User:AKhakaloFrom The Peopling of New York City
About MEMy full name is Aleksandra but very few people actually call me that. I am widely known as Sasha, a name I've been called since birth and one that is unusually common for both genders in the Russian culture.
Immigration Movie Clip: Borat
From There To Here
An Ideal Community
Census Information for BensonhurstCensus Tracts: Brooklyn 268 Demographic Socio-Economic Age Income in 1999 Labor Education Housing Characteristics Housing Costs Demographic Profile Tract(s) Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten I. New York City Total Population 4,017 2,465,326 8,008,278 Single Race, Nonhispanic: White 3,063 854,532 2,801,267 Black / African American 12 848,583 1,962,154 American Indian and Alaska Native 7 4,494 17,321 Asian 543 184,291 780,229 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0 803 2,829 Some other Race 9 16,057 58,775 Two or More Races, Nonhispanic 68 68,688 225,149 Hispanic Origin (of any race) 315 487,878 2,160,554 Single Race, Nonhispanic: (by percentage) White 76.3% 34.7% 35.0% Black / African American 0.3% 34.4% 24.5% American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% Asian 13.5% 7.5% 9.7% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.0% Some other Race 0.2% 0.7% 0.7% Two or More Races, Nonhispanic 1.7% 2.8% 2.8% Hispanic Origin (of any race) 7.8% 19.8% 27.0% Total Population 4,017 2,465,326 8,008,278 In Households 4,010 2,426,027 7,825,848 In Family Households 3,526 2,059,944 6,385,685 As percent of pop. in households 87.9% 84.9% 81.6% Householder 1,077 584,120 1,853,223 Spouse 811 339,957 1,124,305 Own child under 18 years 773 561,641 1,642,612 Other Relatives 821 506,783 1,536,428 Nonrelatives 44 67,443 229,117 In nonfamily households 484 366,083 1,440,163 Householder 419 296,607 1,168,365 65 years and over living alone 185 86,350 299,920 As percent of pop. in households 4.6% 3.6% 3.8% Nonrelatives 65 69,476 271,798 In Group Quarters 7 39,299 182,430 Total Households 1,496 880,727 3,021,588 Family Households 1,077 584,120 1,853,233 Married-Couple Family 811 339,957 1,124,305 w/ related children under 18 years 387 179,449 566,421 Female Householder, no husband present 196 195,988 576,354 As a percentage of total households 13.1% 22.3% 19.1% w/ related children under 18 years 94 130,917 377,304 Male Householder, no wife present 70 48,175 152,564 w/ related children under 18 years 20 21,822 68,450 Nonfamily Households 419 296,607 1,168,365 As a percentage of total households 28% 33.7% 38.7% Households w/ persons 65 years and over 494 215,080 712,581 As a percentage of total households 33% 24.4% 23.6% Source: 2000 Census Summary File 1 Population Division - New York City Department of City Planning
Midterm and Final Questions1. From Berger:
Describe, discuss and give examples of two different neighborhoods. Compare and contrast them.
While reading Joe Berger’s book The World in a City, I found two chapters particularly interesting. The first one was about the melting pot in Ditmas Park and the second one was about the fur-wearing, ballroom-dancing Russians of Brighton Beach. My reactions while reading the chapters were very different. I was amazed to learn about a neighborhood, so socially successful, and yet so ethnically varied especially since I had heard very little about Ditmas Park before. This was a place with quality, affordable housing, educated residents, quiet streets, peace and even unity amongst residents. Where in Brooklyn could one even dream of going to an outdoor play on a neighbor’s front porch or a “progressive dinner” during the holidays with all the other inhabitants? Still, the neighborhood seems to blooming, despite its old-fashioned value system. There are bustling restaurants, shops, and coffee houses, all of which do a good job of keeping up with the growing trends and hipster’s lifestyles. Berger’s description of it really seemed to echo, as he had mentioned, a “utopia.” At the same time, I wasn’t at all amazed as I read the description of Brighton Beach. Growing up in the Russian community, I am very familiar with the expectations. I’ve taken the ballroom dancing classes for years (though I stopped before high school) and my mother does own a long, fur coat that she actively dons in the winter months. Though my family does put away money, they are not at all reluctant to abide by the “We are not that rich to buy cheap things” mantra and do tend to indulge in life’s pleasures more often than not. It is much easier to understand this anti-thrift mentality when you are the child of immigrants who had saved their last pennies for years, working minimum wage jobs and have at last managed to land a career where they can afford to vacation in the Caribbean once a year. It is also true that Russian parents put a great deal of pressure into making sure their children are more successful in America than they are. They expect that they will be taken care of once they reach old age, just like we were as they were struggling to provide for us those first few years. Ditmas Park proves to be a great illustration of a settled community where people who are already firmly established in the country and in their lives can intermingle freely. Brighton Beach, on the other hand, is a place where immigrants can be around former comrades without abandoning old customs and still being exposed to an entirely new culture.
2. From Glazer and Moynihan:
Pick one group and describe its assimilation process. Did this group really melt into the pot? Describe, discuss and give examples.
