day 3: little italy, garden apts, jane, and "this land"

Little Italy: a place of which to be proud. I say this because on the neighborhood tour today, struggle and triumph were the main themes. But as I am on this trip as a university student, as the Italian tour guide has his Master's, the Italians have made it here. America expresses its' gratitude through the many thriving Italian restaurants, on a daily basis. This is a part of my ancestry that I am proud to own. However, the idea that in order to succeed, someone else must be crushed, is still hurtful. The cycle never ends, and it takes away from the meaning of the success.

Architecture: the Chicago way. Before this trip I had not understood the reasoning for the "Garden Apt." It is all about the ground water, level of the water mains, etc. Originally, it was a mistake, but now it defines a part of Chicago's style. Armed with this knowledge, my respect for the newer buildings has been raised. That being said, I mean the buildings that are built to resemble the floors of the existing homes.


Jane Addams: the beginning of social work? Seeing the remaining parts of the Hull House earlier today was awesome. They stand as a testament to who she was, and radical thoughts that started the settlement house revolution of America. This is one woman who had vision. One of the most interesting ideas is that she did not accept sponsorship, not because she didn't want to, but rather due to the demands of the potential sponsors. Hull House was secular because Addams wanted true freedom in order to experiment. As I think about Shane Claiborne's The Simple Way, I cannot help but compare... and question. Was the Hull House's success related to its' lack of affiliation? Is Shane the Christian version of Jane? Did the secular state of the Hull House prevent further disenfranchisement with the church for its constituents? Is public housing a better answer to poverty than settlement houses? How do you maintain an organization like the Hull House? Most of all, could people still come together like that today?

Following the trend of seeking true democracy, tonight we went to see the play 'Woody Guthrie's American Song.' The story of his life unfolds to reveal his questions about government and its' people. His son, "This Land is Our Land" is sung by millions in grade school... but without the last verse. The last verse speaks about the ways that we treat others who are not as "American" as we are. Considering the afternoon visit to the Hull House, my mind continues to consider who belongs here. The people represented in the play were white, which challenges the perception of discrimination based only on skin color. The songs of the musical told the story of people trying to find work, consistently out of place, and always treated like the lowest of the low. This speaks so clearly on so many levels. We are caught in this individualistic culture that insists on pushing someone down. For every step forward that has been made, there are still so many issues to be handled.

In short, today was a time to think about my family tree, what it is to be American, and why community is so difficult...