Structural Racism And The Causes And Effects Of Hurricane Katrina

828 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The effect of racism

The vulnerability of the black communities due to segregation by the levees and the lack of aid given to the African-American households affected by Katrina are only two ways that showed how the events of Hurricane Katrina were shaped by structural racism. Hurricane Katrina in itself was a disaster for everyone in New Orleans, however, there was also a “second disaster” or “aftershock” that has gotten less publicity, and that was the disaster of structural racism.
Structural Racism is a interconnected system of societal structures that “unintentionally” distribute advantages to white people while creating chronic and adverse results for people of color. This system is predominantly characterized by the same dynamics of white supremacy: exploitation, …show more content…

Additionally, it is exceptionally difficult to pinpoint one cause because it is the result of decades of reinforcing effects between a myriad of cultural norms and societal institutions. This kind of racism is the most profound form of racism as it seems that all forms of racism grow from structural racism. It continuously produces and reproduces new and old forms of racism due to the imprint racial disparities have had throughout history.
Although structural racism exists throughout the United States among many different minority groups including Latino, Asian, Native American, etc., this preferential treatment and privilege given to the white community is best seen during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina between the black and white populations affected. In the aftermath of Katrina, there was a series of “unintended” consequences for the black community based on race and the historical advantages given to the white community.
The reason why many actions to combat racism seem futile is because we focus on the manifestations of racism and fail to realize that all forms of racism stem from structural racism. In order to combat racism in societies such as in New Orleans, we must first understand that our society is built on the oppression of people of color for the benefit of …show more content…

Upon the development of the levees, the lower class (mainly consisting of colored people) was forced to live on low land which was more prone to flooding. These black communities did not have the resources or funds to prevent damage, or repair what had been damaged as a result of the structural racism which forced chronic poverty upon them. This is only one way in which the events of Hurricane Katrina was shaped by structural

Show More
Related

  • Donald Worster's Levees Analysis

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rather than working with nature through multi-tiered flood control with spillways and reservoirs, levees disallowed the river to naturally flood, deteriorated the natural ecosystem, and ultimately weakened the city’s defenses against the hurricane (Kelman). Culture and society further interacted, as beliefs in man’s power over nature and racial discrimination promoted levee expansion and racial segregation, creating a city of racially differentiated risk (Spreyer 4). As a result, inundation mostly impacted the lower land neighborhoods that housed poor people of color. Society and nature interfaced in the application of levees that contained nature’s forces. Ultimately, nature won out: the hurricane overpowered the levees and breached the Industrial Canal, disproportionally flooding the mostly black, low-elevation neighborhoods of New Orleans (Campanella

    Read More

  • Analysis of Dave Egger's Zeitoun

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Niman, Michael I. "KATRINA's AMERICA: Failure, Racism, And Profiteering." Humanist 65.6 (2005): 11. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • The Bias and Suffering after Hurricane Katrina: Trouble The Water, and Zeitoun

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the late summer of 2005, a terrible tragedy occurred that changed the lives of many in the south-east region of the United States. A Category 3, named storm, named Hurricane Katrina, hit the Gulf Coast on the 29th of August and led to the death of 1,836 and millions of dollars’ worth of damage (Waple 2005). The majority of the damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. Waple writes in her article that winds “gusted over 100 mph in New Orleans, just west of the eye” (Waple 2005). Not only was the majority of the damage due to the direct catastrophes of the storm but also city’s levees could no longer hold thus breaking and releasing great masses of water. Approximately, 80% of the city was submerged at sea level. Despite the vast amount of damage and danger all throughout the city, officials claimed that there was work being done to restore the city of New Orleans as a whole but many parts, and even the people, of the city were overlooked while areas of the city with higher economic value, and more tourist traffic, were prioritized along with those individuals.

