New Orleans rebuilding has drawn Latino population

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the ongoing rebuilding of the Big Easy has created a community of Latino immigrants in this famously insular city, redrawing racial lines in a town long defined by black and white.The change began within weeks of the storm that decimated homes and upended lives in one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

The number of black residents dropped as many left for other Louisiana cities, Texas and beyond.Officially, the percentage of Hispanics jumped from 4.4 percent in 2000 to 6.6 percent last year. Advocacy groups put the figure at closer to 10 percent or more.The emergence of Latinos in the aftermath of the storm sparked outcries from displaced residents who felt that their jobs were threatened.

A documentary released last week titled From Chocolate City to Enchilada Village is reigniting the controversy.On radio station WBOK, program director Gerod Stevens fields calls daily from black listeners angry because they feel that Latinos have depressed their wages and snatched up their jobs. READ FULL STORY

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New Orleans rebuilding has drawn Latino population

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