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Chapter 13 Fieldwork-Migration

In this interview, I will be interviewing my Godmother, who I refer to as my Auntie, because we have a close relationship. She is 49 years old and from Spanish Town in St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica. At the age of 15, she immigrated from Jamaica to Brooklyn, New York, and later, her family settled in Jamaica, Queens. Her mother encouraged her and her sisters to immigrate to the United States because of pull factors such as better working opportunities, health-care access, and free high school education. In Jamaica, families have to pay for “secondary education.” Her mother ensured that her daughters went to the United States first to finish high school and have better working opportunities. Her mother would later reunite with her daughters in the United States in the late 90s. 

She described her experience as challenging when adjusting to life as a teenager in New York City. She started high school at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, New York. She stated that in the 90s, she noticed that “students were into FUBU, Tommy Hilfiger and Ecko. I could not afford these clothing brands and students would bully me for not fitting”. Also, she suggested that; her peers would bully her because of her Jamaican patois and accent. She felt as if she was “playing catch up with her peers” because the curriculum in Jamaica was different from the United States.  While attending high school, she also worked a part-time job at Burger King to help her older sisters to make ends meet. Her older sister shared a one-bedroom apartment in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, and would split the rent among the three sisters. The sisters were responsible for sending money back home to help bring their mother to the United States. The sister sending money to Jamaica for their mother exemplifies remittances and chain migration because the sisters worked part-time jobs to send back to family at home. 

In conclusion, during this interview with my Aunt, she was open about her experiences immigrating to the United States. Her family moved to this country because of pull factors such as seeking better opportunities such as jobs, health care, and living. She believed that moving here is one of the best decisions that she made because now she works a full-time job while also being a business owner. Additionally, she stated that she makes more money in America than she would make in Jamaica making it possible to put her son through college as a first-generation college student.   

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Chapter 10 Fieldwork

The Marx theory describes the division between two different classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeois represents the social class the bourgeoisie owns as the means of production and the proletariat represents the working class; the working class is responsible for making the means of production. McDonalds is a modern example of the Marx theory on social class; McDonalds is a major corporation that has restaurants worldwide. McDonalds represents capitalism because this is a large franchise but people can become their own of an individual store. Marx theory can be illustrated in McDonald’s franchise because according to McDonald’s official website cashiers pay has increased to $15 an hour meanwhile corporate executives can make an annual of $100,000 or more. In this example the corporate executives are the bourgeois being in charge of the means of production while the McDonalds workers that interact with cousterns such as cashiers and cooks are the proterlariant creating the means of production.

Max Weber’s theory on social class is the amount of property an individual has determines their social class. The Indian caste system is an example of Weber’s theory on social class. The Indian caste system is based on five classes;  Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and Dalits (outcaste/untouchables). The Brahmins are the priest and the teachers; the Kshatriyas are the warriors and rulers. The Vaishyas are farmers, traders, and merchants. Shudras are laborers. Lastly, the Dalits are also known as outcastes, and untouchable are street sweepers and latrine cleaners. According to the BBC news, “ The system bestowed many privileges on the upper castes while sanctioning repression of the lower castes by privileged groups”. The caste system supports Weber’s theory on social class because the individuals in the upper class are able to obtain more privileges than individuals in the lower class. All and all the caste system symbolizes Weber’s theory because an individual's caste is based upon the individual's property, occupation and wealth.

Bourdieu theory on social class through social stratification.Bourdieu also utilizes the phrase habitus to describe how external influences influence an individuals life. An example of Bourideu theory of social class is Baltimore city schools. Baltimore city schools are considered to be in the inner city and eventually impacts students educationally wise. For example, according to Fox Baltimore, “Project Baltimore anaylzed 2017 state testing and found one-hird of hIgh Schools in Baltimore, last year, had zero students proficientin math”. This demonstrates that individuals background affects their social class.

