Security - What's New - Archive

WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide. Please check back often for updates. Past updates are available for reference on the Security Archives page.

Exposed: Hurricane Katrina Reveals Race, Class, and Gender Inequalities

The news of Hurricane Katrina and its terrible aftermath have left many of us in shock, wondering how such terrible conditions could continue in the most rich and powerful country in the world. And it’s impossible to ignore that the people most affected by the catastrophe are poor and black, a population that, before the tragedy, was largely ignored by the mainstream media.

Hurricane Katrina then, has elucidated issues of race, class, and gender that need and have needed attention for some time. Because even before the natural disaster, many Americans were left behind by human-made conditions.

Considering class

The victims devastated by Hurricane Katrina are poorer than average Americans. The most-ravaged neighborhoods in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi had average household incomes $10,000 lower than the national average of $42,000 per year. One of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in New Orleans had a median household income of less than $7,500 per year.

As a result, many residents in the disaster areas did not own cars and were unable to evacuate.

In the damaged downtown of Mobile, Alabama, the median household income was $25,000 and 1 in every 4 residents lived below the poverty line.

Out of the 700,000 people in the three-dozen most affected neighborhoods in all three states, 4.5 percent received public assistance, compared to the national average of 3.5 percent, and 60 percent were racial minorities.

Some neighborhoods, such as the Ninth Ward in New Orleans, have long histories of poor conditions. The Ninth Ward was founded in the 1870s by immigrants too poor to find higher ground.

Considering race

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, many Americans and even tourists to New Orleans were unaware that the majority of the city’s residents, 69 percent, were black. Popular attractions such as the French Quarter and Garden District were largely separate from black neighborhoods, and only in the last week did many Americans realize that the historic city was racially segregated.

After Katrina hit, initial news reports did not acknowledge racial difference, contradicting pictures that showed blacks to be the majority of victims. Some media critics say that news anchors were hesitant to discuss race because they were afraid to damage their careers should their comments come off as racist.

But ignoring race as an important factor in the disaster is perhaps a more damaging form of racism, so responsible journalists finally began to recognize and report on the elephant in the room.

However, the mainstream media’s depiction of looting remained racist. Black survivors who rummaged for food in damaged convenience stores were usually called looters, while white survivors were not. Often, reporters made no distinction between taking food and water for survival and stealing television sets and other unnecessary goods.

Many reports likened flood conditions to "the third-world" and "war-torn nations." Does comparing New Orleans to the developing world underscore the desperate conditions or further divide black victims from white America?

A close reading of "refugee"

Many reports refer to the hurricane victims as refugees, a technically correct term since it means "one that flees" or, "an individual seeking refuge." But after visiting displaced Louisiana residents in the Houston Astrodome, Reverend Al Sharpton objected to the term: "They are not refugees. They are citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi, tax-paying citizens. They are not refugees wandering somewhere looking for charity. They are victims of neglect and a situation they should have never been put in in the first place."

Since then, President Bush has rejected the term as well, saying the victims are not refugees but Americans who need help.

But the term "refugee" may have helped Americans to realize the extent of the catastrophe and signaled the world to the region’s great need. Along with the horrifying footage of the affected areas, the word corresponds with the drastic situation of the victims and points out how few resources many of them had before the storm.

"Refugee" is most commonly used in reference to people who flee because they are persecuted for their race, religion, or political affiliation. So the word may be appropriate if one believes that the hurricane is not the sole cause of the tragedy, but that racism and politics are also to blame.

Considering gender

Gender is another underreported aspect of the disaster. The hardest-hit areas in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi had a larger portion of single-mother households - 12 percent compared with the 7 percent national average.

Further, many women were victims of sexual assault in the wake of the hurricane. Women in New Orleans who did as they were told and evacuated to the Superdome and Convention Center were not only faced with hunger, thirst, and deplorable conditions, but also the threat of rape.

Violence against women, poverty, and racial injustice are not merely side effects of the hurricane, but longstanding problems in American society. Along with a host of other issues, the disaster has revealed inequalities that threaten the security and prosperity of all Americans.

What do you think?

Why do you think the media was apprehensive about discussing race in relationship to the disaster? How are race and poverty connected? How should the government aid the victims? What are the lessons that we should take away from this catastrophe?

WomenMatter is a place to discuss life issues with other women. We don’t want to wedge women apart, but rather bring them together to dialogue. To participate in our blog, click here.

WomenMatter encourages women to educate themselves on the issues and then approach their representatives with ideas.

Your voice is vital. Make sure your leaders know what’s important to you. To see how your representatives vote and to contact them, click here.

WomenMatter is dedicated to empowering women to participate in the political process. To do this we have invested in the most in-depth NONPARTISAN information, because we trust each woman to make up her own mind.

• We track nine issues every week and update this website several times a week.
• We launch after school GirlsMatter Clubs in middle and high schools to grow the next generation of politically aware women through a full curriculum and startup kit on girlsmatter.com.
• We do continuous research to make sure that we are meeting the needs of women across the country of all ages, races, incomes, preferences, and religions.
• We provide partnerships with nonpartisan organizations that provide services to women and advocate for them.

We offer all our services free of charge without memberships or subscriptions. To help us maintain this work - not just in election years but as a continuing part of women’s lives - please make a tax deductible donation, click here.

Update Posted on: 9/10/2005