When the Leeves Broke

Essay by DonnieDarkoUniversity, Bachelor's May 2012

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Realization of Racism in America: When The Levees Broke

The human suffering from Hurricane Katrina brought forth the true feelings of the way America felt toward certain class in our society. It seems one of America's most devastating disasters, Hurricane Katrina, did not only uproot homes and trees, but also uncovered the harsh truth of racism in America. After all that was done in an effort for racial equality, according to the film white American citizens have continued to neglect and discriminate against the African American population. Unfortunately it took Hurricane Katrina to make us become more aware of these distressing circumstances. These discriminations are brought forward through blatant examples of racism in the film and is displayed to the viewer through the interviews with survivors and the reactions from the non-affected highlighted in the film. With bitter emotions regarding their feeling of a lack of citizenship, the media referring to these victims as looters, and interviews mainly focusing on the plight of the black victims, Spike Lee's film When the Levees Broke brings out the truth regarding racism in America's opinions on blacks and the feelings they experienced during these trying times.

Americans felt that African Americans were not safe people to be around and therefore proceeded with not being proactive. After Hurricane Katrina took place, Americans ignored to acknowledge the fact that these people were suffering immensely and lacked the necessities they needed to survive. Instead, they immediately assumed that these "looters" were taking advantage of the fact that major cities throughout devastated area, chiefly New Orleans, did not have law enforcement needed to keep the peace. When referring to the people of Hurricane Katrina the media's choice of words was wrong. They referred to the victims as violent looters without taking into consideration the situation they...