Since Hurricane Katrina made landfall, there have been accusations of blatant racism in the government's response, on the one hand, and adamant denials that race played any role at all, on the other. We propose that both perspectives reflect oversimplifications of the processes involved, and the resulting debate may obscure a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the situation. Specifically, we discuss the potential roles of institutional discrimination, subtle contemporary biases, and racial mistrust. The operation of these processes is illustrated with events associated with Hurricane Katrina. In addition, drawing on these principles, we offer suggestions for present and future recovery efforts.© 2006 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

Published Dec 21, 2006

Henkel, K. E., Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2006). Institutional Discrimination, Individual Racism, and Hurricane Katrina. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 6(1), 99–124. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2006.00106.x