Segregation in New York City and Beyond

By: Rafeeat Bishi

    When one thinks of New York City, we often picture a diverse melting pot that is accepting of all cultures and people. On the A train to Washington Heights, you'll see all different types of people. Walking down 42nd street there's a vast array of distinct identities. However, recent studies reported that NYC has the most segregated school system in America. 

     Minority students, particularly Black and Hispanic, make up the majority of the in the worst-performing schools in the city. They are also given less access to preparatory programs in order to progress. This also makes them the least represented group in the city's elite high schools, despite being 60% of the public school population. This year, only seven black students were admitted into Stuyvesant High School(the highest in the city) out of 895.

    Students are admitted solely based on a rigorous admissions test. But the means to prepare are highly uneven. Mayor Bill DeBlasio proposed alternatives but was met with many protests, specifically from the Asian-American community (who happen to be the most represented at the elite schools), citing that it discriminates against them specifically and that it is up to the city to improve curriculum. 

     We assume that the schools would reflect a city of bubbling diversity. But not everything looks like Midtown, as the map shows. The city itself is also segregated borough wise. Even within the boroughs there are enclaves of different ethnicities, such as Chinese, Dominican, West African, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Irish, Italian, and more.

   The city is an example of how although cultures may be adjacent, they are far from blending all together. America can be a salad bowl. Not a melting pot. By definition: "American cultures are brought together—like salad ingredients—but do not form together into a single homogeneous culture; each culture keeps its own distinct qualities". 

   I think we should try to take more advantage of our diverse surroundings, rather than just acknowledge them. We can do better to engage and exchange with the different cultures around so we become a true melting pot and not simply a "salad". 







**Surprisingly: this is even found in Hackensack. Non- Hispanic Whites make up the second largest of the population in the city, but are among the smallest group of students attending Hackensack Middle School, for example.