A Hidden Community

My hometown on Long Island is a predominantly white and relatively wealthy neighborhood. The demographics of the town have remained the same over the years, which I have noticed firsthand based on my observations in high school. Though most residents live in the area near the school, students from a community just 5 minutes away also attend the schools in the district. This community, Spinney Hill, is where my work this summer has been focused, and it is a historically black enclave formed around a church. In the 20th century, its residents were not welcomed in the neighboring villages and schools. Later on, they were permitted to enter the community, but the decades of separation has resulted in a lack of interaction and understanding between the two communities to this day. For example, in school, students from Spinney Hill do not intermingle much with the rest of the student body and vice versa. These students are behind in their education, come from underprivileged backgrounds, and lack the resources for their success. Through my work so far, I have been able to make connections with the students and the counselors, most of which come from the area; this has been an immensely rewarding experience for me, to connect with members in my community who I’ve never gotten the chance to meet. Moreover, it has shown me that by bridging the gap between community members and hidden communities, greater empathy and mutual growth can be achieved. I hope that my community can take steps towards integrating itself more fully in the future, and I hope that my work this summer can propel this change to happen, even if it’s a small step forward.