Abstract
Spike Lee's four-hour HBO documentary film When the Levees Broke about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath uses the tragic events around the storm as an occasion to consider the continued significance of race and class in the inequitable distribution of environmental hazards in the United States, while at the same time celebrating traditional New Orleans culture. Lee's film gives voice to those who were directly affected by the Katrina disaster and reminds us that for historical and socio-political reasons African-American and other minority perspectives on issues of sustainability are necessarily different from those of mainstream environmentalists. Through its powerful presentation of these alternative perspectives and needs, When the Levees Broke raises awareness for the fact that any concept for a “sustainable” New Orleans that does not address the enormous class and race-based inequities within the city will be unjust and thus fundamentally flawed.
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