The cover story of March's Philadelphia Magazine, Being White in Philly, has sparked debate about race relations and discussions throughout the Philadelphia area.
The piece cites comments from anonymous white residents of Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood in analyzing local discussions of race.
Journalists criticizing the piece include a Philadelphia Magazine reporter; the magazine's editor wrote a column defending the decision to publish it.
Most neighborhoods in Patches throughout the greater Philadelphia area see ethnicity represented in different proportions than in the city itself. The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey of 2007 to 2011 estimates that 45 percent of Philadelphia residents identify themselves as black, compared to 43 percent as white, 12 percent as Hispanic and 7 percent as Asian.
Read on for ethnicity statistics for all area Patch neighborhoods, then tell us in the comments section below: What's the discussion like in your neighborhood?
Note: Some ZIP codes include more than one county.
Place White % Black % Asian % Hispanic % CHESTER COUNTY 89 7 4 6 Wayne, St. David's (19087) 90 3 7 2 Paoli (19301) 88 4 9 2 Devon (19333) 84 5 13 1 Berwyn (19312) 90 3 6 4 Malvern/Frazer (19355) 90 2 8 4 East/West Goshen (19380) 90 6 4 5 West Chester, Westtown (19382) 91 6 3 4 Oaks (19456) 93 0 7 5 Phoenixville (19453) 93 7 0 4 Phoenixville (19460) 88 6 5 3 DELAWARE COUNTY 75 20 5 3 Broomall, Radnor (19008) 89 3 9 1 Villanova (19085) 91 4 7 3 Haverford Township (19083) 93 2 5 2 Newtown Square (19073) 96 1 3 1 Media (19063) 91 6 4 2 Springfield (19064) 95 1 4 0 MONTGOMERY COUNTY 84 9 7 4 Bala Cynwyd (19004) 90 6 5 3 Narberth, Penn Valley (19072) 93 3 6 2 Merion Station (19066) 92 6 3 3 Wynnewood, Penn Wynne (19096) 85 7 11 3 Ardmore (19003) 82 13 6 4 Haverford (19041) 93 5 4 2 Bryn Mawr (19010) 83 7 10 4 Gladwyne (19035) 96 0 5 1 PHILADELPHIA 43 45 7 12 Mt. Airy (19119) 35 63 3 3 Chestnut Hill (19118) 82 15 3 4 Manayunk (19127) 88 10 1 5 Roxborough (19128) 89 8 3 3Source: American Community Survey 2007-11. Census Bureau sampling does not follow the same methodology as the decennial census. Because respondents are able to claim more than one race and some ethnicities are omitted, percentages on some lines may not add up to 100.
There was an interesting post on The Nation yesterday on the topic of hungry kids and free meals at school, indicating that half the kids currently getting free lunch at school don't take advantage of the free breakfast for various reasons: http://www.thenation.com/blog/173185/school-breakfasts-and-ending-child-hunger#
People that live in the real world know that (all) children do not have the same opportunities in the United States. The assumption that children go to school without breakfast is due to their mom being an addict is a stereotype. Strange that you wouldn't think that it was because after the utilities and rent were paid there was not enough money left to provide for three meals a day, even though the mother is working two jobs. Also strange is that you assume that schools are run down and without adequate materials, because the community is full of thieves. Have you ever looked into the taxes that are to support the schools to which you are referring? If you see and "endless cycle," what are you doing about trying to improve the situation?
Wheather your Asian, White, Black, Latino or whatever......It´s a matter of degrees. Yes, degrees of black to brown: degrees of brown to tan; degrees of tan to oh yes...degrees of white too. For some reason in America....the bells and whistles go off when the above "degree crisis" goes off in our brain... so a MLK said; "don´t judge people by the color(shade) of their skin but by the content of their character." If we did that throughout the planet, what a wonderful world it would be!
it's amazing to me that people such as yourself pretend not to be racist... and no, i don't believe only white people can be racist, but they certainly seem to be better at it than any other ethnic group... probably because they've always had the upper hand in this country (and still do)... i'm sure some of these other ethnic groups could give you examples of what being "under attack" really means...
