Response 1 of 5
“Take the A train to Little Guyana: Immigrant Enclaves in NYC” – Kirk Semple
Scattered among all five boroughs of New York City, immigrant enclaves, or ethnic neighborhoods can be found. These neighborhoods allow for immigrants to ease into the New York lifestyle with the comfort of having their native cultures still around them. They also allow the people living there to feel at home, and give them a place where they can “fit in.” Overall, they seem to have a mostly positive effect on the people living there. However, immigrant enclaves also have clear downsides.
The article Take the A Train to Little Guyana in the New York Times, guides us through various ethnic neighborhoods that have recently been increasing in population. It considers an area formally known as Little Germany, which now is home to a number of enclaves including immigrants from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. The article includes some comments from the people living in the area. Interestingly, Mr. Lovlu, a man living in a Bengali enclave said: “you don’t have to learn English to live here.” This already provides one possible downside to immigrant enclaves. Learning English may not be a top priority for the people living there because immigrants in these neighborhoods are able to live without it. However, this closes them off from interacting with people outside their enclave, and maybe results in fewer opportunities for work and otherwise. It causes a language barrier between people coexisting in the same city.
Ultimately this prompts discussion as to whether or not these immigrant enclaves are entirely beneficial to the people living there when considering whether it provides them with enough opportunities. Also, these enclaves can close off immigrants from interacting with people outside their neighborhood creating this “bubble” which in itself can be more hurtful than helpful.
- Do the benefits of immigrant enclaves out weight the downsides?
- Do you think immigrant enclaves hurt the opportunities of the people living there?
