“BEEP, BEEEEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.” The sound of blaring car horns immediately hits your ears as you take your first steps into Jackson Heights. The sensory onslaught does not end there though, as your eyes and nose are attacked by the bright and foreign scripts and smells all fight to capture your attention the minute you step out of the International Express’ 82nd St station. As you hear the rickety and overbearing sound of the 7 train rattling away overhead, you begin to feel as if you’ve been dropped into a mysterious land where cultures from all across the world have come together. A Colombian bakery across the street, a halal cart on the corner, a Nepalese restaurant down the block, and a Bubble Tea cafe behind you are among the various things you see as you survey your new and overwhelmingly foreign surroundings. This image, though, represents just a small portion of Jackson Heights.
Typically thought of as a hub of cultural interaction and unity, Jackson Heights is often considered a “migrant’s enclave” (Gill, 2011). This, however, does not accurately represent Jackson Heights. Before becoming the modern-day metropolis it is today, Jackson Heights played the part of urban middle-class suburb (Gill, 2011).
First purchased in 1908, the plot of farmland that was to become Jackson Heights was envisioned to cater to middle-class white city-dwellers who longed for more greenery and a better balance between urban and suburban (Cerquera, 2012). In order to appeal to the target audience and really put Jackson Heights on the map, the buildings had two very distinct features: the use of the “garden apartment” complex and the mixing of vastly different architecture styles. The “garden apartment” complex refers to a series of buildings that are built around a collectively owned and maintained garden. This type of design was quite progressive for the time and provided a residents with a more personal and intimate nature experience without having to ever leave the city. The “garden apartment” complex, however was not the only attraction for potential buyer. The combination of various architecture styles, such as “past French Gothic mansard roofs, neo-Georgian gabled dormers, and Italian Romanesque/Renaissance towers,” only increased the appeal and allure of Jackson Heights, even to this very day (Gill, 2011).
The Jackson Heights described above, however, is very different to the one we see today. Today, Jackson Heights is characterized by the large apartment buildings and myriad of ethnic stores and restaurants. What caused and when did such a radical transformation occur? The answer to that is twofold. The larger six story elevator apartments, which are more commonly seen now, were erected during the Great Depression because they were seen as a safer, more practical investment as opposed to the more expensive “garden apartments” (Cerquera, 2012). The change in demographics and business came post-World War II, following the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. As discussed in class, this act eased many of the harsh restrictions previously in place regarding immigration from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. The passage of 1968 Fair Housing Act, which effectively reinforced the housing discrimination policies that were already in place, served as another impetus for the movement of immigrant and minority groups into inner-city and ghetto areas. The final player in the creation of the modern, multicultural Jackson Heights is the formation of various civil and political organizations to promote equality between cultures and minority groups. An example of this would be the creation of the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project and numerous gay rights organizations, following the murder of Julio Rivera, a gay Hispanic bartender (Cerquera, 2012). These three factors spurred the creation of the politically and culturally diverse Jackson Heights that we explored and that many New Yorkers know.
Understanding the rich history of Jackson Heights provided us with an image of a neighborhood with deep cultural and political ties and a strong sense of unity; however, this picture was incomplete, it lacked a human element. In order to discover the humanity of the neighborhood, the emotion and experiences of the residents, Josh and I spoke to several people that we encountered. Their greatly differing backgrounds and views helped us to better understand the constitution of the area. Interestingly enough, among the people we interviewed, there was a general feeling of safety and a welcoming/accepting atmosphere.
The first person we talked to was an old Colombian man named Guillermo. We asked Guillermo about his experience here in Jackson Heights and how it differed to his life back in Columbia. Guillermo grew up in Medellín, one of the major cities in Colombia. He told us about how he grew up in the slums of the city. He said “We [Guillermo’s family] were always poor. We never had much to eat or many toys to play with but we always were happy.” As Guillermo grew older he left the slums, and his home, in order to get work in the main part of the city. He found a job at a cafe as a busboy, eventually working himself up to the manager position. By the time he had reached the manager position, the Medellín cartel started to take root in the city. One night, as he was closing the cafe, Guillermo witnessed a drug deal go awry. As he rushed to rescue the poor victim, Guillermo got dragged into the struggle and was knocked unconscious, as well. When he woke up, Guillermo decided that he needed to leave the country, for his own safety. After having arrived here, Guillermo was forced to get a minimum wage job at a deli in Jackson Heights. He said that at first things were no different from back in Columbia. There was a strong Hispanic community already here, a great number of whom were Colombian as well, so he felt more welcomed. But just like back in Medellín, there was a lot crime when he first got here. Since he worked the evening/night shift, Guillermo had a slight fear of being attacked on his commute to and from work, especially after his experience back in Medellín. He added, though, that he has seen crime fall drastically since when he first moved here.
After hearing Guillermo’s story and realizing how much he knew about the community, we asked him about his opinion on the changing demographics of the area, the arrival of more Asian and South Asians and how he dealt with that change. He told us that when the Indians first started moving in, he was initially against it. He remembered some of close friends moving away from Jackson Heights and instead of other Colombians or Hispanics, Indians moved in instead. He says that he attempted to avoid interacting with them at first, wanting nothing to do with these foreigners. Eventually, after a few years, he realized that Indians were here to stay and as such accepted them as a fundamental part of Jackson Heights. When asked about the contribution of the Indian community to the area, he admitted that the Indian community has added a vibrancy and spice that was not present in Jackson Heights prior.
Another person we talked to was named Nazreen. Nazreen is a young Egyptian American who also wear a hijab. She has spent most of her life in Jackson Heights, after her parents moved here from Egypt. Growing up, Nazreen learned both Egyptian Arabic and English. When asked about what Jackson Heights taught her growing up, Nazreen said “Jackson Heights taught me that I do not need to sacrifice my faith or culture in order to make a place for myself in this world.” She explained, saying “In high school, I struggled with self-identity and making friends. Things got so bad that I seriously considered casting aside everything my parents taught me- my culture, morals, faith, everything. One day, I decided to go out for a walk, just down the block and into the main shopping areas. As I walked and looked around, I saw so many different people and places all coexisting with each other, and in even in their coexistence, they all maintained their indivduality. It was then that I realized that by simply accepting who I was, I would be able to easily make friends.” Nazreen’s story showed us a side of Jackson Height’s that we had not encountered before. While Guillermo’s story showed us the tolerance and acceptance found in Jackson Heights, Nazreen’s story showed us the successful fusion of a variety of cultures to create a society in which all cultures were unique and distinct, but still a part of the whole. A community where there were no one culture or ethnicity was viewed as superior, but all coexisted with each other on even footing.
After listening to the many stories of the inhabitants of Jackson Heights, many of which could not be told in this paper, our picture of Jackson Heights was complete. A neighborhood initially meant for white middle and upper-middle class, Jackson Heights has undergone a radical transformation to become an ethnically and culturally diverse landscape. More than just a collection of minorities sharing the same space, Jackson Heights shows how various cultures from drastically different parts of the world can successfully come together to create a fully functioning neighborhood which can politically unite to institute fundamental change at both a local and city level. The cultural and political amalgam that is Jackson Heights is sure to provide both visitors and potential residents with experiences that lead them to rethink their understanding of cultural interaction.
References
Gill, J.F. (2011, February 4). A Migrants’ Enclave Attracts a New Breed. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/realestate/06living.html
Cerquera, Y. (2012, November). Is Jackson Heights New York’s Most Eclectic Neighborhood?. Highbrow Magazine. http://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1756-jackson-heights-new-yorks-most-eclectic-neighborhood
