Make EL Barrio Great Again
I plan on creating a podcast that traces the gentrification of Williamsburg, Brooklyn through the lens of a Dominican-American immigrant family. It will center predominately on the narrative of Karla Ynfante, a 22 year-old woman, while including excerpts from her mother. The podcast will open with a brief history of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, such as a description of race relations between Blacks and Jews, shifting immigration patterns in the community, and finally the rise of the “hipster movement.”
I will then introduce Karla, the Dominican American woman who has grown up in Williamsburg. The goal is for Karla to recount the change in Williamsburg through her eyes. I will ask leading questions that will help guide this narrative such as: Tell me about your childhood in Williamsburg. How did it look like? Who were your neighbors? Where did you spend most of your time? How has the community changed since your family first moved to Williamsburg? Can you recall a particular moment where you noticed the shift? Can you give specific examples of how the rise of hipsters in Williamsburg has impacted your life or that of your family, if at all? I will close with a summation of the points presented, and ask: “how can we make the barrio great again?”
Lopez’s Comments:
Juliana, I like the approach that you take with your project. Your proposed research reminds me of the oral history that Mary Romero did with Olivia in the Maid’s Daughter. In your work you will trace the evolution of a neighborhood vis-a-vis gentrification in Williamsburg, like how Romero did in telling of Olivia’s stories with integration and schooling. You might want to also think about interviewing maybe her parent(s) (or grandparents) on how they experienced the demographic change.
For the neoliberal aspect to this, you might want to look at the “right to the city” literature. Much of this research has been centered on NYC, and more specifically, Williamsburg.
A podcast sounds like a great medium for tell this story.