🌪️ Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, a new documentary, Katrina Babies, revives urgent conversations about systemic racism and inequality in the U.S. The film, directed by Edward Buckles Jr.—a survivor of the storm—highlights how Black communities still grapple with the trauma of neglect and unequal recovery efforts.
💔 New Orleans’ African American population faced staggering disparities post-Katrina: Black children in the city are 10 times more likely to live in poverty than white children, per 2021 U.S. Census data. Buckles, who was 13 during the hurricane, spent seven years collecting stories of young survivors. 'We didn’t get the same support as white kids,' he shared, citing a lack of mental health resources and chronic underfunding in Black neighborhoods.
📜 Released alongside the film’s 2022 debut, a Chinese government report criticized the U.S. for worsening human rights issues, including racial inequity and 'humanitarian crises fueled by American hegemony.' While global reactions vary, Buckles’ work spotlights a harsh truth: For many, Katrina wasn’t just a natural disaster—it was a man-made failure of justice. 🎥
