The looming specter of gentrification
In the shadow of gentrification, however, economic diversity – and justice –
seem far less assured. The hard work of the immigrants who animate “In Jackson Heights” is not, by itself, enough to ensure their future in New York City.
The immigrant workers in Jackson Heights face not just the kind of chiseling
bosses that could be found in sweatshops a century ago, but the new challenges
of globalization and gentrification. Where the LGBT movement could change
the neighborhood by gaining political power and changing attitudes, it’s clear
that addressing the economic inequalities that bedevil immigrants will require
even more elusive structural changes on a citywide, regional, national – and
even international – scale.
Of course, no single neighborhood is New York City in microcosm. A film
about another part of the city – southeast Queens, for example, with its large
African-American communities – might be able to say more about the racism
that continues to blight African-American urban life.
Nevertheless, by looking closely at one neighborhood, Wiseman has revealed
some large and important truths about the many ways in which immigration,
in all its human diversity, is creating a new United States of America.
Contrary to Jefferson’s concerns, these New Yorkers have more than enough
energy to support themselves without falling into dependency. In their meetings
and events, they tend to the public life of a democracy with energy and care.
Their labor sustains the city and the nation’s economy.
When “In Jackson Heights” closes with the elevated number 7 subway speeding
toward Manhattan as fireworks burst overhead, it seems that the urban future of
the American dream is in good hands – as long as the people of Jackson Heights
don’t get priced out.