What seems to be a recurring theme in the readings is social constructionism and how it has influenced and continues to influence immigrants and migrants in New York. Society not only decides who is part of what race, but also who is part of what class. And this, in turn, affects where people live as well as their social and economic mobility according to where they are placed in society. Those living in the Lower East Side are considered “racially ‘darker’, socially inferior…and ultimately unassimilable” by wealthier and more powerful New Yorkers who isolate this designated “other” (Mele, 34). Those who think themselves superior laden the cultural and economic differences between themselves and the “other” with meaning. Uptown white is pure, rich, and superior. Downtown dark is dirty, poor, and inferior. But it is not just color that is incorporated into these labels. It is class, living location, occupation, and culture as well. The learned notion of what is white and black includes notion of class and location. Also, why are those who society views as “unassimilable” considered racially darker? It is as if society’s notion of race leaks into its notion of what it means to become an American, to assimilate into the mainstream. Perhaps white also means American and dark means different.
Nancy Foner writes, “Since nearly all newcomers to New York came by boat and were processed through Ellis, Island, they had no way to avoid immigration inspections intended to weed out the unhealthy and undesirable” (Foner, 16). I can’t help but wonder what she means by “undesirable”. Such a statement suggests that those in power who define “American”, fuel constructionism, and assign meaning to such constructed notions also determine who can enter the country and who cannot. Even before immigrants set foot in the city, they are subject to the power and influence of those who define race, gender and class. According to the readings, I think there is a correlation between these social constructions and how immigrants and migrants are integrated into their particular community.
