Racism Revealed: Hurricane Katrina Essays -- Personal Essays Natural D

Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29th, 2005. The events that followed would leave the whole nation in shock until this day. One of the major topics of discussion after this disaster was whether or not the government's slow reaction time had anything to do with the fact that New Orleans is sixty-seven percent African American. As helicopters circled a wasteland that was once a major tourist attraction, the racism of the Deep South, thought to be extinct, proved it was only dormant. The same racism against African Americans that could be seen on Bourbon Street in the months prior to the hurricane reared its ugly head once more in Gretna, LA and was pointed out on live television by rapper Kanye West. In February of 2005, Georgian Southern University student Levon Jones died of suffocation after being detained on the ground by three white bouncers at a Bourbon Street bar. Black leaders have blamed Jones' death on the widespread racist policies in the French Quarter." Their claims are based on a survey sponsored by the city of New Orleans in which it was revealed that fifteen of twenty-nine Bourbon Street bars "discriminated against Blacks by charging phony cover charges, gouging on drink prices and enforcing unequal dress codes." Almost five months after Jones's death, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) held a march to protest the racist policies of business owners in the French Quarter. This proves that racism against African Americans did exist in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina was done wreaking havoc on the Gulf Coast, victims of the hurricane from New Orleans sought food and shelter in the neighboring to... ...cuation Route." Nicholas Riccardi. September 18th, 2005 pg. 25 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=898116091&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VIns t=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1128370496&clientId=10762 Proquest Document ID: 898116091 3. Chicago Tribune. "Racism charge in slow flow of relief supplies." September 6th, 2005 pg. 9 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=892613891&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=3&VIns t=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1128370816&clientId=10762 Proquest Document ID: 892613891