When the Levees Broke 

Perception of Race, Class, and Citizenship After Katrina

Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding, particularly in New Orleans, Louisiana, made Katrina one of the deadliest and most costly hurricane disasters in US history. More people died in Hurricane Katrina than in any other hurricane since 1928 when 2,500 people died in the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane in Florida. At a cost of 100-120 billion dollars, it was at least four times as destructive as Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the next costliest storm. The statistical profile of Katrina is subject to interpretation and analysis. Most of the available figures are estimates, and some vary considerably — for example, estimates on the number of people who have died as a result of the hurricane. To make sense of the numbers that follow, it is important to look at the dates they were reported and the population/ area upon which they are based – the Gulf Coast, Louisiana, or New Orleans

Act I Scene I - Introduction 

Juxtaposition of Hstory in NO

Act I, Chapter 5, “The Cajun Navy” (13½ minutes)

The second day after Katrina, striking images of stranded people were being televised and broadcast throughout the world.  The world responded in disbelief.

 In what ways do images correspond to or challenge viewers’ perceptions of America?
 
What does the “Cajun Navy” imply about civic duty or responsibility in America?

How is civic duty engaged during times of crisis? Who are the first responders supposed to be?

Act II, Chapter 5, “General Honoré” (12 minutes)

The army arrives in New Orleans and the formal post-Katrina evacuation process begins.

How do the images of evacuation impress viewers?

What implications are there in the documentary’s portrayal of having to leave the dead behind?

How do you feel Spike Lee feels about Russel Honoré? Is he portrayed as the “All American” hero, as Mayor Nagin later says?

Act II, Chapter 6, “An Ancient Memory” (10 minutes)

The chapter starts with a BBC segment on the conditions on the third day after Hurricane Katrina struck.

How does international coverage contrast with domestic coverage?

What do you feel about the portrayal of foreign countries’ offers of aid and their response time?

Do you know why these offers were rejected? If not, it might be useful to explore this question

Act III, Chapter 3, “American Citizens” (14 minutes)

TV news broadcaster Brian Williams does a nationally televised  segment on “refugee displacement.” Former First Lady Barbara 

Bush visits Katrina victims and says many are better off.

How do the statistics regarding poverty and crime impress viewers?

Is it possible to be a refugee in your own country?

Does becoming a refugee/evacuee while being a citizen redefine what kind of country this is?

Act IV, Chapter 5, “A Signature Moment” (13½ minutes)

Wynton Marsalis refers to the Katrina events as a “signature moment” in America. Plans for the future of New Orleans are presented.

http://teachingthelevees.org/?page_id=55

Notes for Levees 

PROGRAM 4

It’s tough to be proud to be an American.

—Terence Blanchard, Act V

Guiding Questions

D Does “being an American” say more about a person than 

that he or she has U.S. citizenship?

D Should it mean more than that?

D Why do the many immigrants to the United States—both 

legal and illegal—come here?

D Is there another country in which you might want to live?

D Did the breaching of the levees and its much publicized 

aftermath change the way in which race (and class?) is 

perceived in America? Did it change public perception of 

what it means to be an American

Note to Facilitator: Images of the devastation resulting from Hurricane Katrina were graphically portrayed in the media and in the documentary. These images, coupled with the events that followed, prompted commentators in the media (as well as people in the documentary fi lm) to raise the question of what it means to be an American. This program addresses the significance of these questions

Activities Before Viewing the Documentary

In Act V, Terence Blanchard says, “It’s tough to be proud to be an American.” Do you think much about “being an American”? If you do, are you connecting your identity to the actual practices and policies of the federal government, to values you consider uniquely American, to a sense of loyalty you feel to other people living in this country, or to something else? Have you ever felt the way Terence Blanchard says he does

Viewing the Film: Dialogue Questions

 In what ways, if any, did the images of post-Katrina New Orleans challenge beliefs we might have had about how Americans take care of their vulnerable populations?

What, if any, are the shared values and standards of behavior that Americans think of as essential to our national identity?

How is national identity shaped?