User:Ralgarin
From The Peopling of New York City
My full name is Richard Louis Algarin. I'm 5'9"; brown eyes/hair; 18 years old; Puerto Rican and Italian. I currently attend the "Macaulay Honors College at CSI". My favorite subject is science. I plan to major in Biology and one day become a doctor of medicine. In this course, we will be studying African immigrants in Staten Island through churches and cultural centers. Below are two journals that i have written after our first two field trips.
African Burial Grounds Journal
On Friday, February 29,2008, our People of NYC class visited the African Burial Grounds in Manhattan. The trip, aside from the frigid temperatures, was very informational about the lives, as well as the afterlife of the African Immigrants. Although our tour guide, Rasul, was very knowledgeable, after three hours he seemed to have at least another hour of talking left while my feet were begging for a seat.
I woke up around eight o’clock only to meet up with everyone at the Staten Island Ferry for the 9a.m. boat. After admiring the seven million dollar fish tanks, we boarded the ferry. Upon arriving in Manhattan and having 15 minutes to spare we walked to McDonald’s for a quick cup of hot coffee. During this time I thought to myself that it was a good thing I wore my long johns and a hat and gloves because it was cold!
At 9:45a.m. we met with Professor Rice at Federal Hall. The 15 minutes we spent in this bulding were very enlightening. For instance, we saw the Bible that George Washington was swore in on. After the security guard gave us a quick history about the buildings and some of the historic pieces on exhibit, we met Rasul and entered the most hated part of the trip – the walking tour.
The walking tour lasted about an hour. It consisted of us walking from Federal Hall to the African Burial Grounds. As we walked, Rasul, all strapped and ready for a long day of talking with his microphone/speaker pack, told us about each building and shortened the tour by handing out “assignments”, dates and places to remember so we could talk about them in a warmer place.
Finally, we arrived at the burial grounds. After getting through security, Rasul showed us some African artwork. The floor was amazing. It was a huge circle with symbols and sayings that represented African immigrant hardships. Next he stood in front of a giant mural depicting the history of Africans. He spoke about this particular mural for most of the time we were in the place. It’s symbols and figures were based on so many complex ideas and stories, and Rasul didn’t miss one detail. He talked about the African immigrants having to make a life of their own in the New World while at the same time containing their own language and culture. He also talked about the immense hardships these immigrants faced during their assimilation.
We spent about an hour and a half inside before Rasul hit the “stop button” behind his ear. Before this, Rasul explained the symbols we would see outside at the monument. He explained each symbol along with its meaning in African culture. From there we went outside to see for ourselves. After walking around the monument once gazing at the symbols, we said our goodbyes and dispersed.
The trip lasted about 3 hours long. It was very interesting to see/do and is something I wouldn’t normally do on my own. We learned a bunch about African American immigrants and should help a lot with our research project at the end of the semester. Although it was extremely cold outside, the trip was very rewarding. Given a warmer day and some seats might have provided for a better experience. I can’t wait for the trip to the African Church next week!
African Church Journal
After losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Savings Time, I woke up on Sunday March 9 only to look at my schedule to realize that today was the long awaited African Immigrant Church trip. When it was mentioned in class the previous week my attitude was negative. This was simply due to the fact that going on this trip meant missing the annual Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Forest Ave. This changed after the first five minutes of being a part of this lively church service.
Upon arrival at the Christ Assembly Lutheran Church on 27 Hudson St., Bobby and I met up with the two other guys as well as a surprise guest, Professor Rice accompanied by her husband. From the outside one would never think of this building as a church with its pick exterior and barred windows. But the inside was quite the opposite. I guess looks are deceiving. It just goes to show that you don’t need this big fancy building to hold church services, all you need is an altar and a pulpit, which was pointed out as the place through which the word of God was spoken to the people.
We entered the church and were greeted by the reverend that was filling in for the bishop, due to sickness. Following Professor Rice, I thought we would sit in the back row and be observers rather than participants. This would have been the case except for one of the ladies of the church dressed in traditional African garb that welcomed us “first-time visitors” with front row seats and worship and songbooks.
The mass started out just as any Catholic mass would, with the people reading responses from the handbook after the minister. Then, just as everything was going smoothly, a boisterous man steps onto stage with his microphone and turned towards the choir, dressed in yellow gowns with purple sashes. We quickly broke out in song, aided by a band of instruments played by church regulars. All of a sudden everyone came to life, swaying, clapping, and singing to the beat. This was the first but wouldn’t be the last time for such songs during the service.
After the song, the minister spoke about issues pertaining to the regular churchgoers before introducing us and another group from New Jersey. The weekly offering followed along with more song and worship. Then came the sermon and before us stood a calm and poised African man, obvious from his accent, in a suit. He started out slow and tranquil, increasing his tone and pitch from there on. For about an hour this man preached the word of God and screamed into the microphone, in a compelling voice, about life lessons. He would end every sentence with an interrogative tone of voice saying, “Amen?” At this point, everyone would reply, “Amen!” He spoke about ridding ourselves of evil and not letting the devil get in our way – all spiritual things. Although it was long, I found his words enlightening and influential.
By the end of a compelling speech, everyone was willing to get out of the church to go and perform such good deeds. With one last song, the mass ended with the choir and ministers exiting the room. As we excited, we were once again showered with handshakes and “God bless you(s)”. We then proceeded out thanking the ministers and people of the church for having us.
This trip was definitely one that I would have regretted missing. It was certainly different from my regular Catholic masses. It was more interesting and exciting with the use of instruments when singing the songs. My experience was totally what I was expecting, and was quite similar to what we see in the media. If these principles were added to the Catholic mass, I think a lot more people would show up to celebrate on Sundays. I especially liked the fact that all of the people welcomed us into their church and were very hospitable. It just goes to show that anyone could worship anywhere. For this service, all you would need is your bible, dress clothes, and a good pair of dancing shoes! All in all, this trip was enjoyable and I certainly wouldn’t mind going again.