2008 THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA AND AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY

OUTLINE African Americans in 21 st Century Hurricane Katrina The New Jim Crow The election of Barack Obama Black Lives Matter

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN 21 ST CENTURY EMERGENCE OF INTRARACIAL CLASS DIVIDE Expansion of middle class 1968: 27%  2012: 47% of African-American population Only a small relatively small proportion could take advantage of integration of elite educational institutions (affirmative action) culture (increased visibility/acceptance) and politics (involvement in electoral politics) Ongoing poverty 15% African Americans live far below the poverty line (same percentage as in 1968) Poorest African Americans struggle with collapse of factory jobs in the cities (traditional means of upward mobility) leading to unemployment and underemployment; residential segregation; underfunded schools; drug and incarceration epidemic; obesity; poor health care.

THE WAR ON DRUGS AND THE NEW JIM CROW 2008: 1 in 15 black men in jail or prison 1 in 9 for men aged 20 – : black men more likely to go to prison than to graduate from college. More black man in prison today than enslaved in War on Drugs waged predominately against poor communities of colour United States has a history of race-based anti-drugs legilslation: opium (aimed at Chinese); cocaine (aimed at African Americans); marijuana (aimed at Mexicans) Crack cocaine not only decimated communities (drug use and gang-related violence) – anti-drugs legislation/policing had a particularly severe impact on African Americans Racial disparity in drug-law enforcement – both white and black Americans using crack cocaine, but black street dealers much more likely to be arrested and convicted. Different penalties for crack versus powder cocaine (100:1 ratio) – combined with mandatory minimum sentencing – has led to long term, mass incarceration of millions of African American men.

HURRICANE KATRINA NEW ORLEANS Demographics 67% African American (pre-Katrina) Poverty rate almost double the national average Poor educational standards – 55-60% drop-out rate Geography Coastal cities like New Orleans more vulnerable to storm surges because global warming has increased sea levels City is vulnerable to flooding because the wetlands have been eroded – thousands of miles of canals dredged to support oil/gas infrastructure

HURRICANE KATRINA 27 August: Major C. Ray Nagin orders mandatory evacuation Many poor people unable to leave the city Cut off from information about the scale of the disaster Reliant on public transport No funds to evacuate Nowhere to go – no social network to provide shelter or assistance Many people chose not to leave the city Had survived Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and did not believe that Katrina would be any worse

HURRICANE KATRINA Devastation in New Orleans primarily caused by flooding – not wind Residents of Lower 9 th Ward believed that the levees had been blown deliberately to save the houses in the wealthier parts of the city (neither proved/disproved that same thing had happened in 1927 and 1965) Levees in New Orleans were a “catastrophic failure of civil engineering” – unable to withstand even Category 3 winds 80% of the city underwater, with water levels as high as 20 feet People trapped in their homes, with no electricity – had to escape to attics and rooftops for safety

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Slow federal response U.S Coast Guard quick to respond in immediate rescue operation, but many of those helping were “citizen responders.” George Bush did not visit New Orleans for two weeks Kanye West: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and Department of Homeland Security heavily criticised Department of Homeland Security: needed to name Hurricane Katrina an incident of national significance to unlock federal resources FEMA: failure to provide food/water/sanitation (particularly at Superdome/Convention Center); arrange transportation out of the city; provide trailers; assist people in returning to New Orleans

HURRICANE KATRINA THE RACIAL DIMENSION Poor government response blamed on demographics and political insignificance of New Orleans Finding v. looting Violence Displacement of African American families History of African-American displacement/separation during slavery African Americans as “refugees” in the United States

HURRICANE KATRINA