Author Archives: dp

XVI: Waifs of the City’s Slums

Posted on by
Reply

Chapter 16 of Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives addresses the topic of child abandonment. Riis bemoans the fact that his society is so depraved as to force destitute mothers into a choice: watch their children starve, or give them to strangers in the hope that they’ll be in hands that can care for them. He doesn’t mention any particular immigrant group, because this problem transcends ethnic lines. It is one of the harsh symptoms of extreme poverty, a side effect of being stuck at the bottom of an exploitative social pyramid. He points out that only in fairy-tales are richly dressed, healthy children abandoned. He also emphasizes his disgust at a system which effectively murders children.

Today the world is more sanitary; babies are usually born (and may die) in hospitals, and adoption services are more readily available. Infant mortality is generally better, though inequalities on either side of the poverty line remain. Group homes, run by private charities under government scrutiny, have replaced orphanages, and people interested in adopting must undergo thorough investigation. Riis’s focus, however, still bears relevance today. East Harlem’s children deserve just as much of a chance as the Upper East Side’s. The health care, nursery, and recreational services available to them should reflect that.

Which Way?

Posted on by
Reply


The East Harlem “field trip” was interesting. It was nice to see all the community gardens, playgrounds, and inspirational murals. It was a cold day, though, and hardly anybody was out. Since most open spaces were empty, you could only guess what they really meant to the people there. It wasn’t my first time observing signs of gentrification. Something slightly encouraging was that my bodega-bought grilled cheese sandwich only cost $2. This shows that the neighborhood is not so gentrified that food is expensive; what’s available is still so cheap and lacking in nutritional value that enough people can afford it. What upset me most was bumping into an ambulance that was inching through the projects with its sirens blaring. It stopped and asked Ms. Gregory for directions to some address, and she couldn’t answer. How can an ambulance service claim to live up to its purpose if it gets lost in a housing project that is, by design, isolated from the street grid?

Demetra P

Posted on by
Reply

My name is Demetra Panagiotopoulos. My parents are both Greek immigrants. I grew up in Astoria—an area that is no longer as solidly Greek as it used to be—eating my mom’s Greek food, attending (until high school) a Greek private school, speaking Greek at home, surrounded by Greek people in a Greek community doing Greek things—like celebrating Greek holidays and playing basketball and whatnot—and listening to the Greek music that my dad brought home from his former job with Greek Music and Video.

I’ve only been to Greece four times in my memory. I love my family there, as well as the food, language, and natural beauty of the place. That being said, though, I still prefer to live in America. New York. Maybe not Manhattan, but . . . well . . . Queens.