Neighborhood Field Trip - Essay Example

Neighborhood Field Trip Experience of the East Bay Area Trip For this neighborhood field trip, I began my tour of some ofthe East Bay area neighborhood from Montclair district of Oakland to Berkeley with a tour of the Eastmont Town Center also included with the final destination being in the city of Richmond neighborhoods. Although the trip took us almost six hours with my friend Arthur driving, the experience was quite edifying. I was able to identify a number of aspects of the neighborhoods that could be compared based on their similarities and distinctiveness. These comparisons of the neighborhood become more perceptible when arranged in terms of the observed housing, social amenities, demographic compositions, infrastructure, security and activities the people are involved in whether social or economical. To effectively make comparisons of the type and quality of housing and landscaping as we moved through the neighborhoods, I first noted the housing and landscaping characteristics of Montclair district. Montclair district gives an aura of wealthy neighborhood due to the high number of mansions and cottages located as one moves along the streets. However, there are also some condos and apartment complexes especially when advancing deeper into the village areas. Among the important hallmarks of Montclair is the presence of some of the best highly and ranked public schools within Oakland. Our trip also included the Eastmont Town Center were we decided to walk around to have a clear impression of the center. Within the town center, there is the Oakland Police Department Substation with the mall also hosting a supermarket, a Social Security office and public library. There is also the Alameda County Medical Center operated primary care medical facility and a General Assistance office in addition to a number of small businesses and social service organizations within the mall. The composition of organizations and institutions operating in Eastmont Town Center mall highlights its uniqueness. This uniqueness of Eastmont Town Center stems from the economic downturn experienced in the area due to the withdrawal of some of the largest operators such as JC Penney and Mervyns. Located in the neighborhood with most residents being African American means most of the visitors inside were also of African American origin. Driving through Richmond, we cut through neighborhoods such as Carytown with nine blocks of which accommodate stores such as Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market, Road Runner Running Store, Plan 9 Records, Bev’s Ice Cream, The Yarn Lounge, Yoga Source, Chop Suey Books and Carytown Bicycle Company. There is also a neighborhood called the Fan which is basically the residential focal point of City of Richmond. Moving through the residential areas in the Fan gives one the impression that this part of the Richmond has been existence for many years given Victorian housed lining up the blocks which are in addition to community gardens and schools as well as a restaurant or bar on every corner. There are some contrasting features that one can identify between neighborhoods such as Carytown and the Fan and those in downtown Richmond such as Shockoe Slip and Jackson Ward Shockoe Bottom are located. Historically, these areas were used as slave trade hubs during the 19th century. Most of the residents of these areas are consequently, of African American descent with the population of the neighborhood in 2000 as 1,093 residents of which African Americans being about 66 percent of the population in the area. Application of the Field Trip Experience This next section is dedicated to the application of the neighborhood trip experiences. The section explores how racial interacts with economic, social and cultural to determine the quality of life for people in the neighborhoods covered. Consequently, this paper makes assumptions on the effect of race on the quality of life based on literature by William Wilson. Literature by Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Greg Duncan, and Nancy Maritato is also essential for this study as it relates the parents’ economic status to outcomes of children as they grow. The author investigate the well-being children brought up in poverty based on data collected on young children, adolescents and the youth (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, and Maritato 10-11). The authors assert that children from poor family backgrounds have low outcomes based on the assessments of their cognitive development, health, achievements in school, and emotional well-being (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan and Maritato 13-14). Paula England will also provide further highlights into the economic status of the in the neighborhoods especially based on the gender compositions of female and female employees in the labor market. England notes the number of female employees in most of the occupations was increasing significantly (265). However, the author also adds there were some challenges that reduce the importance of this improvement which she blames on various levels of segregations in the workplace. Segregation in the workplace according to England has resulted in a situation where female employees occupy low paying jobs than their male counterparts. In situations where both male and female workers occupy similar position, the author notes female workers earn a significantly, lower level of income compare to male employees (274-275). The relationship between quality of life and poverty is also explored based on