BY STUDENT
I grew up in Elmont, Long Island. A city that sits [LJ1] right at the border of Queens which many people don’t know. Elmont is famous for being the home of the Belmont Race Track in which we host the Belmont Stakes every summer. When many think of Long Island, they think of wealthy white people who have it all made out for them but in reality, Long Island is much more. Long Island even though extremely diverse remains one of the most segregated places in America. Towns like Garden City which is just 10 minutes away from where I live is 88% white whilst other towns like Hempstead which is just south of Garden City is 92% black and Latino (Schubach, Brick Underground, 2017). Though all these towns are so close to each other the livelihood of the members of each community is starkly different. The segregation of these communities has led to policing in black and Latino areas, lack of funding for schools and proper transportation, poor living conditions, etc. What are the negative effects that deindustrialization and criminalization has had on these primarily black and latinx areas? How will this issue continue to shape the face of Long Island? And how do we tackle this issue moving forward?
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| Buffet, Neil P. "Blockbusting on Long Island: The Case of Gerald Kutler and the 1962 Legal Battle against Real Estate Bias in North Bellport, New York." Long Island History Journal. |
The lack of proper funding to predominantly black and latinx areas has had many negative effects on the people that reside in these communities. The members of these communities must endure school systems that aren’t as properly funded as the wealthier neighborhoods which leads to the overcrowding of classrooms, underpaid teachers, lack of proper attention to students, lack of opportunities for students, etc. This has a ripple effect, as the poorer neighborhoods continue to have little funding and majority of black and brown bodies occupy the school they are perceived as bad schools and not desirable for white affluent families furthermore, white families don’t move into these neighborhoods or send their children to these schools. In fact, Garden City High School even though being in such close proximity to the school district I went to is not a part of the school district because of how much money the people in that neighborhood make and to avoid having to give funding to these poorer schools they instead created their own district with just them in it. Black and Latinx people also often live in worse conditions than their white counterparts and many live on what people refer to as “renter blocks”. These renter blocks are streets and neighborhoods in which a majority of the people who reside there rent houses that are often not in the best condition because property tax is too high for them to afford and wages are too low. These blocks have been stigmatized and are usually quickly assumed to be bad neighborhoods with bad people. The criminalization of Elmont and the neighboring black and brown neighborhoods is also extremely prevalent. In neighborhoods like the one I grew up the police often patrol the streets and are quick to harass black and brown people for simply existing.
Segregation in Long Island has been prevalent throughout its history. Overtime, it has gotten worse and the push for black and brown bodies out of the island is very much alive. The lack of proper resources to advance us in society as well as the overwhelming brutality of police may drive people out of the island in upcoming years. The loss of black and Latinx people from the island which will be a huge loss for a culture that has helped shaped the island but with such high prices of living and such low value placed on black and brown lives the removal of us from these areas may be a tactic for survival. In regards to tackling the issue huge reform must take place so that we can move forward. Policies must be implemented so that the betterment of black and brown people can be enacted. We simply cannot allow the current conditions to continue to exist in the upcoming years. There must be an immediate and effective reform of schools, housing, infrastructure, the police, etc. if we are going to improve the lives of the black and Latinx people that currently reside in Long Island. These patterns of segregation must be eliminated so that equitable resources can be provided for those who for so long have been robbed of it.
Works Cited
Schubach, Alanna. "How did Long Island become so segregated—and what can be done about it?" Brick Underground, 13 June 2017.
Muhammad, Khalil G. The Condemnation of Blackness. Cambridge, Harvard University Press.
I thought your blog post was very interesting. I did not know much on Elmont or Long Island so I found this very informative. I also agree with the points you made I definitely feel reform needs to happen and change needs to be done to solve this issue. This issue is very important because it happens to often in many neighborhoods throughout New York as well.Do you have specific ideas of what kind policies can be effective for people of color?
ReplyDeleteYour blog post really changed my mindset of Long Island, I wasn't really aware of the severity of the segregation there. I always thought and heard everyone in Long Island had money or you move there when you get into some money. I agree when you say reform needs to happen, Long Island like many other places are segregated into areas that are predominantly white and or areas that are predominantly P.O.C. In your opinion, why do you believe places like Long Island are segregated? What do you think leads up to that segregation?
ReplyDeletePrior to reading this blogpost I had limited knowledge on the segregation of black and brown bodies in Long Island. However, I am all too familiar with this type of segregation since I experienced this in my own town in upstate New York with certain neighborhoods and school districts being more well enough and properly funded than others. Garden City High School served as a great example in showing the lengths more affluent neighborhoods and families have gone in order to not be affiliated with their neighboring lower income neighborhoods; this speaks volumes about the racial climate in Long Island. Of all the reforms that need to occur in order for Long Island to experience more cohesion amongst its diverse residents, which do you think is the most pressing? Reforming schools? Reforming housing? Reforming infrastructure?
ReplyDelete^ This is Alana
DeleteI really enjoyed your blog post. I personally, lack a lot of knowledge regarding the demographics and school systems of Long Island. Its shocking to me that a public school like Garden City High School was able to detach itself from the poorer districts and given so many more advantages, that honestly sounds like it should be illegal. Even with the smallest percentage of funding it can help implement so much for underprivileged kids. This is a perfect example of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. They are literally pushing people who are already down even lower All of the examples you provided just goes to show that higher authority, usually white, is intentionally pushing people out by robbing them of simple resources.
ReplyDeleteLooking it would be interesting to see if and how black and brown people are pushed out of Long Island. Is there a difference in the demographic make-up of one county over another? There's an interesting parallel between the criminalization, industrialization, and struggle for space in Long Island. I see the consequences of black and brown people moving out, creating overall less business on Long Island and those families closing down their businesses. For example, grocery stores will see a drop in sales. But also, when black and brown people start to leave, the house market will drop and places will be unkept. This can be related to the Broken Windows Theory. The more unkept these places are the more crime will increase. I would expect police patrolling and harassment to increase. The policy implementations you recommend would be a great start to decreasing segregation.
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