To project onto me and others your personal assumption and judgement in saying, "you all sit in your homes and pass judgment, pretend to be so open minded without actually associating with these folks." So you're teaching reading and you see some bad situations, but that does not mean that (everyone) that has residency in that area a lazy person, an addict, participates in criminal activity, or doesn't care about their children or their children's education. Do not be so pompous to assume that I or anyone else have never worked with children or families in need. Those of us who have worked all across this country have a much broader view of the conditions and reasons behind the plight of the poor and for you to meld and blur the lines between the pigmentation of a persons skin and their socioeconomic condition is racist. For your information there are a great deal of financially poor families with not just one parent working, but two very hard working parents, many of them working more than one job, and still just barely getting by. We live in the richest country in the world and yet we are failing far too many, not because of the pigmentation of their skin, but because most politicians cow tail to big money and ideology rather than serve the American people.
The fact that anyone’s race ENTITLES them to anything disgusts me to my core. I heard everything from: People don’t like me because I’m red, white & blue to….don’t you think we deserve this because we’re blue, white & red and it’s sickening. I don’t know how many times I can say this, if people don’t like you….it maybe because you’re a palterer, untrustworthy and a JERK. The fact that you happen to be red, white & blue….just makes you a red, white & blue palterer, untrustworthy JERK. And for those who think they deserve anything they never EARNED…well you are worthless. The fact that you’re blue, white & red…just makes you a worthless person who happens to be blue, white & red. Are their systems in place to sustain people?....ABSOLUTELY and the more you allow it the longer it will continue..........SO SPEAK UP, VOTE or SHUT UP.
Interesting... My neighbor has a pretty bad case of MS and collects SS and Medicaid benefits he never actually "earned" from a lifetime of work. He is also given a live in nurse that probably runs the taxpayers about $90-110K per yr. Does your blunt assessment of welfare recipients apply to him as well?
Northwest Philly's lack of diversity is a selling point to some and a burden to others. We moved here despite of the lack of other cultures and what those cultures brought to other neighborhoods, uniquely tempting eateries and grocers especially. Our willingness to lose that by moving here was a trade off for convenient access to the Schuylkill trail, Wissahickon Park, and being amongst and possibly residing in (someday) such elegant historical architecture. I do miss the diverse ethnic cuisine and food that was available available to us in lower Northeast Philly and Center City, but lower NE Philly is rapidly deteriorating as the city continues to use it as a dumping ground for displaced Section 8 residents removed from gentrifying neighborhoods. And Center City became too expensive and crowded. We like Roxborough, deeply ingrained racism and vanilla cuisine a grocers aside, but some proper Mexican, Brazilian, Ethiopian, Indian, or Vietnamese places similar to the wonderfully authentic Thai restaurant on Ridge would be an encouraging sign of the neighborhood's vitality and upward direction.
The concept that there are different races originated with Johann Blumenbach in Germany in 1776. He wanted to combat the notion that people who looked different, such as "Ethiopians" (i.e. black Africans), were not human persons at all, as many people believed a few hundred years ago. He proposed the idea that they were every bit as human as Europeans; they were simply other "races" of human beings. Everyone now agrees that people of all nationalities are human beings like everybody else. But now Blumenbach's concept of race is used for political exploitation, for the evil purpose of dividing people instead of uniting them as it was meant to be.
"wendy 8:44 am on Sunday, February 24, 2013 [comment taken from article in regards to the plan to build a Wendy's on Rox Ave] ...coupled with the influx of displaced high school students will impact the neighborhood in a very negative way. My husband and I are local business owners, we choose to have our business in Roxborough because it is a terrific area. It is heartbreaking to see a great neighborhood overtaken in such a negative way by outside interests, while the residents have zero say in what happens to a place where their families have lived for generations." http://roxborough.patch.com/articles/bunting-house-to-become-a-wendy-s