how children are brought up. The work by Wilson is especially important based on his perceptions on how the quality of life for African Americans is influenced by their political economic and cultural underpinnings. A number of the neighborhood that were part of the field trip such in Jackson Ward and those neighboring Eastmont town center had most of their residents from the African American origin. The neighborhood were also characterized by lower quality of housing compared to others especially those whose population are majorly Caucasian. Among the reasons for continued poverty, in areas with African Americans is the economic activity of the areas. Wilson claims some of the neighborhoods had attracted high numbers of residents who came in as workers especially in the manufacturing industry (16). This is true especially when taking the situation facing the neighborhoods surrounding Eastmont Town Center Mall. This neighborhood once prospered due to presence of the Chevrolet automobile that had been in operation from early 19th century. Such economic potential of this area plays an important role in attracting more residents to compete for the available resources (Waldinger and Lichter 205). There were many people who settled in the area as they looked for a source of livelihood. However, there have been “complex economic transformations and shifting patterns in metropolitan development” that have reversed the fortunes of residents in such areas (Wilson 16). For Eastmont Town Centre economic decline forced a number of big investors to withdraw their services from the area. The decline of the mall is especially attributed to the 1990’s period when JC Penney and Mervyns wound their businesses leaving it with about 30 percent of available space being leased. It is such changes in the economic activities of these areas that have led to “accelerated neighborhood decline in the inner city and widened gaps in race and income between cities and suburbs” (Wilson 16). In “No Shame in My Game”, Katherine Newman also agrees with the above assertion by Wilson that the economic conditions surrounding the poor neighborhoods might not be because the residents do not work, but is due to more complex issues. Newman is however, categorical that work alone will not solve their problems and transform the lives of these residents since they have other bottlenecks such as tougher welfare laws. This means that programs that allocate residents from poor neighborhoods employment opportunities may ultimately fail to uplift the ghettos. This Newman attributes to the fact that the main problem has to do with the overall economics and revolves around low wages and scarce jobs. The researcher warns that these neighborhoods will only be uplifted when all the employees on full time employment are given terms that ensures they live above line (270). The persistent poverty and security levels in neighborhoods covered by the trip can also be explained based on the literature by Brooks-Gunn, Duncan and Maritato. The neighborhoods characterized by a higher level of poverty were also found to have significantly increased levels of insecurity. Education can be identified as having a connection with both poverty and crime levels of given neighbourhoods. For instance, schools such as such as Joaquin Miller Elementary, Montera Middle School, Montclair Elementary and Thornhill Elementary whose children perform better and are therefore highly ranked in Oakland are situated in Montclair which is a neighborhood with most residents living above poverty level. The comparison of performance in both low and high poverty schools shows that those in the regions with high levels of poverty shows a pass rate of Standards of Learning (SOL) testing of 71 percent compared to those in the low poverty schools whose performance were pegged at around 93 percent of the those in third grade (HOME).Brooks-Gunn, Duncan and Maritato attributes the persistent level of poetry and the effects it has on the outcome of children to the fact that the income earned by parents plays a big part in well-being of children. Parents use their income to invest in a “safer, more stimulating home environments” which have better schools, libraries and parks that create conducive environment for the children to gain desired qualities (14). It is therefore, it is apparent that children in the poor neighbourhoods face the risk of being trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Although Brooks-Gunn, Duncan and Maritato fail to mention this fact in their assessment of outcomes, it is important to note that most of the poor neighborhoods such as Jackson Ward in Richmond and those around Eastmont Town Centre Mall might remain as such due to this cycle. Since children from poor families are unable to find well-paying jobs as they lack the necessary education due to dropping out, they will not have the opportunity to make their neighbourhood better but instead engage in crime and other activities that further lower the status of these neighbourhoods (Buvinić 40). Pattillo notes these children are bound to get involved in criminal activities when they are out of school. This is due to the formation of peer networks that influence the child’s perception about life. Without a strong family background, these children might not have the will to resist the pressure to join their peers in criminal activities due to the promise of quick economic returns (98). Furstenberg and Hughes concur with Buvinić’s assertions on the influence that neighborhoods have on overall development of the child. Basing their ideas on the “epidemic model” which is perceived on the framework of the “normative system that develops in enclosed communities of like-minded individuals”, Furstenberg and Hughes argue that residents of the same neighbourhood are likely to develop similar beliefs, attitudes and behavior (24). The implication of this is that the children growing up in poor neighborhood will not be different from those of the previous generations due to the enshrined ways of thinking that developed over the ears. However, Furstenberg and Hughes add this can be changed for instance by moving to a neighborhood with adequate institutional resources such as schools, community service, police and strong neighborhood organization. Such areas play a positive role in the outcomes of children due to the presence of conforming friends and successful adult models (Furstenberg and Hughes 25). The composition of male and female employees in the workplace is also an aspect identified during the field trips. In most of the stores that we visited, the number of female employees operating at the counter was significantly higher than those of the male counterparts. Although it was not possible to determine the earnings of this group of employees, it is easier to note that those at the counter were of a lower rank compared to the supervisors. Therefore, England’s conclusion that segregation in the workplace has resulted in female employees working in lower levels in the employment hierarchy (275) can be observed in these store. This situation adds pressure to most women especially when they are single mothers. Based on the assumption by Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, and Maritato that “poverty, low levels of parental education, and single parenthood often go hand-in-hand”, a number of the female employees working in the stores can be said to be single parents (13). If this is the case, the low wages that these workers get might not be adequate to cover their needs. These female employees from poor neighborhoods such as Jackson Ward will have to depend on welfare such as the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program since they do not have a significant other to complement their low incomes. However, Hays note that even this might not be a long-lasting solution to their financial problems since the program includes a section asserting, “All welfare recipients are expected to be self sufficient – and no matter how destitute they might be, they will remain ineligible to receive welfare assistance for the rest of their lives (Hays 16).” Further, the perception created about welfare programs make a number of those living in the poor neighborhoods to shun coming forward to ask for assistance. This is especially true considering Americans accuse recipients of welfare assistance as being “welfare cheats” (Hays 265) and “free-loaders” (Hays 118) the hardworking taxpayer. Conclusion This study is based on the neighbourhood trip conducted in areas that stretch fromMontclair district of Oakland to Berkeley with a tour of the Eastmont Town Center also included with the final destination being in the city of Richmond with the view of identifying the role played by demographic compositions on social cultural and economic aspects of the residents. It has been determined that race was the main factor influencing the quality of life of people in the areas of study. Neighborhoods with a higher number of African Americans such as Jackson Ward had a higher level of poverty as seen in the quality and landscaping of the houses in addition to the availability and quality of other social amenities such as schools and parks. The prevailing situation based on analysis of given literature on effects of race on the quality of life has been used to explain the prevailing situation. Aspects such as the economic situation around the neighborhoods have been blamed for the high level of poverty in this area. This situation becomes even worse when considering children raised by single mothers and living in the poor neighborhoods. It has been determined that such mothers might not have the financial capability to adequately take care of their families forcing some of them to for welfare assistance. Works Cited Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Greg J. Duncan, and Nancy Maritato. "Poor families, poor outcomes: The well-being of children and youth." Consequences of growing up poor (1997): 1-17. Buvinić, Mayra. "Women in poverty: a new global underclass." Foreign Policy (1997): 38-5 England, Paula. "Gender inequality in labor markets: The role of motherhood and segregation."Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 12.2 (2005): 264-288. Furstenberg, Frank. & Hughes, Mary E. “The Influence of Neighborhoods on Children’s Development: A Theoretical Perspective and a Research Agenda”. In Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Greg Duncan and Lawrence Aber. Neighborhood Poverty, Vol. 2. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1997. Newman, Katherine, S. No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City. New York: Vintage and Russell Sage,1999. Pattillo, Mary. Black picket fences: Privilege and peril among the black middle class. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2013. Waldinger, Roger, and Michael I. Lichter. How the other half works: Immigration and the social organization of labor. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003. Wilson, William Julius. "Being Poor, Black, and American: The Impact of Political, Economic, and Cultural Forces." American Educator 35.1 (2011): 10-23. Read More