Katrina conference looks at social issues

The Tanner Humanities Center presented the conference "Hurricane Katrina: Race and Class in Modern America" on Saturday to discuss social issues that the hurricane brought up more than a year ago.

Robert A. Goldberg, director of the Tanner Humanities Center, said, "I am a historian, and history is shaped by three issues: race, class and gender. Katrina has shown that race and class are still very powerful today."

The first session of the conference, "The Historical and Social Context of Katrina," included presentations from Charles Vincent, of Southern University; Richard Campanella, of Tulane University and Mary Ann Villareal, from the U. The three spoke on how the geography of New Orleans affected its settlement, and the people that were most impacted by the hurricane.

In the second session, "In the Wake of Hurricane Katrina," Jerry Ward, from Dillard University; Glen Feighery, professor of communication at the U and Helene Shugart, associate professor of communication, also at the U, spoke about how the media portrayed Katrina.

"Things like (Katrina) show the best and worst practices in journalism," Feighery said. "I want (journalists) to learn from it."

"Things aren't always as they seem; national coverage can mislead," said Anthony Ball, a senior in music education. "It was great to get different impressions from experts in the field of journalism."

A panel of Katrina survivors discussed the hardships they had been through during the third session, "In the Midst of Catastrophe--the Survivors Speak."

Several survivors, most of which are now residing in Utah, spoke about their experiences during the hurricane and the days following, and also what it has been like to start over in a new and different place.

"It was great to come and listen to the survivors speak firsthand. It's an opportunity you don't get very often," said Stephanie Bass, a junior in environmental studies.

All three sessions discussed how Katrina has affected people of different races and classes, as well as the way the media portrayed different races in the aftermath of Katrina.

Karen Johnson, assistant professor in the department of education, culture and society said, "Race, poverty and environment are issues that sill need to be addressed today."

"Race and class are things we don't talk about in today's society," Goldberg said. "Katrina gives us the opportunity to talk about issues we wouldn't normally get to discuss. I hope to get a dialog going among students and faculty about things that are vital today."

The conference, Goldberg said, is something she wishes will continue annually, with next year's topic being body image.