Like Shirley said, from our readings it can be seen that immigration does provide life into a neighborhood. I think at times the immigration of ethnic groups are definitely what makes neighborhoods alive and more interactive. I think of Piri Thomas in Down These Mean Streets, where his area of Spanish Harlem was filled with life. Boys playing games in the streets, getting together truly shows how fun the neighborhood was. Although these neighborhoods were divided by ethnicity, it is where one would see the greatest sense of community with one another. I know in my neighborhood now, activities like what was in the readings never goes on; everyone does their own thing and does not take the time to get together. Yet in the readings, no matter what was happening people would strive to get together with members of the same ethnicity as one community.
As Maryam said in her spark, America was not what it seemed once immigrants arrived. No matter the ethnicity, people migrated or immigrated from certain regions in order to have some sort of opportunity to achieve the American Dream. People wanted to have prosperity, opportunities, and take care of their families. This is why people wanted to come to the United States but once arriving it was not what it seems. Many groups being looked down upon just because they did not fit the WASP norm and people being given lower wages was definitely against the immigrants belief of the ideal American Dream. As we see in Tenants of East Harlem and Down These Mean Streets immigrants were sent to the poorest conditions of housing but they still had such joy in all circumstances. The people of the Tenants of East Harlem are prime examples of this just by their ability to remember with such detail their experiences in the neighborhood. Lucille remembering her fun times in the pool and Piri devoting an entire autobiography to his neighborhood experience can truly show how significant the neighborhood was to them.
No matter the circumstance, the immigrants in our readings enjoyed their situations. Even Maria and Mohamed, although determined to leave as soon as possible, still remained in America for several years. Despite the adversities they have faced in these neighborhoods, it was a place where the greatest feeling of community was felt. When I think of the feeling of community and how attached immigrants were to their neighborhoods, I think of Piri Thomas’ times in jail and realized the connection to Spanish Harlem. Piri was in constant longing to break free from jail in order to return to El Barrio and it was always on his mind. Americanization could not have a hold on the tenants of East Harlem because these neighborhoods were filled with a feeling of community and this is what accounts for the dynamics of East Harlem.
