How a Landscape of Racially Differentiated Risk Emerged in New Orleans

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New Orleans
The environmental and social geography of New Orleans in the century preceding Hurricane Katrina can be described in terms of a landscape of racially differentiated risk. In particular, Richard Campanella says that New Orleans had an extraordinary diversity in the early 19th century. New Orleans started as a hubbub of different human species, which Campanella calls “an assemblage of strange faces and distinct people” (Campanella 1). Historically, New Orleans was founded in 1718 as an isolated port that later attracted individuals from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. Indeed, its ethnic geography is unlike of many other states in the United States of America (USA). As such, the structural or hierarchical geography of New Orleans lead to discrimination among some communities residing in this region. People are divided by economic, political, cultural, and religious institutions. Some of the issues that affected Americans many years ago, such as racism, can be traced back to New Orleans. For example, Campanella makes it clear that slavery was a significant issue in New Orleans that began when agricultural activities started in New Orleans.
The ideological or structural racism contributed to the disastrous impact of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The massive demographic shift in New Orleans made it difficult for residents to unite to address problems that emanated from the Katrina ...