My friend, Katya (who also goes to baruch) and I visited the Tenement Museum in the lower east side of Manhattan. I have been wanting to go to this museum for a while now because I have always been interested in the history of New York City. I grew up in lower Manhattan so I always have a place in my hear for past generations that have shaped my home into what it is today. We heard heartbreaking stories about the horrible living and working conditions that the thousands of Jewish immigrants and working class citizens had to endure throughout the 19th century. For example, there were women who lived and worked in these so called “homes” so that the manufacturers would not have the cost of a factory. This was even before buildings like the triangle shirtwaist factory, which despite the size, still had very harsh working conditions. We were standing in very house on Orchard street that those immigrants lived and sewed in to make a living. They worked 10-12 hours a day, six days a week without a break. This was the only way women could be semi-independent in a patriarchal society.

It fascinates me most how a part of the city that used to be ridden with poverty and grime, is now a highly progressive, gentrified neighborhood that is thriving with coffee shops, boutiques, and bars. This is one of the only buildings that is a constant reminder of the history of New York City. Now every time I walk past the Tenement building on my way to work I think about not only, making an example for working class, independent women, but also about studying more about the history of my city. Almost every street i walk down has its significance and I would love to learn more about preserving that.