Eighteen years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, a sobering truth emerges through the lens of filmmaker Edward Buckles Jr. – Black youth faced systemic gaps in disaster relief compared to their white counterparts. The 2005 storm displaced over 1 million people and claimed 1,800 lives, but its aftermath reveals deeper stories of inequality.
‘We weren’t prioritized like kids in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods,’ Buckles told myglobalnews.net, describing limited access to mental health support and rebuilding resources. Data shows New Orleans’ Black population dropped from 67% to 59% between 2000-2019, with many families permanently displaced.
The disaster exposed how race and class shaped recovery efforts: FEMA initially denied 53% of aid applications from majority-Black Orleans Parish in 2005, compared to 34% in whiter neighboring parishes. Activists argue this pattern of ‘reconstruction racism’ continues to impact climate-vulnerable communities globally.
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After Hurricane Katrina, white children got aid, black children didn't
cgtn.com