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Chapter 5 Fieldwork

1) The year 2020 was a controversial year in America with the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the Covid-19 pandemic. The murder of George Floyd by Dereick Chauvin depicts race in America. Floyd was a father and African American man from Minneapolis, MN. Floyd was accused of having counterfeit money after going to a store. The police was called on Floyd and former officer Chauvin put Floyd in handcuffs and pressed his head against the floor while putting his knee on his neck for a total of nine minutes. Chauvin actions illustrates race because African Americans/ Black are not equal to white Americans and white supremacy.  Chauvin places his knee on Floyd’s neck for a total of 9 minutes also intensified the Black Lives Matter Movement and rallies of “I Can’t Breath”.

2) Dominican Republic is located on an Hispaniola shared with Haiti. Racism in Dominican Republic is rapid because some Dominicans choose disassociated with Blackness because they see Blackness associated with lower class. Racism intensified under the dictator Rafel Trujiilo in Dominican Republic. Trujiilo was responsible for the masacre of “20,000 Haitians” ( History.com) because he did believed that Blackness was infeiro to whiteness. Additionally, Trujiilo made darker skin Dominicans pronounce the word parsely which is “perejil”. In spanish the letter j is prounced as an “H” sound in English (History.com). If dominicans pronounced the word without the “h” sound they would be denied citizenship or murdered for being Black. Today, racism in Dominican Republic is still prevalent. (Website for information is below).

3) This gif shows an image of a mother and daughter after the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Brown v. Board had ruled that segregation in school is unconstiutional; school demonstrated institutional racism because the Jim Crow law in America allowed racism to occur in the education system.

4) Breonna Taylor was also murder by police in 2020. The death of Taylor symbolizes individual racism in America, Taylor was an African America young women in her late twenties sleeping peacefully on her home when she her home was broken into by police. In the state that Taylor was from there is a no knock rule allowing for police to enter without knocking. However, Taylor was innocently killed by white police officer and the officer was never found guilty for her death. This represents white supremacy because almost two years later the officer are still not found guilty for their actions. 

5) The Black Live Matter represents race in America because this organization  was created to support Black people. This movement was also created tp bring awareness on race in America. 

6) Lastly, this gif is shows numerous African Americans innocently killed by police in America. this gif is a representation on race in America because although many strides have been made for the advancement of Black people. Black people are still seen as inferior to white Americans. For all of these people the people that white people that killed them never went to jail or did not serve a lot of time 

https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/1960s/rafael-trujillo

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Chapter 3 - Fieldwork

1. In my fieldwork assignment, I chose my block at home in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. I choose the four corner intersection of Vernon Ave, Myrtle Ave, Throop Ave, and Tompkins Ave in my mapping a block activity. I included numerous brownstones on Vernon Ave in this map, including my family brownstone in the middle of the block. On Vernon Ave, you will also notice serval trees because this is a tree line block. At the corner of Vernon Ave and Throop Ave, there is a community mental health building and an MTA bus stop B 43 heading in the direction of Greenpoint Brooklyn. At the corner of Throop and Vernon Ave, there is a Guzman’s bodega. On Vernon Ave, there is also a community garden supervised by the Vernon Ave block association. At the corner of Myrtle Ave, there is another bodega called the Tompkin’s Finest Bodega. On Myrtle Ave, there is an MTA bus stop B 54 heading south toward Downtown Brooklyn. Also, on Myrtle Ave, there is a church called the New Testament Church of God. Directly next to the New Testament Church of God, a “P” on my mapping block represents the church’s parking lot. On Mrytle Ave, there is also a 99 cent store named Myrtle 99 cent. There is a liquor store on the corner of Myrtle and Throop Ave. At the intersection of Tompkins and Myrtle, there is a church named Iglesia Pentecostal “El Redil.” Further down on Tompkins Ave, closer to Vernon Ave, there are two more churches; Solid Rock Baptist Church and Greater Cross Roads Baptist Church. Next to the two churches, there is Mike’s Pizza Shop. Lastly, I drew a community garden located on Throop Ave supervised by the Throop Ave block association.

2. In my observation on Vernon Ave, I noticed that it is a quiet block. A few people will walk down the block ranging in age and race. Most people walking down the block of Vernon Ave appeared to be African American/ Black ranging in ages between 25- 75. Also, on Vernon Ave, I notice the most diverse than the other intersecting blocks. On Vernon Ave, I saw diversity in religion, age, and race. On Vernon Ave, I observed a middle-aged Jewish family, a young White couple that appeared to be in their late 20's or early 30's. Moreover, I observed many African American/Black families that appeared to have their brownstones be passed down generationally because of the ranges of ages in the households. Vernon Ave was an overall quiet treeline block with many families with diversity.

