The Katrina Research Project on Equity (KRPE) is a clearinghouse and network for research on the role of race and class in the Post-Katrina recovery process in the Gulf Coast and in displaced communities. KRPE facilitates communication and collaboration among researchers, volunteers, and community groups interested in research on race and class disparities in reconstruction programs. Our goal is to encourage community-directed research that promotes a just and equitable society. 

We encourage research that is community-directed and produces knowledge that benefits storm-affected groups.  KRPE serves as a clearinghouse for research projects to avoid duplication and to match volunteers to ongoing or new projects.  We facilitate the formation of virtual “Katrina Research Workgroups” that can work from remote locations and/or field projects in New Orleans.  KRPE promotes voluntarism and self-organized research in the service of social justice.

 

KRPE’s first step in building a comprehensive information resource bank was an electronic discussion list. Now we have created a website with a searchable database of research projects that enables volunteers in higher education to easily find matching interests.  The site will also carry an inventory of organizations, speakers, local experts, and community and logistical information for site visits.