Natural disasters are complicated phenomena that are, in fact, not simply "natural" but rather often also social in their origins and consequences. Their effects reflect economic and social histories that have left behind inequities and planetary change. In my high school social studies classes, as one illustration, we take the case of hurricanes and New Orleans to examine the multitude of scientific and social sources that underline their destructive power. We then employ Hurricane Katrina as a vehicle for concretely exploring some of these processes, including race and inequality, and the short- and long-term effects of hurricanes on human-built landscapes.
This is part three of this series and it is focused on exploring the unequal recovery that ensued after Hurricane Katrina with an emphasis on racism, discrimination, and gentrification. Previous sections focused on providing background information on hurricanes, examining the physical and social vulnerabilities of New Orleans, and interrogating the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
Prior Homework Assignment
Before class, students complete homework readings that engage with the lives of Black New Orleans residents and the discriminatory policy mechanisms that hindered the rebuilding of homes for African American residents and even resulted in the demolition of untarnished public housing projects under emergency rules.
While students could share their initial reactions to the texts at the beginning of class, the video resources for the lesson could also serve as a launchpad for these discussions.
Inequality in Housing Recovery - 40 minutes
A central topic for this lesson revolves around the recovery policies that were enacted after Katrina and how these initiatives played a role in furthering inequality in New Orleans. Students watch two videos, from the New York Times and PBS, that introduce the Road Home initiative and other factors that shaped the recovery process.
A worksheet that accompanies the two videos can be used to guide discussion and can be found here. Students can, moreover, incorporate connections between the videos and the assigned texts.
What connections and differences exist, for example, between the demolition of public housing and the Road Home program?
How did the history of New Orleans, including that of the generation of Alden J. McDonald Jr.'s father, come to play a role in the trajectory of Road Home?
What was Liberty Bank and Alden J. McDonald Jr.'s role in addressing the situation?
As a debate topic, students could also consider:
Should access to housing be considered a right? How about access to housing in advantageous parts (e.g. near businesses/transportation) of a city? What is adequate housing? What measures should governments pursue (or not) to ensure adequate access to housing for all? Why does this all matter?
Gentrification - 20 minutes
The recovery process has also brought up issues of gentrification and locally owned businesses as the Lower Ninth Ward seeks to revitalize itself. This process is explored in an excellent PBS video also included in the worksheet.
Teachers may wish to solicit students' prior knowledge of gentrification in engaging with this impact of Katrina. To what extent is gentrification taking place in their city and why? How is it similar to/different from what happened in New Orleans? How do they feel about these processes?
Student Civic Action - 60 minutes
After absorbing and engaging with an extensive amount of content on Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, I like to conclude this unit with a street art/political cartoon activity that enables students to employ this knowledge to advance a political opinion.
Students are first shown examples of political graffiti that appeared following Katrina. If students are not familiar with political cartoons and their typical attributes, a couple general resource guides can be used.
Students are then divided into groups to produce political cartoons or graffiti (if appropriate school venues are available). Depending on the availability of technology, this activity can also be done via graphic art on tablets.
Instructions: draw a political cartoon, expressing an opinion, from the perspective of a New Orleans resident towards any aspect of Hurricane Katrina that we explored in our previous lessons.
Once finished, students can analyze and present the different political cartoons.
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