More Than Just Disasters: How Natural Hazards Exacerbate Racial, Gender, and Wealth Inequalities [Webinar]

About

Philanthropy has responded to a range of extreme natural events over the past few years, from wildfires to earthquakes to floods to hurricanes and to heatwaves. In California, with virtually everything related to wildfires is on the rise – acres burned, cost of firefighting, and lives lost – philanthropy has played a vital role in supporting the response and recovery of impacted communities. More recently, a series of major earthquakes struck rural communities in Southern California. These earthquakes, the region’s biggest in over 20 years, remind us that we live on shaky grounds. Across the state and the country, we are experiencing more frequent and intense weather events due to climate change, with dire consequences for people and communities living on the frontline.

Recent extreme natural events have exposed the vulnerability of marginalized communities – especially low-income communities and communities of color – in preparing for and responding to disasters. However, we have largely ignored the underlying mechanisms that contribute to racial, gender, and wealth inequality long after a disaster.

This webinar will feature Junia Howell, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. She will discuss how racial, gender, and wealth inequalities get exacerbated overtime because of recurring and episodic natural hazards. Specifically, she will highlight various contributors to inequality along the lines of race, gender, and income, including government disaster aid programs, personal and household social resources, residential stability, and the nonprofit ecosystem. She will also share her perspectives about how philanthropy can advance just and equitable community resilience efforts.

Junia’s research was cited by national policymakers who have sought to reform our federal disaster aid programs. It also appeared in The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Latino Voices, and more. She was interviewed by NPR and The Big One, a public radio podcast based in Los Angeles.