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| When i was reading the chapter from Amazing Grace it reminded me a lot of the first few chapters in this book Kozol wrote too. |
Although most Americans remain willfully ignorant to it there are slums in America. Recently i took a business trip to Philadelphia it was my first time to a big city. I remember admiring how every building looked like art, there was city sweepers, and everything was so clean. I had wanted to visit Philly's main DCYF building to get a sense of the programs they had for youth in care and how they implemented them so i jumped on the subway. Somewhere along the lines i took a wrong turn and when i got off the subway and walked up to ground level i was stunned. It was like the people here didn't exist as if, they had been completely forgotten about. I mean just a few blocks away i was beautiful, well kept, and bustling...what makes that side more important than this side? I was still in Philadelphia. The reading reminded me of this trip how one side of the city seemed so worthy and the other worthy of nothing. Honestly im still incredibly confused by the whole thing because when you have a city that is flourishing as well as Philly which holds hundreds of massive conferences and brings in millions of dollars you would think some of that money would overflow and help the lesser fortunate parts of the state grow. I would love to meet the man who made the decision on where the street sweepers can go I'd love to ask him how he decided at what parts of Philly are worthy of being clean and which parts are not.
This reading also reminded me of the days i lived with my best friend in Manton projects, RI. Bianca and I had become the best of friends after sharing a room in a local children's shelter and often we would run away and stay at her home in the projects. As a young white girl from Exeter i was definitely out of my comfort zone. When i was reading the chapter last night the feelings i felt i realized were not coming primarily from the reading but from my lived experience. Living in Manton i had grew accustomed to a whole new culture and although i first felt so afraid i left feeling like i belonged everything became "normal". There was cockroaches literally everywhere, trash on the streets, babies crying, and the violence....I can't even begin. When i was reading and the mother kept saying " What else can i say?" there is something that living in those condition does to people like they feel trapped. I get very angry when people mantain the attitude "Well why don't they just move out?" if only it was that easy. The youth that i was surrounded by literally lived in survival mode constantly there was fear of being "jumped", fear of the men, the dark. Those youth knew so much more about things they should have never had too. I could go on for days so.....
Anyways, in my personal opinion there is absolutely no need for "ghettos". To me they just emphasize how bad America segregates class and that's despicable. I feel like when a city has met it its needs the extra funding should go to the other cities. For example Newport has successfully financially supported its city after a yearly income of 1.2 million but it made 2.1 million take some of that overhead and help fix up providence. Why couldn't that work??.. Think of the benefits to that, Having "Ghettos benefits NOBODY. It's a fact that it generates high drug use, illness, and disease..and of course it does. You live in those conditions and tell me how you feel, how much hope you have,
I agree in which some people ignore the slums in their own country and only want to criticize the slums in other countries that are not there own
ReplyDeleteOf course makes sense wouldn't want America the Great look bad right?
DeleteI liked how you made a connection with your own experience. I did the same thing but connected it to Camden, New Jersey and I know exactly what you mean when you said it's like entering a new world but you're in the same city. It's crazy to experience and frustrating to know that this is happening all over the country, along with the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteCraziness, It really is like another world. Elasabeth your blog is private or somehting it wont let me read your posts i dont know why
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your own experience in Philly. It was very descriptive and made me be able to picture myself being in your situation. It made me think of a past expience I had. Your connection goes with the reading very well
ReplyDeleteThank you Nicole
DeleteReading how you learned about the slums that existed within cities throughout America was very interesting. Experience these things really broaden one's perspective and that we really don't know what exist out there until we are actually in that situation. In addition, I agree with your opinion on class separating the wealthy and the poor that cause slums to happen.
ReplyDeleteYes, when i lived in Exeter i had no idea that there was places like this. It wasn't talked about and i was ignorant about it. Also i am i firm believer that it is one thing to see these places, to drive by them and visualize it, however, it is very diffrent to live there, feel it, be it. It changes your perspective and it changes you.
DeleteI agree with you when you say that having ghettos is not beneficial. It makes the poor even poorer and the rich even richer, and it demands the poor to be dependent on their wealthy counterparts. It is also a hot zone for disease and drug use, which is no place to raise children and give them the opportunity to succeed. I also really liked your description of your own experience, I think it is one we can all relate to from here in Rhode Island to pretty much anywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteShelby remember when we talked about the shelter getting millions of dollars for the families who lived in it and what did the families get in return? It is unfortunate but there is many people who see money to be made of the poor leaving them richer and them poorer. Look at the housing for-closer crisis Rich people bout those houses for cheap and flipped them for huge profits they had a field day at the expense of hard working families losing their homes it was terrible and completly shameful.
DeleteI defiantly liked how you related to your own experiences I did the same in mine. I think it is terrible that places like this exist in the world and couldn't agree more that most of the cities that they are in make plenty of money to at least give some what better conditions.
ReplyDeleteI know mike it seems so simple so logical right? Unfortunately i can almost guarantee families in those cities would cause a fuss "We work hard for our kids to go to schools not for our taxes to go to THEM" I could see it now they'd all need a speech from Kozol lol
DeleteTanya I liked how you incorporated the photos with your article. I also like how you tied in some of our local cities with the article. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteGreat post Tanya. I grew up in an almost entirely white, middle to upper class town before moving to Providence. Living in Providence has truly opened my eyes to this whole other world that exists so close and yet seems to go so unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I mean we here all the crime on the news but we never really here about the conditions, the news protrays it in a way that makes people fearful of the city instead of in a way that makes people want to help. It's awful
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