (2005). Documentary, Directed by Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith. Boston: PBS. 3 - Van Jones (2005). Black People "Loot" Food … White People "Find" Food. [online]. Available from: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/van-jones/black-people-loot-food-wh_b_6614.html>. [Accessed 25th November 2012]. 4 - Amy Goodman (2005). Democracy Now! [online]. Available from: <http://www.democracynow.org/2005/9/5/kanye_west_bush_doesnt_care_about>. [Accessed 2nd December 2012]. 5 – Morris Reid, YouTube video uploaded by Gleeok2 (2007). Black and White Debate Hurricane Katrina and Racism. [online]. Available from: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hesKZ78hA4>. [Accessed 25th November 2012]. 6 - Tommy Christopher (2012). ‘Mediaite’ [online]. Available from: <http://www.mediaite.com/tv/chris-christie-praises-obamas-hurricane-sandy-response-scoffs-idea-of-mitt-romney-nj-visit/>. [Accessed 2nd December 2012]. 7 - Joseph B. Treaster (2005). Superdome: Haven Quickly Becomes an Ordeal [online]. Available from: <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/national/nationalspecial/01dome.html?pagewanted=all>. [Accessed 2nd December 2012]. Additional Sources: 1 - Michael Eric Dyson (2007) 2 - Trouble the Water. (2008).Documentary. Directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. United States: Zeitgeist Films. 3 - Big Easy to Big Empty: The Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans. (2007). Television Documentary. Directed by Greg Palast. United States: Disinformation Company and Big Noise Tactical Media.