On Myrtle Ave, I noticed more foot traffic than Vernon Ave because of the presents of a bus stop, bodega, and three churches. The diversity on Myrtle Ave is less than Vernon Ave. I observed that the minority of people walking on Myrtle Ave are African American/ Black people. I also notice more noise on Myrtle Ave with the bus stop going in both directions on this avenue. Also, on Myrtle Ave, I notice a police car racing down the avenue with sirens and flashing lights. Moreover, I see that Mike Pizza Shop is busier than normal. I observed on a Saturday evening. I assume the pizza shop is busy because Saturday is a weekend, and most people do not cook because they are running errands and usually cook a big meal on Sunday.

On Throop Ave, I noticed that this avenue was not as loud and congested with people as Myrtle Ave. However, this ave was louder than Vernon Ave. I noticed that Throop Ave is not a residential ave and only has a community garden and a community park. I see that children are leaving the park because I observed this block at 6:00 pm. Families are beginning to leave the park because it is getting dark. I hear children playing and screaming with excitement as they slide down the slides or go across the monkey bars one last time before leaving the park. After, I see the families walk towards the B 43 bus stop.

Lastly, I observed Tompkins Ave and noticed that Tompkins Ave is the quietest ave in the four corner section because this block has three churches and a bodega. Churches are usually open on Sundays, so I assumed that is why this avenue was the quietest.

3. On each block, I would expect more foot traffic because I grew up in this community, and on Saturday's there are usually more families walking around or just enjoying the evening on their stoop.

4. Since Covid- 19 first began, I see a shift in families returning back to the park. When Covid- 19 first started in 2020, I noticed that many families did not bring their children to the Throop Ave community park in fear of their children catching coronavirus. On Saturday evening, I noticed a shift of families returning to the parks and taking health precautions. When children were playing, their parents ensured they had masks and hand sanitizer.

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Culture of Consumerism Field Work 2

* On this fieldwork assignment I shared access with my TA Zaynah if the screenshots are difficult to read.*

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Chapter 1. Fieldwork

2. The Peach Bellini scented candle made with essential oils is created by Bath and Body Works. This candle is a three-wick candle. The candle release date is unknown. However, Bath and Body Works was created in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio. The company has over 1,600 stores in the United States, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand.

3. Bath and Body works products are manufactured in China.

4. The Peach Bellini candle impacts me the candle is one of my favorite scents from the Bath and Body Works line. This candle makes me feel at peace and relaxed. Also, this candle is special to me because this was my Aunt's favorite scents and she recently passed away. The candle reminds me of her.

5. Bath and Body Work Products are manufactured in the United States and the products are made in China. Life for manufacturers is hard because they are paid minimum wage to produce a high demand of products for Bath and Body Works.

Refrences

https://www.countryliving.com/life/a38493/bath-and-body-works-trivia/

https://customercare.bathandbodyworks.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3155/~/where-are-bath-%26-body-works-products-made%3F

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Uneven Development

The following meme shows no internet. No internet access is an example of uneven development because some people are affected by extreme poverty and do not have access to internet. This depicts uneven development because internet distribution is uneven.

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Increasing Migration

The following image is from MIT New showing a family from Central America walking to Texas. This image depicts increasing migration because this family is migrating to the United States in to have better working opportunities and improve their lives. Below is the link for this picture.

https://news.mit.edu/2021/central-america-migration-economics-1123

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Flexible Accumulation

New Balances are an an example of flexible accumulation because the brand previously assembled the sneakers in the United States. New Balances has factories in Asia. Below is the link to New Balance production.

https://www.yahoo.com/video/american-brands-whose-products-actually-090000490.html

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Time-Space Compression- This gif of a cellphone represents time- space compression because a cellphone is a method of communication. Before, the creation of cellphones people would have to send a message via letter or telegraphs to exchange messages. The messages would take a long time to be delivered to a person. Today, messages can be send instantly on a cellphone via text message, I Message, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat or WhatsApp.