New Orleans, Katrina, and the Race Issue

Having been back in the States from Aug. 31-Sept. 7, I watched as Katrina went from bad to worse to worst, surrounded by a sizable dose of people with whom I could communicate, or at least thought I could. You know that whole race debate going on in relation to the rescue provided to the South? I, for one, believe there *is* a race/class issue going on there (race and class are practically inseparable...last I checked, no African Americans had moved into my old middle-class neighborhood), but couldn't vomit up the theory from grad school in any accessible way that my white friends could or would try to understand. So I've decided to break out a little Peggy McIntosh. Especially if you're a white reader (because we're all too lazy to think that race is an issue that pertains to us), give her article, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," a read. Especially poignant is her list of "Daily Effects of White Privilege."