Response 3 of 5
“Take the A train to Little Guyana: Immigrant Enclaves in NYC” – Kirk Semple
The article discusses the diversity and large presence of different cultures that are now present in New York City. It examines how certain areas of the city have a popular ethnic group. The presence of these ethnic micro neighborhoods is good in the sense that immigrants are able to come to America and fit in. They don’t need to face as much discrimination or as much of the struggle that immigrants have experienced in the prior years. By living in neighborhoods populated by your own people, you can come to America and live with some sort of comfort. This is beneficial because immigrants from all over the world, and not just Europe, are more eager to settle somewhere in New York City. But it also makes me question if these ethnic neighborhoods are adding to or taking away from the diversity of the city. Yes, more immigrant populations will come to the city. But are these people interacting with people from countries outside of their own. Mr. Lovlu from Kensington, Brooklyn said, “You don’t have to learn English to live here. That’s a great thing!” In his Bengali neighborhood, he doesn’t need to learn the language of the country to make a living. However, if Mr. Lovlu only speaks in his native tongue how many interactions does he have with non- Bengali people in a day? The definition of diversity is a blending of different cultures. How can we diversify if the populations don’t even interact with each other? By strengthening the wall of separation between each neighborhood we only add to the xenophobia and racist thoughts.
Questions:
- What is the point of having a diverse population if we only talk to people from our own country?
- Why is Little India not represented in this article?