    Read More

  • The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was one of the most destructive in the history of the United States, proving that the levee only policy was a failure and the limits of human control over the river. The beginning of the flood, from the initial crevasse, poured out “468,000 second-feet onto the Delta that triple the volume of a flooding Colorado, more than double a flooding Niagara Falls and the entire upper Mississippi ever carried” (pg 203). The flood of 1927 “shifted perceptions of the role and responsibility of the federal government… shattered the myth of a quasi-feudal bond between Delta blacks and the southern aristocracy...accelerated the great migration of blacks north. And it altered both southern and national politics....” (pg 422). America is a product of the flood of 1927 in shaping the political, social, and economic structure. With each reoccurring disaster, America, in that region, continues to face the same issues regarding social conditions and poor working conditions that failed to be addressed.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jean Baker Miller's 'Domination And Subordination'

    2116 Words  | 5 Pages

    Temporary inequality exists as a means of “improving” a subordinate to the level of a dominant. After the period of inequality is over, the two view each other as equals. The other form of inequality, permanent inequality, exists solely because of an ascription of inferiority to a subordinate that is inherent and unchangeable. Unlike temporary inequality, there is no possibility of improvement for the subordinate; they are, in the eyes of the dominant, inferior and impossible to “fix.” The dominants, who view themselves naturally superior to the subordinates, begin to take advantage of the subordinates. “Out of the total range of human possibilities, the activities most highly valued in any particular culture will tend to be enclosed within the domain of the dominant group; less valued functions are relegated to the subordinates” (Rothenberg, 112). Moreover, the subordinates, who by this point are under the total control of the dominant group, may begin to internalize the value of the dominants. “[Subordinates’] incapacities are ascribed to innate defects or deficiencies of mind or body…More importantly, subordinates themselves can come to find it difficult to believe in their own ability” (112). This theory of domination and subordination are clearly mirrored in race relations in the United States. Whites, who are the dominant group, make all of the fallacious errors involved in race-based thinking; they are prone to, like Miller describes, hoarding superior roles in society and practicing systematic cruelty towards the subordinates due to their sincere belief that the subordinates are inherently incapable of rising to the level of the dominant. This internalized belief on the part of the dominants, that the subordinates

    Read More

  • Racism In Hurricane Katrina Essay

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Racism and classism are very big issues in the world today. The state, local and federal government's slow response to assist and evacuate the left behind poor, mostly Black people of Katrina is an example of racism and classism today. As explained by reporter Mike Davis (2005), "the ultimate revelation of Katrina was how the promise of equal rights for poor African Americans has been dishonored and betrayed by every level of government."(Johnson) I feel the response of the local, state and federal authorities to the Katrina disaster was inadequate and it demonstrated the continuing relevance of race and class for many reasons. They had a plan in place for an evacuation, there were resources to help people they just weren't used, and if the circumstances were different it wouldn't have happened the way it did.

    Read More

  • Impact Of Hurricane Katrina

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    The category 3 storm changed the lives of the residence who lived there forever. The storm in combination with the fault of the man-made flood protection walls (levee’s) resulted in the death of at least 1,300 people (1). With nearly half the victims over the age of 74, deaths were caused by; drowning, injury/ trauma and heart conditions (2). Hurricane Katrina was one of the most costliest storms to land on American soil, costing around US$135 billion in damages (3). Although the number of deaths caused by Hurricane Katrina are not as high as other natural disasters, Katrina displaced a massive amount of people from their homes, around 85% of the population were displaced directly after the storm hit (6). Being one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit the United States, Hurricane Katrina impacted not only the residence of New Orleans by also many of the surrounding

    Read More

  • Racism In America

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of colonization, America has been controlled by religiously and ethically diverse whites. The most profound cases of racism in the “United” States of America have been felt by Native Americans, Asians, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Muslims. Major racially structured institutions include; slavery, settlement, Indian reservations, segregation, residential schools, and internment camps (Racism in the U.S., 1). Racism has been felt and seen by many in housing, the educational system, places of employment, and the government. Discrimination was largely criminalized in the mid 20th century, and at the same time became socially unacceptable and morally repugnant (Racism in the U.S., 1). Although racism was

    Read More

  • Mexicans and Racism

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Racism isn’t a subject that appears in every day conversations. Although most people try to ignore its existence, it’s quite obvious that it marked the lives of a lot of people and it has now become an essential part of our history. As a student who has lived in the valley all her life, I’ve been taught about the hardships African Americans had to endure while obtaining their freedom, becoming eligible to vote, being segregated, but never did I stop to think that the people who shared my culture and walked the streets of the Valley and San Antonio were going through a similar experience. Throughout the years it has become apparent that African Americans weren’t the only people who had been mistreated.

