My Community & How It Shaped Me

In Streetwise, Elijah Anderson (1990) discusses the social forces at work in an urban area he calls the Village-Northton. His is a sociological field study of the daily interactions between the residents of an area encompassing two communities--in his words, "one black and low income to very poor (with an extremely high infant mortality rate), [and] the other racially mixed but becoming increasingly middle to upper income and white" (Anderson, 1990, p. ix). In keeping with valid sociological fieldwork, Anderson (1990) immersed himself in the community from the summer of 1975 through the summer of 1989.

Anderson notes that two groups coexist simultaneously in the inner-cities which he labels as the “decent” and the “streets.” Although both groups suffer economic difficulties, they differ in values mainly instilled through parenting and the home environment. The decent group seeks to adopt mainstream middle-class values, such as a love,

Now days walking down the streets of Atlanta, we see the new neighborhoods consisting of condos, Starbucks, yoga classes and Chipotle. Gentrification is a growing problem in urban areas as the influx of the riches have caused the displacement of lower class families due to higher economic demands and local politics. According to Diane K. Levy, Jennifer Comey and Sandra Padilla (2005), “We define gentrification as the process whereby higher-income households move into low income neighborhoods, escalating the area’s property values to the point that displacement occurs. In addition to changes in economic class, gentrification often involves a change in a neighborhood’s racial and ethnic composition…” (p.1). Though gentrification has lasting affects on the economic status of cities, there are also repercussions that not only effect working individuals but also the students that attend school in these gentrified areas. When areas are gentrified, schools are rezoned thus leading to long lasting consequences that students must face. Some believe that gentrification is beneficial to a growing economy in a growing city, but the realities of the its lasting effects on education are often left under the radar. The issues that lie within the education system as it pertains to gentrification include day segregation and unequal opportunities between affluent and low-income areas.

The modern American ghettos are a problem that is prevalent in society today. A variety of methods have been proposed and enacted in order to uplift these ghettos, but the ghettos still remain despite the development and growth of the United States. Tommie Shelby, the author of Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, And Reform, proposes a unique method to help improve the conditions in the ghettos. He states that a major reason why the ghettos persistently remain despite all efforts to eradicate them is due to the cultural divergences between mainstream society and the ghettos. To combat this, Shelby proposes that the government and society should “make an appeal to the self-respect of the ghetto poor” (Shelby 115). This theory, though untested,

The South Bronx is an area filled with rich culture and unique qualities. For the past 50 years, it has seen many changes from the shift in ethnicity to the rapid growth in the immigrant population. Commonly known as the “Boogie Down”, the South Bronx has had its reputation for being the birthplace of hip-hop. With the widespread increase of Blacks and Hispanics in the community, the South Bronx has moved from Blacks being the minority of Whites being the minority. This ethic is due to numerous factors that will discuss, in order to see why people have chosen to make in and out of the South Bronx neighborhood of Parkchester. A census conducted throughout the past years will emphasize on the numeric values of this change. Additionally, it

Residential segregation is a wide spread topic of discussion throughout cities across the United States. With population in larger cities growing, the separation of groups into neighborhoods is common — placing different standards of living on each section depending on the wealth and race of the inhabitants. In There Goes the Neighborhood: Racial Ethnic, and Class Tensions in Four Chicago Neighborhoods and Their Meaning for America William Julius Wilson and Richard P. Taub explore a new areas of Chicago and the residential segregation taking place there by creating a

There have been many articles published about the transformation of cities in regards to industrial improvements, communities blooming with mass migrations, and standards of living. A number of different cultures have migrated to rural and urban populations and among those mass migrations there were African Americans. Although immigrants went through hardships such as harsh living conditions and low status, they didn’t have to go through as much trouble as African Americans did. African Americans who moved into the city were not on top of the priority list to most. They were not given the time of day to their needs. Race affected these urban dwellers because of discrimination, living conditions, and inequality.

However, Wacquant brings the term “inner city” to light, breaking down its meaning: “black and poor.” Living in Chicago gives one an exemplary example of the term “inner city” meaning “poor, black ghettos.” The references to “inner city” schools being synonymous with “poor quality” and “mostly African American” are damaging to urban terminology and creating a predetermined perspective of those who call the “inner city” home. The “hypersegregation” of the city of Chicago is a topic within itself, but the institution of segregation is, without question, existent here. In addition, “inner city” is becoming a label which implies unavoidable incarceration.

Hannah-Jones examines the impact residential segregation: “Cities have largely been abandoned by white Americans, you have massive public housing projects, where nearly everyone in there is black and poor, and even if you’re middle class and black, you can’t move out” (Hannah-Jones, This American Life). Thus the government promoted segregation by redlining black communities, and white Americans moved into suburbs. And although the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was intended to end residential discrimination, Updike and Hannah Jones describe the lack of progress: “We no longer have segregation by law, but we still have segregation by fact, and this moderate view says that there's nothing we can or should do about it” (Hannah-Jones, This American Life). With residential segregation as an absolute fact, black Americans are left to suffer in unescapable ghettos – and often turn to drugs and violence – while white Americans enjoy extreme privilege. Michelle Alexander explores the significance of this discrepancy in her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of

(182). In the inner-city public schools, the supposed “myth” of education collapses completely; students are not empowered, taking unhelpful classes like “sewing” and “hairdressing” (185); students are certainly not getting the equal opportunities as students in wealthier schools; the social mobility of these students is simply non-existent. Recalling Fortino ’s quote: “You’re ghetto, so we send you to the factory.”

One thing that I experienced due to where I lived and my parent’s social class was the fact that I got to attend a good school district, with updated technology and books. My parents’ success and lifestyle were all the reason to me to be hard worker and do well in school. After high school, I took a break in my education, which set me apart from many others whom I had previously been societally grouped together with. This was the cause of many judgments against me, which was difficult at times. Society’s idea of “normal” is to attend college directly after graduating high school, but society’s normal wasn’t going to work for me as I had became pregnant right out of high school, and felt the need to focus my direction on working and making more money in the immediate.

This not a new problem. Wacquant points out there is an ‘epistemological obstacle’ in the study of American ghetto. Ghetto life is seen in a very diluted and negative view from outside and above (Wacquant, 1997).

The theoretical conversation Ralph explores in the book is isolation. He draws ideas from Wacqaunt and Wilson’s The Cost of Racial and Class Exclusion in the Inner City. In the article, the central argument is there is an interrelated set of characteristics that corresponds to social-structural problems in the inner city and the process has triggered “hyper-ghettoization.” The evidences Wacquant and Wilson present are mainly statistical and anthropology data. The article explains many of the residents are isolated due to the social-structural, economic, and political issues that surround them. The residents being moved by

Everyday coming into my practicum, I am aware that there will be a significant interaction. Often people do not realize the impact they could potentially have on others, so for me this is one of the things I try to be aware of. With this being said, I am aware how some interactions are more significant than others. A perfect example of this is an interaction I had with a young lady who is a client of mine in the teen support group I facilitate.

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members” (Coretta Scott King). A community consists of many individuals and how those individuals act, either alone or together, will determine whether the community will foster or die. Consequently, in order to be an effective individual in my own communities, I believe that being true to myself and really immersing myself is a powerful way to impact any community. For the most part, two of my communities are Providence College and Pasa Esek Hopkins. Reading about great leaders like MLK and Mother Teresa, who advocate for such strong love of neighbor and standing up for beliefs in the face of adversity, is at the focal point of my inspiration. I believe that believing in one’s self is how an individual can shine in their own community.