New in Town Once predominantly white, Charlestown has become a more worldly neighborhood

The Boston Globe ^ | August 13, 2002 | Brian MacQuarrie

[Prolix]

Only 27 years ago, these few blocks were ablaze with the burning effigy of a black man, shouts of racial epithets, and pitched battles between neighbors and police over the introduction of court-ordered busing.

But today, a growing wave of Hispanic immigration has transformed the adjacent Bunker Hill housing development from a bastion of white entitlement into a place where minorities not only are an overwhelming majority, but generally feel accepted and safe.

[Prolix]

Once predominantly white, Charlestown has become a more worldly neighborhood

[Dimensio]

After all, whites don't count when it comes to diversity...

[skeeter]

For once I'd like to ask one of these effete elitists to explain why a place being 'predominantly white' is such a horrible thing in need of immediate correction.

If he or she can make a convincing case we should all insist they begin by "diversifying" their own neighborhoods.

[mhking]

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[Billy_bob_bob]

The lamestream media is so wildly racist that it is actually a wonder to behold. Hate crimes committed against black people? Wall to wall media coverage for months. Hate crimes committed against white people? Flushed down the memory hole. A neighborhood is changing from white to non-white? Huzzahs! Celebrations! Glowing articles about the wonders of "diversity" and "multiculturalism". A neighborhood is changing from non-white to white? "Ethnic cleansing!" "Hate crime!".

It is obvious to me that the people who work for the media are rabid, frothing at the mouth haters of white people. All I know is that I hate them all with a passion.

[banjo joe]

these few blocks were ablaze with the burning effigy of a black man, shouts of racial epithets

Wait... we've been told all these years that these things happened ONLY in the South. What gives?

[KC_Conspirator]

This is the warped view of the liberal - if you are white then you are not "worldly". Of course, there is not a shingle shred of evidence and in fact, data points to the exact oppopsite conclusion.

[Between the Lines]

The article fails to state that the Bunker Hill housing development is public housing. Blacks were moved out of Bunker Hill during the busing conflicts of the 70s but the Boston Housing Authority was ordered to reintegrate the development a decade later. This is just part of that court mandated reintegration. The article also fails to mention that while blacks were segreated out of the development during the 70s, blacks are not the ones being reintegrated back into the neighborhood. This may be a more diverse housing development today but blacks are not part of that diversity as they were prior to the 70s.
More diverse = Less Black ?????????

[Black Agnes]

You almost have it...More diverse==more recent immigrants. (especially non native english speakers...)

[panther33]

For once I'd like to ask one of these effete elitists to explain why a place being 'predominantly white' is such a horrible thing in need of immediate correction.

BUMP!!!

[dennisw]

''Diversity is Charlestown's strength right now,'' Bowers said

Duuuuuuhhhhhh!!!!!  This monkey wins the $1.00 prize for braindead comment.

[lentulusgracchus]

Wait... we've been told all these years that these things happened ONLY in the South. What gives?

Please ignore the man behind the curtain. Keep your eyes on the TV screen, please.

[lentulusgracchus]

After all, whites don't count when it comes to diversity...

Yes, they do. As negative numbers.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We can only hope that someday the town will be completely bereft of evil white people. There is no place in this world for them. </no sarcasm intended>

[Hemingway's Ghost]

But although Bowers recognizes that families from the development will face Everest-like challenges to make the transition to private housing in Charlestown

Exactly. What this article fails to state is that outside of a few housing projects, Charlestown consists largely of brownstones where rents can exceed $2,000-$3,000 per month. With Olive's, etc., Charlestown is very trendy in the Yuppish world. The Warren Tavern is a great place to throw one back, though.

[Prolix]

Watch what happens to property values and rents if and when "La Familia," the "Latin Kings," or the "Mexican Mafia" start making their presence felt in Charlestown. I suspect that that would result in an "easier" transition from public to private housing.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The key point that Taylor makes about this phenomenon is that, because of immigration and differential birth rates, whites are due to become a minority in the entire country by 2050.

This is of course, not true. What is being claimed is that 'Non-Hispanic' whites will be the largest of a number of non-majority populations. This is on the assumption that we never try to control immigration, and would be a problem only if the Hispanic whites (the vast majority of Hispanics), fail to assimilate. Lack of assimilation seems to be a potential problem in the southwest, but not in the rest of the country, where Hispanics make the same effort to assimilate that Italians, Slavs, and other southern and eastern European groups (which were all considered non-white not too long ago) did.

It is likely that in the non-southwestern US, Spanish will be a nearly dead language among the descendants of Hispanics who are now living here, before two generations pass.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

the important thing is that Hispanics are a visibly distinct ethnic group

I take it that you haven't read some of the writers who during the 1930's wrote about the 'swarthy' and 'olive-skinned', Italians, Greeks, etc., and the 'flat-faced' eastern Europeans, the 'square-headed' Germans, and so on. You may have seen some of the caricatures which used to appear in the newspapers of the Irish, and other ethnic groups. Back in the 19th century, when all 'real' Americans were of Anglo-Saxon descent (or the closely related Dutch), ALL of the immigrants from other nations were visibly distinct.

By now most Americans are descended from a mixture of these European descended peoples. Race conscious people, including old-time yankees and German Nazis used the term 'mongrelization' instead of mixture. In fact, most of these ethnic differences are still perfectly visible, we just do not recognize them, they don't register on our brains, because we do not consider them signifigant, and pay them no mind.

As far as meztizos and mulattoes are concerned, there are many Americans in the southeast who are partially descended from the Cherokees and other Indian tribes, are proud of this part of the ancestry and are considered good Americans. Nearly all American 'blacks' are as much a mulatto as any Puerto Rican. A large portion of Hispanic immigrants not from Mexico or Puerto Rico are as European descended as most Americans.