The first Jews came to New York City in 1654. These were the Sephardic Jews that were escaping religious persecution from Spain and Portugal, among with some Dutch and Brazilians. They spoke mostly Portuguese. By the 1880’s most of New York’s Jews were comprised of those from Germany and Eastern Europe, the descendants of those who were orthodox or socialist Yiddish speaking. These groups didn’t always get along. In 1924, there were nearly 2 million Jews in New York. However, there were also waves of anti-Semitism that echoed through the country during that time, which forced the Yiddish and German Jews to settle their differences and unite for the sake of survival. In the early 20th century, the American Jewish Committee was formed by several wealthy people in order to defend the interests of mostly Eastern European Jews. However, most Jews do stem from this Yiddish-speaking sect and even some of the most agnostic Jews still claim Judaism if asked what their religious background is. I know, because I am one of these people. Jews are able to unite due to the commonality of their background: the events of persecution and anti-Semitism that have shaped Jewish character, the collectivity of Zionism and Socialism that have allowed them to spread worldwide movements and allow a group that is dispersed across the globe to join at moment’s notice in perfect unified harmony. Jews also live by the idea of “a common fate.” They are aware that they belong to a group that unites them by “birth and tradition” and not by religious practices or teachings. I feel the Jews of New York really did melt into the pot. From the “oi vey!” to the bagels with cream cheese to the synagogues and yeshivas, they have become highly characteristic of the vision of New York City we are all acquainted with today.
3. From Foner:
Compare the old and new immigrants. Which have been more successful? Describe, discuss and give examples.
When many of the old immigrants arrived in America in the early 20th century, only a tiny portion of them actually had an education (1.3% of Jews and less than 1% of Italians). Nowadays, however there is “much more occupational and educational variety” that exists among the incoming immigrants. In fact, Italians now have an “extraordinarily high” literacy rate and people are arriving with much more professional training. There now exists “an intensifying demand for information” with all the competition the United States is undergoing on the international commercial markets for broadcasting, newspaper, and print service. Due to this growing need, the working field has shifted from the “factory floor” to the “service sector.” When the old immigrants were arriving at the turn of the century, the economy was morphing from mercantile to a modern industry. With the “expanding clothing industry and construction boom,” availability of low wage factory work was vast and immigrants had little to no difficulty finding a job. Now, with the economy becoming post-industrial, college degrees are required much more than muscle and manpower. Services are becoming higher in demand than goods. Housing has also improved over the years. Earlier, immigrants inevitably ended up living in crowded lower Manhattan tenements with no heating, plumbing, or hot water. Now, immigrants are able to devote a very limited amount of time to living in the city and are able to bypass ghettos and slum housing on their way to the suburbs. Lines between social classes have shifted greatly over the years as well. Unlike now, with the influx being mainly of people of color, most immigrants at the turn of the century were white. Perhaps it was due to this that groups like Jews and Italians were seen as belonging to different races. With all this in mind, it fair to assume that the immigrants who arrive in America nowadays are faced with simpler and more manageable conditions than those who arrived a century ago.
The Lefferts Manor is located in what Professor Pangloss has dubbed “the best of all possible urban worlds,” meaning that the area in which it is located boasts some of the bests attractions that any neighborhood could only hope for. Surrounding the Lefferts Manor are the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, which provide tranquil gardens for peaceful meditation or just decorated walkways for afternoon strolls. People are able to use such places to retreat from the noise and bustle of city life and enjoy simplicity in its natural, blooming state. The Brooklyn Zoo invites children from all over the city to the neighborhood, along with their parents, who can find appeal in it. They can visit the Brooklyn Museum, where numerous famous and world-renown artists hold exhibitions annually. There is also the Grand Army Plaza with its giant triumphal arch, where the central Brooklyn Public Library is located, providing an array of resources to research and learn about. People would have to travel to the Central Public Library for such materials but here it is readily available to the residents of the Manor. In addition, there is Prospect Park, the central park of Brooklyn, providing numerous attractions year-round. There is ice-skating in the wintertime, horseback riding and boating in the spring and fall, and concerts and operas for public entertainment in the summer. This plethora of recreational activities allow residents to stay amused and immerse themselves in the community and its events, while maintaining relations with their neighbors (who are engaging in the same activities). There is also the pride of Brooklyn, Ebbets Field, where the world-famous Brooklyn Dodgers used to play. Not only is this a landmark and a sports complex that other teams can use or just visit for sight-seeing, this stadium has surprisingly not had an adverse effect on the neighborhood. In fact, it has brought business and publicity to the Lefferts manor, by introducing nightclubs and restaurants that “bolstered the commercial vitality of the streets.” In other words, the addition of fine dining to the residential streets of Lefferts Manor have brought in “hip” individuals that have contributed to making the neighborhood and “in” place and added to its allure. For residents, the brownstone buildings have proved to be a solid investment. While they are small and relatively affordable for a middle class buyer, they are also a status symbol (for those seeking to achieve a status, that is). They are built from the finest materials to be sturdy and long-lasting and, at the same time, provide residents with creative freedom, by allowing enough room within for them to be renovated as the buyer pleases. The citizens themselves serve as attractions, since many of them are loyal residents that have stayed in the neighborhood for years and have invested themselves in maintaining its respectability. These are the people who did not leave the area when restaurants and shops were opening and provided the moral integrity that the Lefferts Manor has become representative of throughout the years. |