Andria Santos

Engl 1100

Professor Young

September 26, 2014

My home town

            I was born and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey. In 2005 Gentrification took place two blocks away from my home, where people were pushed out of their homes, and forced to move somewhere else. Our city built a vacation place on the beach called Pier Village. Pier village is a shopping center that has five star clothing shops and restaurants. It has brought up the value of property in Long Branch but also has brought up property taxes. Due to this it has caused people to no long afford to live in Long Branch and has forced them to move. As a resident of Long Branch and coming from parents who are home owners this has affected us, my parents taxes have double after pier village was built. Pier village attracts people from all over the state and gives our town business, but it takes away the history of what was once there. Growing up my family and I use to eat dinner at a little Portuguese restaurant once a week, that was once where pier village is today. Now that it is gone, not only do I not get to enjoy the delicious food but I do not get to drive by and remember all of the great memories my family and I once had.  There was also a big hill right in front of the beach where all of the kids in the neighborhood would go when it snowed. Now that the hill is gone and pier village has been established, kids younger than me such as my brother will miss out on a great experience like that.

            In the essay, written by Valerie Kinloch “Harlem, Art, and Literacy and Documenting “Harlem is Art”/”Harlem as Art”. She talks about gentrification in Harlem and how it is changing the community. She emphasizes on how old mom and pop shops are being replaced with new stores such as old navy and mac. She states “see, the hard part of this project on Harlem and art is facing them new people who aint from Harlem and think this community is all about new things popping up(Kinlcoh 152).”

            When people come to Long Branch they just see the nice shopping centers and taste the delicious food, but they fail to realize that was once there and who was affected by this gentrification. Pier Village has caused the residents to have nothing but memories of what was once there and has made it more expensive for residents to stay.  

Andria Santos

Engl 1100

Professor Young

September 26, 2014

Reading Response Questions

1.      “From architectural designs to cultural activities to the role of local communities in civil rights movements, urban places and spaces are rich in history (147-148).” This sentence means no matter how new or old a building, park or home is, they all have history. History is what makes all of these places rich.

2.      Phillip and Khaleeq talk a lot about 125^th street because there has been constant construction on this street. It went from a street with mom and pop shops to famous stores such as mac. They both also talk about this street because people no longer look at the history of the street such as the hotel Theresa where many people have stayed over the years; people now look at the new stores that are being built. In my town a famous hang out place is pier village. Pier village was once someone’s home until they were gentrified. Now pier village is vacation place with a shopping center and condos.

3.      The use of symbols as identities throughout the reading is important because it gives a reading a better understanding. I have never stepped foot in Harlem but after reading this passage by Valerie Kin Loch, I feel like I’ve lived there practically my whole life.  A part that really caught my eye is when Phillip stated “It’s the art in how we walk… the art in how we talk(150).” This statement shows that Philips identity was affected by where he was brought up, and both walking and talking are symbols within ones identity.

4.      “Follow up conversations with phillip and Khaleeq me new ways to see art as’ action you don’t get permission to create’(Phillip) and as’ what we got inside us that wanna get out” (Kinloch qtd Khaleeq 151). The meaning of this sentence tells readers that where we come from is in fact art. The reason where we come from is art, because it molds every person’s identity that was raised there and gives people different symbols such as the way they walk or talk.

5.      Kinloch discusses community as a sign of history. This means that every community has a history such as in Harlem the hotel Theresa. In my community we have a hotel where a few presidents use to stay over the summer, one in particular was Woodrow Wilson. In honor of his staying we have named one of our public housing authorities after him. We also have statues of each president that has stated in our town.

6.      Digital and documentation help Khaleeq and phillip show residents the effects of gentrification because it gives the residents a better understanding. Visually showing the residents helps them see what is actually happening instead of picturing it in one’s mind. I believe I could have done my response about my community without using digital documentation and photographs, but using it has helped my readers understand the changes in my community and has helped prove my point.

7.      The list of questions Kinloch asks as she closes her essay, tie up everything she has been trying to talk about in the essay. One of her questions state “Now that today’s Harlem is undergoing gentrification, I wonder, “Where are the adults, the black and white and Latino/a and Puerto Rican residents and political leaders, the people who are supposed to protect the community(161)?”  Now that gentrification as taken place what is Harlem now going to represent since it will no longer represent historical struggle.