Ghettos and Enclaves

From The Peopling of New York City

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Welcome

Upon researching the Ghettos and Enclaves of New York City, we took it upon ourselves to do a field study on the actual streets of New York. Along with evidence backed by reputable authors, the Following videos capture the essence of the lives of real people. The videos were captured by us as we interviewed random participants. The interviews took place in Harlem, New York on April 22, 2008. These are real stories and real people, not paid actors.

West 124th Street and Manhattan Avenue, Harlem



Physical Characteristics of Ghettos and Enclaves:

Ghetto.jpg


To accurately identify the physical characteristics of a ghetto, one must first define what exactly a "ghetto" is. There seems to be an easy solution, as stereotypically the belief is that a ghetto is a grimy, rundown, overcrowded section of a city, housing poor and starving ethnic minorities. It is believed that these areas promote crime and are dangerous to outsiders. This definition is actually modeled on definitions from the 19th century, where Charles Dickens described conditions of Harlem as including "leprous houses, hideous tenements, [and] cramped hutches" (Osofsky, 192). Urbandictionary.com, a popular site which prides itself on its comprehensive slang dictionary, supports this stereotype, defining a ghetto as “an impoverished, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged residential area of a city, usually troubled by a disproportionately large amount of crime” However, definitions such as these do not suffice to encompass the true qualities of what a ghetto is.


Merriam-Webster's online dictionary's definition, “a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure,” comes closer to a holistic definition, as it encompasses more than just a physical aspect in the definition. In many cases, it is actually impossible to categorize a physical description of every ghetto, for the actual definition is based on the economics and politics surrounding those residing in their neighborhood. It is possible to find a ghetto with dilapidated buildings and grimy streets, but it is equally possible for a deemed 'ghetto' to look exactly like any other neighborhood on the outside. Perhaps the closest definition came from Gilbert Osofsky's monograph "Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto," where he defined, "the term 'ghetto' is most commonly applied to racially restrictive housing patterns...[but] is meant to have broader connotations...as an impressionistic and interpretive phrase which meaningfully summarizes the social, economic, and psychological positions of [groups] of people in [a] city" (189).


Crime is often seen as an aspect that is included in most definitions of a ghetto, but this too can be viewed as an aspect of the economic and political conditions. Crime can be, in many cases, a way to survive. Elvis Presley's 1969 song "In The Ghetto" describes the life and death of a young child, who grows up to steal and fight for his survival. The song ends with the child's violent death, and the birth of another child to continue in the viscous cycle caused by economic hardships.



Do Ethnic Enclaves Hinder American Assimilation?

West 168th Street, Washington Heights

One conflict that has arisen due to the presence of ghettos and enclaves is their effects on American assimilation. Ghettos and enclaves emerged as a response to the difficulties immigrant groups faced upon entering the city. These communities provide a substantial comfort zone, as well as networking possibilities. Later, as prejudice and racism took hold of the city, ghettos and enclaves proved to be a safe zone for immigrants. However, as immigrants seek comfort and security in these areas, at the same time they are separating themselves from fully entering American culture. By being surrounded by of their own culture and ethnicity, immigrants may take assimilation for granted. One aspect that especially brings trouble is the language barrier. It is extremely difficult for an immigrant to learn a new language. By placing themselves in a situation where English is not a necessity, they may barely or even never learn the language. This makes it almost impossible for them to participate in American culture, let alone compete in the labor market or educational system.

Today, various organizations have been established in ghettos and enclaves that deal primarily with easing the process of assimilation. In addition to learning English, these programs promote socialization, community involvement, and may even offer job assistance. This is a huge step in changing the face of ghettos and enclaves. Unfortunately, however, this does not solve the problem completely. The whole politics of immigration and ghettos must change in order to achieve a true place in American society. If ghettos and enclaves hinder American assimilation it is because the immigrants within them are stuck in a cycle of poverty, low-wage jobs, and minimal opportunities for economic and educational growth. Thus, ghettos survive as an easy, cheap, and considerably comfortable place for these people to live. Once in the ghetto, assimilation is placed on the back burner. To erase the problem, the cycle needs to be broken. Today, steps are being made in that direction but we are yet to see true change.


What Does it Mean to be Ghetto?

West 168th Street, Washington Heights

We often think of the Ghetto as a noun, described as some poverty stricken, dirty, and dangerous place. But nowadays more and more people have been using the term ghetto as an adjective, saying things like, "Yo, that shit is ghetto, son!" or "Why you being all ghetto?" But what does it mean to be ghetto?


