Spring 2018: The People of New York City

Salvatore Fevola

Response 3 of 5

Sarah C. Bishop, “(Un)documented immigrant media makers and the search for connection online”

The continually rising power of the internet impacts every part of the modern day culture, thus it has affected communication as it has become the most powerful and versatile form of media.  Sarah C.Bishop’s interview of  twenty-five undocumented media makers,  consisting of millennials,  shows the internet’s power and versatility  by giving voices to whoever chooses to speak.

Through the power of the internet and anonymity, “coming out” for undocumented immigrants has changed for the better. The confidence of being able to speak about personal experiences without the fear of being sent to jail or deported has been a boon for undocumented immigrants.  Instead of conventional media speaking out against a broad group of “illegal immigrants” to dehumanize them, individuals get to tell their own stories. Its easy to dehumanize a group by broadly painting them with one brush stroke, buts its difficult to do the same to individuals when they speak about their hardships in life. Continue reading “Undocumented Immigration”

Stefan Nikolic

Post 3 of 5

In her study “(Un)documented immigrant media makers and the search for connection online” by Sarah C. Bishop goes into depth on what it’s like to be a young undocumented immigrant in the United States of America. She interviews 25 undocumented immigrants living in New York City that moved here before the age of 20. She argues on how digital media makes it easier for undocumented immigrants to come out and share their hardships.

Continue reading “Media’s Influence on the Portrayal of Undocumented Immigrants”

    Bishop analyzes the popularity of the internet as a means of communication for undocumented immigrants. It seems that although the internet improves communication, it doesn’t seem to physically connect undocumented immigrants. The study revealed undocumented immigrants as activists who shape the view of immigration policy for the future.

    Stemming from the basis of this essay, I wondered how the internet has affected the rate of immigration as a whole. Hundreds of years in the past, information was simply spread by word of mouth. A brother would move to America, and then pay to bring in his wife and children while telling his brothers and sisters to move here as well. Immigration was a domino effect. Overall, the information spread about America were likely more exaggerated than they actually were. I’ve heard countless personal anecdotes about immigrants falsifying the idea of the “American dream,” and how it is still difficult to gain any success in this country. As we factor in social prejudice, it is even harder for immigrants to thrive in America.

    The greater connectivity associated with the internet may be directly decreasing the rate of contemporary immigration. Along with current politics, it seems as though experiences for undocumented immigrants are getting worse and worse. Writings about unfair treatment, health-related issues, sexual assault, all the while living in fear and having no one to turn to, spread throughout the internet. I’m sure the conditions experienced by immigrants before the internet was likely equal if not worse, but with this powerful new podium, their voices are louder. And, their voices seem to be saying “stay back!” Of course, it is vital that their voices be heard, and the internet has held a positive impact in that regard. The strengthening of conservative politics and (in my opinion) negative impacts on immigration have become more known throughout the world. It seems that the enticing factors that America once held are diminishing.

    I couldn’t find much information about the direct impact of social media/internet vs immigration, but according to the information provided from (http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/09/28/chapter-5-u-s-foreign-born-population-trends/) immigration is still increasing, but its rate of change is decreasing. Based on the ongoing pattern we can predict the possibility of a decline in the percentage of foreign-born populations vs the whole population in the future. Another notable piece of information I found, was that the overall approval rating for America by other countries is steadily declining. 

 

 

Abhayvir Singh

Response 5 of 5

“Families for Freedom Against Deportation and Delegalization”

By Subash Kateel and Aarti Shahani

This piece presents a view long internalized by immigrants and to see it on print, is reassuring. While every sentence is dense and carries innate meaning, the following excerpt best summarizes the concept introduced. “Today, the United States cannot write race into the letter of law…But as migrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa have replaced European flows, immigration status has been used as code for race” (258). Continue reading “Detention and Deportation”

Rebecca Kreiser

Reflection 4/5

(Un)documented Immigrant Media Makers and the Search for Online Connection- Sarah C. Bishop

The anonymity of NYC can be viewed as an extraordinarily contradictory social construct. For those who want to escape their past, the City offers a fresh start where nobody cares where an individual comes from. On the other hand, for those looking to connect with others like themselves, NYC can be a place of total isolation. Here, it is only the openness of the internet that enables the possibility of connection.

Continue reading “NYC’s Anonymity”

Response 5

“(Un)documented immigrant media makers and the search for connection online” by Sarah C. Bishop

In “(Un)documented immigrant media makers and the search for connection online,” by Sarah C. Bishop, a group of undocumented activists and media makers come together to tell their side of the story. This project was created to show that even though they are undocumented, they are not perpetrators. Simply, they are trying to make a life in this foreign country without the unfair treatment that comes with it.

Continue reading “Undocumented Immigrants Assimilating”

Stefan Nikolic

(Post 2 of 5)

After reconstruction failed in the late 1870s African Americans wanted to relocate themselves from the south. The article “Selling the American dream myth to black southerner as: the Chicago Defender and the great migration of 1915-1919” by Alan DeSantis covers the reasons why the majority of African Americans flocked to the north east. He covers many theories, but the three most relevant ones are the Push-pull economic theory, the socio-emotional theory, and the Chicago Defender theory.