    Read More

  • Essay On Critical Race Theory

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although critical race theory was being recognized as a law movement it has spread to other disciplines. Critical race theory is define “as a paradigm used to generate insights into the contemporary racial predicament, exposing how racial stratification is more powerful or enduring than is initially apparent” (Brown, 2003, p. 294). Critical race theory explains how the United States uses race in their law and policies and rejects the belief that as long as everyone is able to get along it will automatically eliminate racism and the stratification of race (Brown, 2003). Furthermore, critical race theory talks about how power, oppression, limited accesses to resources for ethnic minorities has been camouflaged in our society by the white privilege class (Brown, 2003). Critical race theory will give a clear and broad understanding that racism is embedded in mental health care system, where it will allow social workers to better understand the misdiagnosis of ethnic

    Read More

  • When The Levees Broke Essay

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    The film “When the Levees Broke” of spike lee is a four part series covering the events that took place before and after the devastation of Katrina on New Orleans and its residents. In August 2005, New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina. People were unprepared for the disaster. As the city was flooding, levees safeguard failed the city, which caused the city to go underwater. In the film, part 1 shows hurricane Katrina and it’s impact. The flooding, rescue efforts and people trying to survive the disaster. Part 2 shows the aftermath with people that were evacuated waiting for help to come to the city. It was a very slow response to help and everyone was just waiting. Part 3 shows how people started to recover. Many hoped to return to their

    Read More

  • How the Government Failed the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though it is the responsibility of the federal and state governments to aid citizens during times of disaster, the people devastated by Hurricane Katrina were not effectively facilitated as according to their rights as citizens of the United States. The government’s failures to deliver assistance to citizens stem from inadequate protection systems in place before the storm even struck. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security were the two largest incumbents in the wake of the storm. The failure of these agencies rests on the shoulders of those chosen to head the agency. These directors, appointed by then president George W. Bush, were not capable of leading large government agencies through a crisis, let alone a disaster the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina. Along with the federal government, the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans did not do enough to lesseb the damage caused by the storm, and forced thousands of poorer citizens to remain in cramped and unsanitary conditions for extended periods of time. The culmination of federal, state, and local government’s failures in suppressing and repairing the damage of Hurricane Katrina to a level acceptable for citizens of the United States is a denial of the rights citizens of the United States hold.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ef workers, police, and military personnel. Many felt as if the government cared less because New Orleans mostly consisted of low income African Americans. Looking at the whole situation, its very important to understand all the things that went wrong prior, during, and after the flood in order to create better protection to New Orleans and to any other place a situation like this can arise. The way the government handled the situation allows the people to learn from the consequences of the actions they did not take. This shows Hurricane Katrina was a source of change for everyone who cares enough to acknowledge it happened. The damage it caused was devastating for everything including the economy.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina: Causes, Effects, and Aftermath

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crime rates went up, no one had a place to stay and water was polluted. The damage done by Katrina affected New Orleans and the other areas hit years after it struck. Restoration for the areas hit would need support from all across America and support groups across the country. No one was ready for this tragedy, or could ever predict the horrible outcome. Hurricanes are powerful and destructive storms that involve great rain and wind.

    Read More

  • Racism in America - Past and Present

    2883 Words  | 6 Pages

    Racist and racism are provocative words in American society. To some, they become curse words. They are descriptive words of reality that cannot be denied. Some people believe that race is the primary determinant of human abilities and capacities and behave as if racial differences produce inherent superiorities. People of color are often injured by these judgements and actions whether they are directly or indirectly racist. Just as individuals can act in racist ways, so can institutions. Institutions can be overtly or inherently racist. Institutions can also injure people. The outcome is nonetheless racist, if not intentional (Randall).

    Read More

More about Structural Racism And The Causes And Effects Of Hurricane Katrina

Open Document