July 16, 2025

Washington, DC

Katrina’s America: 20 Years Since the Storm

Katrina’s America will bring together speakers from a range of disciplines to explore America’s past and examine the present and future post-Katrina. Throughout the day, interludes of art and music will highlight New Orleans’ enduring cultural vibrancy, complementing a series of thought-provoking panel discussions.

About the Event

Two decades ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans, in the process revealing fault lines in the country's infrastructure, governance, and media, and also highlighting stubborn racial and economic disparities. The disaster and its fallout announced a new era in America and dramatically changed life for hundreds of thousands of victims in the Gulf.

Today, the fundamental questions that Katrina raised about America are at the center of policy and culture. Climate change is amplifying hurricanes, floods, fires, and droughts, and sending waves of people moving across the country and globe. A new racial awareness brought on in part by Katrina has been met with political backlash. And in New Orleans and the Gulf, trauma and displacement still rebound among victims and their families.

What have we learned in the 20 years since Katrina? How exactly has America changed since then, and what exactly is the legacy of that disaster?

Join New America, as commentators, experts, and artists convene to consider the last two decades in policy, media, and culture.

Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina

Check out the featured work written and produced by New America's Fellows and our featured speakers on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and climate change: Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina.

Speakers

Schedule

Sponsors & Partners

Katrina’s America is being organized and hosted in collaboration with the New America Fellows Program, the Future Security Program, which is a partnership with Arizona State University, and the New America Executive Office. The event is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Venue

New America

Washington, DC 20005

In-person registration is closed for this event. We hope you will join us virtually!