According to Henry Lau, an undergraduate at Yale, the key to being ghetto is also an essential quality of all Yale students: resourcefulness. With little money to live a comfortable lifestyle, Lau and his family, in their earlier years, had saved and reused common household commodities. In his article, Lau corrects the misconceptions about people in the ghetto and describes his hardships and experiences while living in Chinatown, New York. Lau is just one of many who experienced enclave life and poverty.


Another unnamed person of Harlem, New York, a participant which can be viewed in the video below, describes the term ghetto, as a culture. He goes on to say that "Every neighborhood has its own slangish type of ways." In his testimonies of "Physical Characteristics of Ghettos and Enclaves" He points out the poverty of Harlem and illuminates the economically enabled segregation of the community.


According to Urbandictionary.com, ghetto means: jury-rigged, improvised, or home-made (usually with extremely cheap or sub-standard components), yet still deserving of an odd sense of respect from ghetto dwellers and non-ghetto dwellers alike or urban; of or relating to (inner) city life.


Korean and Chinese Ghettos in New York City:

Korean Signs in Flushing

Koreans came to the United States in generally four waves. The first wave included the approximately 7,200 Koreans who settled in Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations between 1903 and 1905. Many made the move in order to gain religious freedom and a chance at a better economic life. This wave was stifled, however, by the Japanese due to the fear of competition between Korean migrant workers and Japanese migrant workers in Hawaii. The Japanese government “pressured the Korean government to stop sending labor migrants to the United States” (Min 175). Also, between 1905 and 1924, “2,000 additional Koreans came to Hawaii and California (Min 175), of which the majority came as picture brides of pioneer bachelor immigrants. The other part of this group came as political refugees and students who supported the anti-Japanese independence movement. While most of the students stayed in the States permanently, the political refugees who sought freedom in America moved back to Korea post-1945 when Korea won its independence from Japan. Syng-Man Lee, the first President of South Korea, is the main example of the group of students within the first wave of immigrants who received a Ph. D. in theology from Princeton University.

The second wave of Korean immigrants came during and after the Korean War. As Min cites, "the close military, political, and economic connections between the United States and South Korea led to increased immigration" (Min 175). The majority of these 15,000 Koreans (arriving between 1950 and 1964) were made up of women who married "U.S. servicemen stationed in South Korea and Korean orphans adopted by American citizens (Min 175). Although thousands of Koreans immigrated to the United States, the population of the group was still considered negligible in 1970 (69,000 Koreans) as opposed to the 1990 figure of 790,000 Koreans; and by 2000, there were well over one million Koreans living in the United States.


The third wave of immigrants included professionals who came to the States in order to seek better opportunities. Korean medical professionals held family practices “in low-income minority neighborhoods that were not attractive to native-born whites” (Min 177). The other group included in the third wave of Korean immigrants was made up of Korean foreign students studying to pursue professional or managerial jobs. Unfortunately, due to the economic recession in the early 1970s, the U.S. government revised the 1965 Immigration Act to limit the entry of occupational immigrants in general. According to Min, “[t]he Health Professional Educational Act of 1976 required that foreign physicians and surgeons first had to pass the National board of Medical Examinees’ examination or its equivalent and foreign-language test to gain admission to the United States” (Min 177); the revision of this law made it more difficult for immigrants to come to the United States in search of professional jobs. Korean immigrants were, however, able to avoid this obstacle by relying on their relatives who had already become naturalized citizens to invite them to the United States for permanent residence. As the economic and political situation in Korea improved, the better-off Koreans tended to stay within their country. The end of the Cold War lessened tension between North and South Korea. Citing the need to provide “a better opportunity for children’s education”, the working-class of Korea sought to move to the United States (Min 178).

Koreans in New York City tended to settle in Queens, especially Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, Flushing, Woodside, and Elmhurst/Corona. These areas also have attracted many Chinese immigrants because Koreans and Chinese share similarities in culture, physical characteristics, and socioeconomic status between the two groups.

The fourth wave of Korean immigrants came in pursuit of professional jobs, but was thwarted due to their lack of proficiency in English and the lack of recognition of their professional certificates. Although Korean immigrants felt that “running a small business is a step down from their occupations in Korea”, they soon became prominent in the “middle-man minority role” (Min 181, 180).

Interestingly enough, the church is the most important ethnic organization in the Korean-American community. Christianity did not spread to Korea until the end of the eighteenth century when French missionaries introduced Roman Catholicism to Korea; a century later, American missionaries brought Protestantism to Korea by “establishing Christian schools and hospitals” (Min 185). Christianity did not become popular until the 1950s because the “Christian religious faiths and rituals collided with ancestor worship, the core of Confucian customs” (Min 185); the oppressive Japanese government also repressed the practice of the Christian religion. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Christianity became more influential simultaneously with economic growth in South Korea. The church is now such a strong establishment within the Korean-American community in the United States that even “non-Christian Korean immigrants, including Buddhists, participate in Korean churches as the latter have become the Korean community centers” (Min 185); more than a religious center, the church serves as a site of Korean immigrants’ social gatherings.

