On September 30 my Civic engagement group took a tour of Hyde park, one of Chicago's fastest gentrifying neighborhoods. First we took a tour of the edges of Hyde park on the bus. We carefully observed the residences and the infrastructure of the area. What we were there to observe is what we saw; there were people of color living in isolation in conditions suitable for anyone except white people. Coming from Francis W. Parker the only thing to gain from such an experience was a sense of disparity. I think it is impolite, even disrespectful, to go people watching from a distance. Bringing students into a neighborhood where they will feel unsafe will create internal tension for those students who get to return to a padded life after. This method, though, is effective in getting some students to think of different ways to expose oneself to diverse neighborhoods. These sort of events should be more casual, with the goal of creating empathy with the residences of a less wealth neighborhood.
After visiting the edges, we drove the more gentrified area of Hyde park. We got out and took a tour on foot and saw a contrast between corporate stores and citizen owned stores. Another growing pain of Hyde park is that chains are taking over independent stores. This is good for convenience, but it is not good for the community. Independently owned shops stimulate the local economy of neighborhoods.
Our final destination was the chapel at the University of Chicago to meet a Francis W. Parker alumni who had experience with the gentrification and inequalities in Hyde Park. After waiting to enter, we set up the steel chairs in a circle. He introduced himself then we discussed what we had saw. He gave us insight on the power that the University of Chicago has over the neighborhood. From him, I learned that neighborhoods are changing for better or worse. I also observed that in many cases people of color have to fight or conform to change.
