2008 Woodie Awards
Academia takes on Katrina with varied views
Juan Ramos
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: Lifestyle
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A town hall forum called "Hurricane Katrina: Questions for America about Poverty, Race and Leadership," led to a tense discussion that linked societal and governmental racism to the relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The passion voiced therein has cooled, but it may have given students and Emerson event planners something to think about when approaching future academic discussions on the subject.
The event was sponsored by the Department of Organizational and Political Communication along with the City-Wide Dialogues on Boston's Ethnic & Racial Diversity, a city initiative lead by a collaborative effort of local organizations.
Panelist Tonya Cropper, a Harvard University doctoral student whose relatives evacuated New Orleans after the hurricane, asked the audience, "How many Katrina evacuees do you want in your neighborhood? How many of you would want these kids in your school?"
Stuart Sigman, dean of the School of Communication, allegedly skipped over audience members in line for the microphone to respond to Cropper's questions.
"You do not know whether I or anyone in this room will or will not allow a group of African-American students from New Orleans to live in our neighborhoods," he said.
Sigman attributed the notion that racism played a part in the failed relief efforts to the media's and the public's subjectivity. Racism was focused on by the panelists, he said, and not enough responsibility for the failure was placed on other factors, such as unqualified federal officials.
"I really think this panel needs to move further [beyond the subject of racism]," Sigman said.
Cropper said she took offense to his remarks. "If you cannot acknowledge that racism even exists, you cannot go forward [with the discussion]," she said.
Panelist Louis Elisa, former regional head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), replied to Sigman with the following: "If you can give me one instance in which American citizens were trapped in this country and the American government didn't move heaven and earth to get assistance, then I will accept your premise that maybe race might not have been a factor," he said.
The event was sponsored by the Department of Organizational and Political Communication along with the City-Wide Dialogues on Boston's Ethnic & Racial Diversity, a city initiative lead by a collaborative effort of local organizations.
Panelist Tonya Cropper, a Harvard University doctoral student whose relatives evacuated New Orleans after the hurricane, asked the audience, "How many Katrina evacuees do you want in your neighborhood? How many of you would want these kids in your school?"
Stuart Sigman, dean of the School of Communication, allegedly skipped over audience members in line for the microphone to respond to Cropper's questions.
"You do not know whether I or anyone in this room will or will not allow a group of African-American students from New Orleans to live in our neighborhoods," he said.
Sigman attributed the notion that racism played a part in the failed relief efforts to the media's and the public's subjectivity. Racism was focused on by the panelists, he said, and not enough responsibility for the failure was placed on other factors, such as unqualified federal officials.
"I really think this panel needs to move further [beyond the subject of racism]," Sigman said.
Cropper said she took offense to his remarks. "If you cannot acknowledge that racism even exists, you cannot go forward [with the discussion]," she said.
Panelist Louis Elisa, former regional head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), replied to Sigman with the following: "If you can give me one instance in which American citizens were trapped in this country and the American government didn't move heaven and earth to get assistance, then I will accept your premise that maybe race might not have been a factor," he said.
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