These readings were a great compliment to our adventure to East Harlem last week. Now that I have experienced the area in person, I feel like I can see more clearly from the perspectives of Robert Orsi, Piri Thomas, and Russell Leigh Sharman. Although I will never fully understand their experiences because I have not lived in East Harlem myself, I can definitely say that I appreciate the area more than I ever have.
This week’s readings revealed the different flavors of East Harlem’s vast ethnicities. These included Puerto Ricans, African Americans, Mexicans, and West Africans. We also continued to be informed about the more established Old World immigrants from Italy. Like in cooking, each background (ingredient) had its own unique taste and style, and were satisfying to indulge in. However, sometimes the ingredients of flavors did not mix well. Sherman mentions this issue in his work The Tenants of East Harlem. When public housing projects were initiated to combat the “unbearable” slums, the city sought a solution through the desegregation of tenements. Like Shirley has stated, all this did was bring the prominent racial issue from the public streets into the private (or not-so-private) buildings. Nothing was truly resolved.
This racial issue was also evident in Thomas’ memoir Down These Mean Streets. As a young Puerto Rican boy, he found himself confronting Italian juvenile delinquents who claimed the streets to be theirs. Thomas quickly lost his sense of innocence when forced to defend his manhood and show his heart by means of physical violence. He proved himself, but it would not be the only time, however; young Piri then had to confront a life full of discrimination because he had darker skin than his Puerto Rican relatives. This exterior difference gave him a negative association with African Americans.
The shift from Italian Harlem to Spanish Harlem admits the general change of the area’s demographics. This is not a terrible thing – each group of people contributed their own essence and culture to New York City. The changes were animated with life and, in a way, revitalized the area with its fresh, novel qualities. In a short amount of time, many different backgrounds intertwined within a single area. Although these contrasts amongst ethnic groups yielded more than one perspective on community issues (as Maryam pointed out), they all realized something in common: In the end, you can take the soul out of Harlem, but you can never take Harlem out of the soul. Orsi and Sharman both reveal this in their writings. Italians in The Madonna of 115th Street return every year for the traditional festa honoring their sacred Mother. No matter where they move on to in life after Harlem, they found themselves always returning to their “home” in America. Sharman states that José (Puerto Rican) and Lucille (African American) were born, raised, and committed to living in East Harlem, while Maria (Mexican) and Mohamed (West African) migrated to America “temporarily”, but soon found themselves growing with the city as permanent residents.
East Harlem will continue to change in the future. Who knows what ethnicity will dominate the area next? After all, as Thomas stated himself: “You can’t make yesterday come back today” (326).
