OSI Forum: The Heart of the Matter—Race, Class, the Media, and Hurricane Katrina

Location: New Orleans, LA
Event Date(s): September 28, 2006
Multimedia:   AUDIO

In late September 2006, the Open Society Institute convened Katrina Media Fellowship recipients for a two-day meeting in New Orleans.  Among the activities was a moderated conversation to explore the nexus of race, class, and the media by addressing the role of structural racism in creating and shaping the pre- and post-Katrina Gulf Region.

The goal of the session was to discuss the values and challenges of reporting through a race and class lens; offer a historical perspective of the media’s role in covering pivotal events that disproportionately impact people of color and the poor; and tease out related issues with which individuals and communities grapple in their efforts to achieve positive social change.

Moderated by Gara LaMarche, OSI Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs, the panel included:

• Sandy Close, Executive Director, New America Media, San Francisco, CA
• Maya Wiley, Director, Center for Social Inclusion, New York, NY