Blog mission statement
I have called the area in New York City known as Spanish or East Harlem my “home” since having a working memory. To simply call the neighborhood I took my first steps in “different” than the neighborhood I live in now, is so far of an understatement it almost seems offensive. The statement “I live in Spanish or East Harlem” did not have the same connotation ten years ago, arguably even five years ago. My goal is to have people walk past a certain restaurant, apartment building, or particular street located in Spanish Harlem and either not think of it the same way after reading my blog, or see this site for the first time and be interested in exploring after reading about its history or significance. I want to document some observations about comparing the gentrifying neighborhood seen today to its roots.
For those who have just discovered this pocket of deeply embedded culture in this new wave of popularization that comes from the gentrification thats been taking place, a lot of people may assume the neighborhood has always been the way its been. This blog will feature different posts that reflect upon different aspects of what it means to say “I live in Spanish Harlem”. On the surface, visible differences such as different buildings, parks, businesses will be explored. But what is more important to this reflection is the changes in culture, community, demographic, and what Spanish/East Harlem means to the rest of the city who don’t live or maybe have never even been here.
My blog will feature community perspectives on the changes happening to Spanish Harlem. Through communicating with people that have lived in the neighborhood since before the changes began appearing (like I have), and with new residents, I hope to get a well rounded and diverse public opinion on the gentrification concept. Using photo and video to interview business owners, residents, and even visitors, I hope to create the first blog to voice the opinion specific to Spanish Harlem on the reactions that the city has created.
My target audience focuses on anyone that has an interest in this unique and beautiful neighborhood. Through the use of text, and photographs, I hope to incite critical thinking within the readers who come across this blog, whether they have a connection to Spanish Harlem like I do, or if they have yet to set foot in the neighborhood. With those who have lived here and have seen the changes in Spanish Harlem, I hope to bring a sense of nostalgia and remind people of certain buildings that are no longer there, or make them feel like they are not the only people that remember a certain part of Spanish Harlem that resonated with them. And for those who don’t know as much about the culture and history of Spanish Harlem, I hope to bring an interest in the history of the different changes that make it what it is today.
My understanding of the changes Spanish Harlem has seen and will continue to see is that initially these changes were insidious, but still unnoticeable. But as soon as the wheels started moving in the transformation process, the changes grew exponentially. Growing up, I had to prepare myself for the walk out of a station in fear of being robbed or attacked because of a lack of safety and attention given by the city. Now, there is a cafe on the same block I’ve lived in my whole life, with overpriced coffee drinks, like on every other street in Williamsburg. This blog pays respect to both the good and the bad in the neighborhood that used to exist, as well as the one that exists today. It is important to understand the history behind anything if one wishes to understand its present state.
I am excited to revist different locations and share my knowledge of different buildings, stores, streets, and the changing community. By looking at a building, it is impossible to tell what once stood there but was transformed, but I will be featuring different memories I have of different locations within the neighborhood in regards to how it has become part of the entire gentrification movement.
The people are what bring a geographical mass of land to life, by feeding it culture and a sense of community. The term “gentrification” means different things for different people. Many factors weigh in on a person’s opinion on gentrifying a neighborhood. Real estate agents and business can see gentrification as a trendy bandwagon and profitable opportunity. Individuals seeking residence can see it as a new and exciting experience. But for those who have been a part of a neighborhood that was once neglected, now suddenly becoming popularized for all the wrong reasons, it incites outrage, frustration, and resistance. The “El Barrio Tours” movement began as a group of individuals combatting the transformations to their home and the culture in Spanish Harlem they have loved for so long. The group currently has a blog that features different group activities and events, as well as why it is so important that gentrification be stopped. My blog will not be biased against or for gentrification, but instead, will accept the changes and provide an unbiased history of interesting things that have changed throughout the years. So far, El Barrio Tours is the only blog that speaks about the changing/gentrifying neighborhood, but has no interest in promoting the new changes to the community, and are fixated on the past. My blog will be incorporating both the new and the old, as well as the good and the bad of the different eras in East Harlem’s history.
Putting all biases aside, this is still the place I live in, and the place I’ve had to learn to adapt to. I may be unable to help what happens to the neighborhood, but I can offer insight on the changing neighborhood that is unique to someone who has walked the same streets, waited at the same train station, and called the same place home for 19 years. I love this pocket of culture that is so prominent and still so visible, but the changes have also brought a sense of excitement and refreshment to see so many more people discover and love my home, even if the reasons are not necessarily the same, it is undeniable that Spanish Harlem has been put on the radar for the first time. With El Barrio Tours and the anti-gentrification groups that have started with gentrification, they understandably oppose new residents and people who see their culture as a trend. But at the end of the day, I’m excited to share my experience of living and growing up here with more people, because it is a beautiful place to see and live in. There isn’t another place on this planet that I can call home like I do for Spanish Harlem. But my home is different now, for better and for worse, and I hope to share the process of transformation and changes that I’ve had the privilege of experiencing and have the knowledge to reflect on.
EDITORIAL PLAN-
OVERVIEW
Types of Content:
A different establishment will be featured in each post, all with its each unique significance to the community, and the neighborhood’s history. As a life long East Harlem resident, not many other blogs can offer the same type of insight that can only come with seeing changes to the community over the 19 years I’ve had a working memory. The same streets I have walked to the train station may have been the same geographically, but could not have seen a more rapid transition due to the city’s plans for gentrifying the neighborhood. Each post to this blog will show a certain building, establishment, or street that can be visited today, but will be contrasted to my memory of what stood there previously. The blog will also feature the visible changes and plans that are currently underway to further alter the neighborhood, that speak directly on the inevitable transformation to Spanish Harlem. I hope to represent the culture that this neighborhood is founded on, while at the same time, reflect on the changes seen within the past decade (since the idea of gentrification was first introduced to the neighborhood).
The posts made on this blog will feature picture with text, but I also hope to add occasional video of the neighborhood, offering a visual tour of the community and its people. As a video editor and shooter for the past three years, I am so excited to show readers the place I grew up in, and the place I live in now, and be able to reflect on the differences between two ends of the spectrum. The videos I hope to create will give a tour as well as interviews with people on changes in the neighborhood, from both new residents and people who have been in the neighborhood before all these changes started appearing exponentially.
Number of Updates:
Posting will be frequent, as there are so many different businesses, streets, and buildings that have come and gone within the past few years. My goal is to update the blog with:
2 pieces of photo and text per week, featuring a different building/street/area of spanish harlem to be discussed in context of gentrification.
1 interview with a resident/business owner per week, varying in photo and video
1 EDITED video of a street in Spanish Harlem, giving a visual tour of the neighborhood.
Multimedia Reporting:
By using photo and video to capture the visible changes to the community, I want to give readers a visual tour of the neighborhood. Interviews will also be conducted with locals within the area, which will be done using photo and video.
Recurring Content:
Each week will feature a different person being interviewed on the neighborhood. This section of the blog will vary in the type of people interviewed and the role they play within the community, such as residents, business owners, real estate agents, etc…