Continue reading “The Chicago Defender’s Influence on Migration”

Response 4 of 5

“Selling the American dream myth to black southerners: The Chicago defender and the great migration of 1915-1919”

Between 1915 and 1919, there was a large influx of African Americans migrating from the South to the North. Many settled in areas like Detroit, Chicago and New York because of the desire to achieve the American Dream. They believed that the North was the “new Mecca”. Some incentives for the migration included wealth, family ties and freedom. It was believed that there were economic opportunities in the North including open jobs due to many people away fighting in World War 1. Additionally, it was more likely for people to migrate if they had friends and family there, giving attention to the idea of enclaves. Finally, the South contained a lot of oppression, racism and lynching; therefore, many African Americans wanted a new beginning.

“Selling the American dream myth to black southerners: The Chicago defender and the great migration of 1915-1919,” brings the Chicago Defender into light, a black newspaper that “persuaded discontented southern blacks to migrate to the North by waging a migration campaign that utilized the recurring themes found in the American-Dream Myth.” The authors of the newspaper used three stages for their rhetorical campaign: Southern Discontent Stage, Land-of-Hope Stage and Action Stage. Each of these stages built on the others and were used as a way to entice Southerners. Although the Southerners were already aware of the promises in the North and the oppression they were in, the Chicago Defender helped to exemplify and explicitly write out the American Dream that they lacked. This was often passed around to family members, read in public spaces and looked at by about seven people before it was put down.

This journal brings out the concept of enclaves that is discussed in the class. Before the Great Migration, many African Americans lived in states like Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina. They created their own communities there and it was a place of familiarity for them. However, due to promising incentives that the North believed to have, many migrated to states like Harlem in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. After relocating to the North, new enclaves were created to experience the familiarity that they had back home. This idea of closeness draws to the other reading, Island’s in the City: West African Migration to New York, by Nancy Foner. She writes, “Walking along Brooklyn’s Flatbush Avenue, one immediately notices that the Caribbean has come to New York. All along the avenue, signals of a vibrant Caribbean immigrant presence shout at even the most casual observer.” In Section 3 of Foner’s book, she discusses the West Indian culture present along Flatbush Avenue due to the increase in Caribbean immigrants. This also speaks to the idea of cultural enclaves where immigrants all gather in one place and bring the community that they had before to their new home.

1. 1. Will cultural enclaves ever stop?
2. 2. How do immigrants decide what to bring to their new home? (For example, how do they decide to bring one dish, but not another dish?)

Rachel Swed

Reflection 5 of 5

The man in the White Sharkskin Suit by: Lucette Lagnado                           

In her book The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, Lucette Lagnado begins talking about her father’s life as a successful businessman always dressed in fine attire. Living in Cairo, her father, Leon had a very busy schedule that included waking up to pray at the crack of dawn, going to work, and staying up late gambling way past midnight which he would finally go to bed and start his day all over again. Leon’s lifestyle ended shortly when he met his wife Edith and she was expecting her first child. However, when Leon discovered it was a girl, his lifestyle quickly continued to Edith’s dismay. Edith and Leon had three more kids including our author Lucette known as Loulou in her book. In Cario, everything was very family oriented, Leon lived with his mother Zairfa and cousin Salamone. The family lived a lavish life with expensive clothes, maids who did all the housework, and a spacious house on Malka Nazli street. Everyone loved living in Egypt. But this took a huge turn when Nassar took control and there was a lot of anti-semitism in the area. Many relatives already moved to Israel or America. Nevertheless, Leon was reluctant to leave his life in Egypt. However, one night Suzette was arrested and this made the decision for Leon and the family to leave. The new government of Egypt pronounced that people could not take a lot of money with them only clothes. So, the family bought a lot of fancy new clothes and left Egypt with twenty-six suitcases. They stopped at Paris where they stayed in a dingy old hotel until the family knew where they wanted to go. They were torn whether they wanted to reunite with family in Israel or America. When they were sure they wanted to go to Israel, Edith’s mother, Alexandria died. This discouraged them from going to Israel so they then decided to go to America. When they arrived, they were situated in another hotel. This time, they were pressured to find an apartment right away and get settled on their own. Leon, already an old man, had a hard time finding a job. The older kids went to work right away. Leon settled for selling ties and cloths to strangers on the street with Loulou. They found a four-room apartment in Bensonhurst and settled down. Even in America, Leon still longed for Cairo. However, Loulou wanted to be more Americanized like having a sofa with a plastic slipcover. In America, they still move a few times when their circumstances change such as, landlords kicking them out or when Suzette and Caesar left they found a smaller two-room apartment. Moving to America was a very hard change for the Lagnado family but they managed and found their way eventually. Continue reading “Migration to NYC”