There is one paragraph in Pritchett’s article that really captured my attention. Pritchett wrote about the Easter/Purim Festival in 1948 where African Americans and Jews celebrated together and acknowledged the “brotherhood of man.”

While this paragraph contradicts Baldwin’s view of the Jewish-African American relationship in Harlem, it demonstrates the changing values of Americans in other areas.

By building communities that housed many different races and ethnicities, the New York government was creating a basis for the diverse society that stands today. Different groups were becoming more empathetic towards other people. They realized the importance of associating themselves with people of other races, religions, and ethnicities. Social groups merged and formed new integrated communities.

This reminded me of one of the IDC classes where we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of living in a secluded community. While it is difficult to get out of the bubble that exists around you in a culturally isolated neighborhood, there is a certain feeling of “home” that you feel when you enter the area. In my analysis of the pros and cons of this type of community, I evaluated that, for me, it was beneficial to grow up in this kind of surrounding.

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Why then are so many people interested in integrating neighborhoods? Why is racial steering illegal in real estate and why is diversity advertised in college campuses and different neighborhoods?

Integrated neighborhoods may not have the strong cultural defining quality, but it does have many advantages. Integrated areas have more housing competition, because there is a larger pool of applicants, so these types of areas have economic benefits. The educational benefits of an integrated area are also staggering. Learning in a diverse school allows children to be prepared to compete and excel in the global economy and America’s diverse workplaces. In a diverse learning environment, students are taught to think in complex ways and have more impressive academic performances.

Yes, culturally exclusive neighborhoods help reinforce certain ideological views, but they lack the complexity that arises with an integrated neighborhood. It is natural to want to live with people of the same race or religion, but it should also be natural to desire the complex nature that can only be developed in integrated areas. This is why in March of 1948 the people celebrated together. They understood that they were taking a step in the right direction – the direction of integration. 

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