Here is an article in the New York Times about Koreatown in New York City: [1]

Here is an article in the New York Times about Chinatown in New York: [2]




Music Videos:

Akon's "Ghetto" and Elvis Presley's "In The Ghetto". See Lyrics Below:




Lyrics:

These lyrics are from Akon's 2004 hit, "Ghetto", off the "Trouble" album.


"Ghetto" -- Akon

Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto livin

[Verse one]

These streets remind me of quicksand (quicksand) When your on it you'll keep goin down (goin down) And there's noone to hold on to And there's noone to pull you out You keep on fallin (falling) And noone can here you callin So you end up self destructing On the corner with the tuli on the waist line just got outta the bing doin state time Teeth marks on my back from the canine Dark Memories of when there was no sunshine Cause they said that I wouldn't make it (I remember like yesterday) Holdin on to what god gave me

[Chorus]

Cause thats the life when ur Living in the (ghetto)and Eating in the (ghetto)or Sleeping in the (ghetto) (ghetto) Cause thats the life when ur Living in the (ghetto)and Eating in the (ghetto)or Sleeping in the (ghetto, ghetto, ghetto)

[Verse two]

No need to cherish luxuries (cause everythin' come and go) Even the life that you have is borrowed (Cause your not promised tomorrow) So live your life as if everydays' gon be your last Once you move forward can't go back Best prepare to remove your past

Cause ya gotta be willin to pray Yea There gotta be (there gotta be) a better way oh Yea ya gotta be willing to pray Cause there gotta be (there gotta be) a better day (ay)

Whoever said that this struggle would stop today A lot of niggas dead or locked away Teenage Women growing up with aids

[Chorus]

Cause thats the life when your Living in the (ghetto) oh Eating in the (ghetto) or Sleeping in the (ghetto, ghetto) Thats the life when ur Living in the (ghetto)oh Eating in the (ghetto) or Sleeping in the (ghetto, ghetto, ghetto)

[Bridge]

Gun shots every night in the (ghetto) Crooked cops on sight in the (ghetto) Every day is a fight in the (ghetto) (oh oh oh oh oh) (ghetto) Got kids to feed in the (ghetto) Selling coke and weed in the (ghetto) Every day somebody bleed in the (ghetto) (oh oh oh oh oh) (ghetto)

[Chorus]

Thats the life when your Living in the (ghetto)oh Living by the (ghetto)oh Eating in the (ghetto, ghetto) Thats the life when your Living in the (ghetto)oh Sleeping in the (ghetto) Living in the (ghetto, ghetto, ghetto)

(wooohhoohh)



"In The Ghetto" -- Elvis

Elvis Presley's 1969 song "In The Ghetto"


As the snow flies

On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’

A poor little baby child is born

In the ghetto.


And his mama cries

cause if there’s one thing that she don’t need

It’s another hungry mouth to feed

In the ghetto.


People, don’t you understand

The child needs a helping hand

Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day.

Take a look at you and me,

Are we too blind to see,

Do we simply turn our heads

And look the other way.


Well the world turns

And a hungry little boy with a runny nose

Plays in the street as the cold wind blows

In the ghetto.


And his hunger burns

So he starts to roam the streets at night

And he learns how to steal

And he learns how to fight

In the ghetto.


Then one night in desperation

The young man breaks away

He buys a gun, steals a car,

Tries to run, but he don’t get far

And his mama cries.


As a crowd gathers round an angry young man

Face down in the street with a gun in his hand

In the ghetto.


And as the young man dies,

On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’,

Another little baby child is born

In the ghetto.

And his mama cries.

Bloopers:


Interview Questions:

These were the questions asked in our video interviews in Harlem. Feel free to answer them yourselves!

1. What ethnic background dominates your community? And what is your nationality?

2. Do you like living amongst people of the same background? Why?

3. Do you feel out of place living in a neighborhood where you are ethnically different? Why?

4. Do you think living in an ethnic enclave hinders your ability to assimilate into American culture? Why?

5. Rate your standard of living from 1 to 10.

6. Ho would you describe the econoic status of your neighborhood? Is it easy to find jobs?

7. If you could choose any where to live in New York, where would you live? Why?

8. What is one word that describes your community?


Map:

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