Introduction

Over the duration of the Spring 2012 semester, the twenty-one students of Professor Donald Scott’s Peopling of New York City seminar came together to discuss what it means now, and has meant in the past, to be a New Yorker. In order to answer this question, they explored such issues as assimilation, ethnic coexistence and tensions, urban policy, and the troubles faced by second-generation immigrants. The last stop on their exploration was a study of the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York. Arguably one of the most diverse communities in the country, Jackson Heights enabled the students to see these issues outside of the theoretical realm, and to understand how they have been addressed in real life by the people who experience them on a daily basis. This website is a presentation of those practical applications gleaned from the study of Jackson Heights. It represents not only the culmination of the class’s exploration, but most of all, the insights they have gained and shared into learning to appreciate the hardships, the triumphs, and the rich heritages offered by the people of New York City.

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