GENTRIFICATION AND URBAN LATINIDAD IN HARLEM
BY STUDENT
Living in Harlem has been an interesting experience in terms of the changing environment and the increasing marginalization between people. I moved into Harlem in 2009 and it looked completely different than it does today. When I first moved into Harlem, it did not have the reputation ‘Soha’ has. Harlem was stereotyped as being the place where people couldn’t walk by or live safely in. There also wasn’t a healthy eating spot in sight until 2016-2017. I would always struggle to find restaurants where I could buy a healthy, pescatarian meal when I came out of high school. Last week I searched for good pescatarian options to order from and was overwhelmed. There were about 10-15 places for me to easily choose from. There is now a Starbucks nearby also, which could not have been found for at least 10 streets down. This would make me ecstatic if the reason was to help minorities have access to better quality food at an inexpensive price, but this is not the case.
Another change I have noticed is there is now construction everywhere. Buildings are constantly being bought by either the university near me or investors. Across the street, there’s an all-crystal sleek building that has a rock-climbing wall as well as a museum. Outside it’s adorned with nice chairs and tables that allow people to sit and talk. Before that building was built, you could not find somewhere to sit and talk as well as possibly read unless you went to the Pier. This was brought to my attention because when I was waiting for a friend with my luggage in West 145th street, I could not find anywhere to sit. I had to enter a Rite Aid to wait for my friend. And as for the rock-climbing/museum building, I have not brought myself to enter the building because I feel uncomfortable with the thought of entering. There is a divide amongst the people living in the same area. Minorities tend to stay from 125th street and up while Caucasian people tend to linger and jog in areas where there have been new businesses built.
According to ‘Latino Spin: Public Image and the Whitewashing of Race’ by Davila Arlene M., the Community Board 11 Task force was formed to voice their concerns and give ideas about the Uptown NY Project. It is important to note that they are not allowed to stop or disrupt the process of this project, which means that they could simply give suggestions that do not have to necessarily be heard. Arlene M. states, “This was a mega-project that left no hot buttons untouched: the prospect of commercial establishments that would squash local businesses, the environmental threat presented by higher traffic and bus emissions that would have exacerbated the area’s horrific asthma rates, and the development of more “mixed-used housing” that everyone feared would result in more affordable housing.” (p. 99) This proves that this project is meant to change and benefit one group of people instead of everyone’s lives.
Bibliography
Dávila Arlene M. (2008). Latino spin: public image and the whitewashing of race. New York: New York University Press.
I agree with your argument that "the changing environment and the increasing marginalization between people" has been a very interesting dynamic. Their are gentrifying neighborhoods to appeal to white consumers and not really making things accessible for the marginalized people of that area. It definitely is a systematic system of inequality in the United States that makes this seem like it's okay to the blind eye (people not educated on gentrification).Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour blog post was a great read, I found it very powerful reading your account of what you've seen in your very own neighborhood. I loved the parallel you made as you mentioned how some things have become more accessible to you. When you mention its much easier for you to now find a Pescatarian food spot, which is helpful but isn't worth all the bad that comes with this. The accessibility as you know isn't intended to you but more so intended for white consumers which drives up neighborhood prices and drives the culture out of so many neighborhoods. Once again a great read, and interesting topic!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to the changes in my neighborhood. While my neighborhood may not be developing as rapidly, I am starting to see a new establishment every time I visit my old home. From new super markets: my family I refer to as 'the white store", to front building renovations. That being said, unfortunately there is a rise in eviction because of an increase in rent. Is there a correlation between the slow gentrification and rise of eviction? probably!
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