The New Bostonians

Despite the many differences between the immigrant groups I studied, common themes united all of them. Every immigrant group faced tremendous racial discrimination and systemic obstacles to success in Boston, and showed an equally tremendous resiliency and hopefulness to push through those obstacles. Boston has always been a city with deeply-rooted racial barriers, many of which—policies of segregation, housing, and “urban renewal”—have left lasting constraints on where new immigrants can live, where they can send their children to school, what goods they can buy, and who they can elect. Despite Boston’s progressive history, these issues persist as an ugly reminder of how universal prejudice can be.

The evolution of immigrant neighborhoods share many common features. Gentrification and redevelopment have challenged all of these immigrants’ abilities to build lasting communities in one place. Violence within immigrant communities has scarred all of the communities I explored. Additionally, violence between immigrant communities also exists. However, strong community organizing groups and civic leaders have emerged across these communities at the same time, providing resources, mutual support, and solidarity for neighbors from other immigrant nations. Eventually, spaces where people were once relegated become spaces where people are celebrated, and vacant lots turn to playgrounds, and wellsprings of culture become oceans of people bound by heritage and place.

Today, Boston’s City Hall no longer pitches urban renewal projects that displace residents and replace them with warehouses or flashy corporate office buildings. Redevelopment and housing have become primary concerns for a Planning and Development Agency now focused on equitable access for immigrants. Boston’s Chief of Economic Development, John Barros, is the son of Cape Verdean immigrants (and a BC High alum). Yet issues such as gentrification and skyrocketing housing prices still persist, making it harder for immigrants to put down lasting roots in the City. The future of ethnic squares, business districts, and affordable apartments remain uncertain as large developers move in and immigrants move out.

Another aspect of Boston’s history has been instrumental in sustaining Boston’s status as a city of immigrants for centuries: the triple-decker home. Triple-deckers have been key to helping immigrants find affordable housing since the first Irish and Italian settlers came to Boston, and offer new immigrants a chance to become landowners, to pay off mortgages by renting the other two floors, and ultimately, to boost their economic status in the city. Living in triple decker homes has been a common experience for immigrants in Boston across ethnic, cultural, and generational lines.

In Chinatown, one of the oldest ethnic neighborhoods in Boston, thriving businesses and nonprofits have overcome the gangs that long ago embezzled money from business owners. Violence within the tight-knit Cape Verdean community can be tragic when family members attack each other, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cape Verdean restaurant Nos Casa partnered with local non-profits to offer free meals to struggling families within the community. Haitians and Dominicans have historically had tense relations on the island, but in Boston, Haitian and Dominican artists from the Hyde Square Task Force partnered to create art seeking solidarity between the two groups. These are just a few examples of the resiliency and strength that can be drawn from strong cultural ties.

All of these immigrant groups have struggled with institutional oppression, violence within their own communities, and relationships with other immigrants. Each of these barriers are complex, but together, these groups are overcoming such obstacles to bring forth the vision of a truly Greater Boston: one that celebrates diversity and unites people of all backgrounds as one Boston.

Begley Bibliography