Bill Quigley's presentation on Katrina, Racism, and Catholic Social Teaching

1. Katrina, Racism, and Catholic Social Teaching

2. Goal is Justice not Guilt

3. Racial Justice Economic Justice Gender Justice Are Intertwined

6. Brothers and Sisters to Us U.S. Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on Racism

7. Racism is a sin

8. Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father.

9. Not Just White and Black

10. Isn’t Racism Over?

11. Because the Courts have eliminated statutory racial discrimination and Congress has enacted civil rights legislation, and because some minority people have achieved some measure of success , many people believe that racism is no longer a problem in American life.

12. Racism is Prejudice Plus Power

13. Distinguish Between Personal Prejudice and Personal Acts versus Systemic and Institutional Preferences for Whites

14. What is Structural Racism?

15. The structures of our society are subtly racist, for these structures reflect the values which society upholds. They are geared to the success of the majority and the failure of the minority. Members of both groups give unwitting approval by accepting things as they are.

16. Importance of Structure

17. Can You Restrict With One Wire?

18. Depends on How You Arrange the Wires

19. Structural Racism Directs Us to Examine the Way the Wires (Institutions) Are Interconnected

23. Movement toward authentic justice demands a simultaneous attack on both racism and economic oppression .

24. The continuing existence of racism becomes apparent when we look beneath the surface of our national life.

25. Look beneath the surface

26. Bishops point to 5 areas that illustrate continuing racism: Employment Education Housing Criminal Justice Opposition to Affirmative Action

27. But First, Who Was Left Behind When Katrina Hit?

28. Race & Katrina Gender & Katrina Class & Katrina (Property Ownership) Cannot understand Katrina Without Analysis

30. 25% of New Orleans Do Not Own Car

31. Officials already knew that: 100,000 people, 27% of New Orleans, Lived below poverty line

32. Who was left behind?

41. 8300 Prisoners Left in Cells

42. Many Never Made It Out 1,700 direct deaths

44. One Million Displaced

45. Employment

46. 204,000 People Lost Their Jobs September 2005

47. People Have Lost Jobs, Health Insurance, Hospital, Doctor, Dentist, Pharmacy, Records

48. June 2006, Black evacuees nearly 5 times more likely to be unemployed than white evacs, - U.S. Department of Labor.

49. Women Louisiana lost 180,000 workers after Katrina, 103,000 were women. In New Orleans after Katrina, men’s median annual income rose to $43,055 while women’s fell to $28,932; Two-thirds of single mothers have not returned to New Orleans; In Mississippi only one of the state’s women crisis centers remained open – covering four counties in the disaster area.

50. Dramatic Reduction in Public Education, Healthcare, Housing, Transportation, & Childcare Equals Reduction in African American Women Workers in NO - From 51,000 to 17,000

51. Education

52. 110 Public Schools Destroyed or Severely Damaged

54. September 15, 2005 School Board Converts First Schools to Charters – Meeting in Baton Rouge

56. LA Legislature Strips NO School Board of 102 Schools

57. Largest Union in Louisiana United Teachers of New Orleans DECERTIFIED after 35 years 7500 people lose jobs

58. Spring 2006- FEMA trailers More than one-fifth of the school-age children who were either not in school , or had missed 10 days of school in the past month

62. High School Entrance

63. Fight for public schools continues

64. Housing

67. 300,000 homes uninhabitable

69. Black & Poor Neighborhoods Suffered Disproportionate Damages Lower Elevation

71. Who ended up in shelters?

73. “ We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did.” Richard Baker, U.S. Congressman (R-La) Days after Katrina

74. St. Bernard Parish: September 2005 Rent Only to Blood Relatives Ordinance

75. Jefferson Parish Council Passes Resolution Opposing Tax Credits for Housing. Member Chris Roberts: "With the number of jobs out there, nobody should be on public housing unless you're ignorant or lazy." October 2005

76. We do not want “thugs” and “trash” from New Orleans public housing projects. Everyone with dreadlocks or che-wee hairstyles will be stopped by law enforcement.” Sheriff Jack Strain St. Tammany Parish

77. Noose Around New Orleans for African-American and Moderate Income Renters

78. New Orleans is Majority Renters

79. Rents Soar – 39% - 70%

81. Pre-Katrina, 5000 families lived in public housing

84. Lower 9 th Ward No Drinkable Water For One Full Year

85. 1 Year After - 298,000 people living in FEMA trailers on Gulf Coast

86. Over 65,000 Families on Gulf 240 sq ft. Trailers – Oct 07

87. Demolition of 4500 affordable apartments by government will give clear message to private sector about who is welcome back

88. Criminal Justice

89. ACLU Report Abandoned & Abused

93. Surviving or Looting?

95. Criminal Courthouse Closed No Jury Trials No Witnesses No Victims Accused Still Lost in System

97. Seven Police Officers Charged with Murder

98. National Guard Still Patrols New Orleans

99. Opposition to Affirmative Action

100. Opposition to Immigrants

101. Migrant Workers Abuse June 7, 2006 – UCAL Berkeley & Tulane Report on Migrant Workers. Half the reconstruction workers in NOLA is Latino; 54% of group is undocumented – 87% already living in us at time of Katrina Routinely mistreated.

103. Migrant Workers Abuse (cont) INJUSTICE FOR ALL Report by Advancement Project

104. Where did the money go?

105. Tens of billions of $ to be made

107. Example #1 – Blue Tarps on Roof

109. Shaw Group got contract for $175 a square (100 sq ft) -subcontracts for $75/square earns $100 each square- average roof is 1500 square feet – 15 squares X 15 Per roof!

110. A1 Construction gets $75/square subcontracts out for $30/square X 15 Per roof!

111. Roofers get $2 per square (of original $175)

115. Analysis & Lessons Learned

116. Lesson: Build and Re-Build Community

117. St. Augustine’s Church

119. Self-Reliance

120. Value every single life equally

121. Don’t Wait for a Leader- Become One

122. Lesson: Prepare for Love-Hate Relationship with Government

123. If government works for corporations before the disaster, why different after? After disaster is a hyper corporate friendly environment.

125. If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

126. Disaster can be a lens to reveal structural injustices in our community race gender class Educational opportunity for us to learn about ourselves, our institutions, and our communities

127. Justice-based Reconstruction will NOT be funded

128. Radical Revolution of Values

129. “ I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” Martin Luther King, April 4, 1967.

130. Love is the answer Justice work is a commitment for the long haul

131. Signs of Hope

133. Our Hearts Must Be Totally Open to Injustice and Pain and Totally Open to Hope and Love

134. Wherever you find tragedy and injustice You will also find resistance and inspiration

135. People Keep Fighting to Come Home

138. Church Groups Organize e.g. Jeremiah Group

139. “ This is why we joined the service – to help people!”

140. Those Left Behind When Katrina Hit Are Being Left Behind Again

141. How start to combat racism?

142. Start with the understanding that racism is “hard-wired” into our society and institutions. It is like the electric wires in the walls, or the plumbing, or the air and heat ductwork. Invisible. Important. Always There. It is a life-long struggle for justice.

143. Be willing to move beyond your comfort zone

144. Transformative Education Educate Self and Community about history and reality of the barriers of structural racism How it affects us, How it affects others.

145. CREATE a safe environment for open and honest discussion

146. Study Bishops Pastorals “Brothers and Sisters All”

147. Listen to People of Color

148. There are resources for training & expert help

150. If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us struggle together. Solidarity Lila Watson – Aboriginal Activist Collective

151. Justice Challenge? Never Again!

152. www.loyno.edu/~quigley/