Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 February 2006
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded more than 80% of the city of NewOrleans. As the stories of hurricane victims, mostly AfricanAmericans, dominated the national news coverage, New Orleans' racialpolitics in particular, and the racial divisions in general, onceagain invited public debate. Why did a city that had been firmlycontrolled by African-American politicians from the mayor's officeto the city council exhibit such a clear racial image? What role didWhites play in the city's political establishment?This project was supported by research grantsfrom the American Political Science Association and theUniversity of Wisconsin, which allowed the author to travel toMemphis and New Orleans to collect original data and interviewthe mayor of Memphis and other politicians. The author wouldalso like to thank Susan Reed, Martin Gruberg, Wayne Parent, andDavid Siemers for their helpful comments on an earlier versionof the article. Special thanks go to the three reviewers and theeditors of PS: Political Science and Politics,and to Laura Fisher-Guex, James Vanderleeuw, and Susan Howellfor their invaluable assistance with thedata-collection/recording process.