Kozol- Amazing Grace (Revisited)

In his article "Amazing Grace" Jonathan Kozol tells us about his experience in Mott Haven the people he met there, and the conditions in which they live.  He tells us about the disease, poverty and neglect they live through in order to show us the clear lack of attention and disrespect they are given by those in positions of power who have the ability to help, but dont.  Poor people staying poor and rich people getting richer keeps the system of poverty and racism in place. Kozol shows us this system with examples of how many people didn't get proper medical care and were born into a world of racism and poverty, and how most of them didn't have the resources to get away from this environment.  "Racism and poverty are systematic problems, not individual ones."

“3,000 homeless families have been relocated by the city in this neighborhood during the past few years, and she asks a question I will hear from many other people here during the months ahead. ‘Why do you want to put so many people with small children in a place with so much sickness? This is the last place in New York that they should put poor children. Clumping so many people, all with the same symptoms and same problems, in one crowded place with nothin' they can grow on? Our children start to mourn themselves before their time.’” (11)

“’If poor people behaved rationally," says Lawrence Mead, a professor of political science at New York University, "they would seldom be poor for long in the first place.”’(21)

‘"Evil exists," he says, not flinching at the word. "I believe that what the rich have done to the poor people in this city is something that a preacher could call evil. Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people-that is my idea of evil.”’ (23)

"I saw a boy shot in the head right over there," he said a moment later, in a voice that does not sound particularly sad (6)

‘"I don't know how sick you have to be to qualify for SSI. My girlfriend died from AIDS in March. She never did get SSI. After she died, the checks began to come. “’ (20)

Some connections to other blogs:

In her blog, Nathali included this video, or one similar to it and i thought it gave a good visual of the area Kozol's article took place.

In her blog, Cindy includes connections to her own life, and how her family was from the bronx and some of her family still lives there, but how her parents moved her family to a different area.

Alyssa included a picture in her blog that I also had in mine of the St. Annes Church that many children and families went to as a sort of sanctuary away from the dangers of the streets in the city.  

In her blog, Karissa includes her thoughts about the religion of the people of Mott Haven "One thing I would like to bring up in class is some of these families go to church every weekend and have God in their life. I think their lifestyle is very hard and I am proud of these people for always believing in God and trusting him along their way. I think the children believe more in him because they do not know how bad their life really is compared to their parents. "

Mike included a link to the local newspaper of Mott Haven in his blog post that I liked because it showed some progress and I also liked that it made this all much more real, that this was a real place with real struggles that they need to overcome.