Seeing Farmington Drive Through a New Lens

          In my Race and Urban Space class, I had an assignment that asked me to explore how inclusion and exclusion are shown in the built environment. I had to take a tour of an urban space and document through pictures. Being myself, I took the bus to the west end of Hartford. I got off at the headquarters of Aetna, walked up Farmington Drive to Sisson Avenue and then turned around. This class has emphasized how cities aren't just natural and that they are shaped by decisions that we make so I was on a journey to see it first-hand.

Here are some of those photos: 

This place is for an organization of parents who came together to create an after-school program because they weren't happy with the ones that were available for their kids. At first glance, the house looks welcoming. What made it exclusive was the sign saying Organized Parents Make a Difference. This really bothered me since some kids have parents who have to juggle so much that they can't be part of groups like this, even if they are concerned about their kids and the lack of after-school care.

Lions guard this apartment building as if saying, if you don't live here you better leave.

 This is the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Museum. It's such a wonderful place! Like everyone else, I read Uncle Tom's Cabin and cried my eyes out. As society, we should try to make these places less expensive so everyone can enjoy them and admire where people who made history lived.

   

St. John's Cathedral on Farmington Drive. It's Jesus extending his hands. While the church might seem excluding for some, it's always been somewhere that I've felt welcomed and able to pursue the things that I want while getting the support for it.

Lastly, I saw Hartford Public High School. I relearned that it's the second oldest school in the nation. For me, it represented the idea that we have that about public education includes everyone and provides opportunities for all students to succeeded.