Latitude Disparity  in Bellerose

The medium for this piece was Microsoft Power Point drawing tools, I begin with a rough sketch of the perimeter of Bellerose, then filled it in with the notable variability in housing as you move northward through the town. Jericho Turnpike (the southern road) and Hillside Avenue (the northern road) appeared to work as literal boarders segregating the types of housing scattered through the town.  I want views to ponder the same question, of why does housing quality deteriorates with ones northward progress through Bellerose, and why do the main roads appear to act as barriers.  

This map was created using google map tools to add statistical values spatially across the schools of Bellerose.  After noting the housing variability per location in Bellerose (per map 1), this map primarily focuses on the racial makeup of the Bellerose schools. Additionally, I also chose to look at number of ELL’s, percent of economically disadvantaged, and expenditures of students to connect some of the potential result of the segregation through the town.  I also looked at proficiency scores of 5th and 8th grade science exams. I want any reader to ask why/how this segregation occurred, and how is it impacting public schools. 

Sounds & Songs of Bellerose

These sound maps were created using pen and paper. The X and arrow directly above the X indicate my location and the direction with which I was facing.  In the curation of both maps I was oriented northward; however both locations were positioned on opposite sides of town, one on the western side and one on the eastern side. After noting the segregation of the town in maps 1 and 2, I chose to see if there existed any differentiation between sounds on the eastern and western parts of town. I wanted to know if there was any form of longitudinal segregation throughout the town in addition to what I had already found. I chose to include how the noises sounded (rather than including images), this was chosen as to allow any outsider to feel the same way I did upon hearing noises. I along with any reader can make assumption about the noises and or languages which were heard, but the origin of all the sounds are technically unknown.  

Cartography Statement:

The above works explore the nature and nurture of the town of Bellerose in Queens, more specially it demonstrates an apparent segregation throughout the town. Noguera et al. (2020) argues that the ideas behind this urban segregation is quite literally drawn from the structure of the town, as main roadways and train stations act as the “physical barriers that keep poorer, non-white residents out, while also cutting them off basic services”. Both Bellerose Schools Insight (map 2), and Tough Being a Teen (map 4) demonstrate this idea vehemently. Additionally Sounds and Songs of Bellerose (map 3) also shows some form of difference in the language distinctions through eastern and western Bellerose; with more Asian and European languages in the west and more Indian and Arabic languages in the east. Our data driven map shows us that larger portions of students of color, and those who are economically disadvantaged, are in the north/northwestern portion of the town. On the other hand, schools with predominantly white children are on the southern portion of town. The towns structures quite literally align with Noguera et al. (2020)’s though process given the large majority of services which adolescence would enjoy (fast food, gyms, nail salons, comic bookshops, etc.) are located on the southernmost main road.

We do, however, need to consider being devil’s advocate before coming to a distinct conclusion. One may argue that given several of these schools are high schools, these children may have originated from anywhere within the burrows. Another may argue that the languages heard within those 10 minutes of the sound map (map 3) in western and eastern Bellerose were just by chance. However, Rothstein R. (2019), would argue against these rebuttals. In fact, they would likely argue that this specific school segregation is partially if not largely due in part to the racists housing practices (backed by the government) which occurred in the mid-20th century (Rothstein R, 2019). Thus, the idea that this apparent segregation which is occurring across the schools within Bellerose being just matter of coincidence is nothing more than a farce. Latitude Disparity in Bellerose (map 1) shows how such housing practices still permeate the landscape today. This map showcases once again that physical barriers (main roads) showcased within the piece aid in differentiating housing types. Houses towards the southern portion of town were newer and larger, towards the center of the town houses were smaller and older, and towards the northern portion of town apartment complexes were frequent and much older.  This directly correlates to the distributions of individuals of color vs white people, and economic disparity across the town showcased in Bellerose School Insights (map 2).

While the interwoven segregation and structural racism throughout the town of Bellerose is one side of the coin, it is also important to consider how this town looks from the point of reference of the students it caters to. How good is this town as a space for learning? While structurally Bellerose may be a rather mundane town with the notable exception of its proximity to the UBS Arena, this does not mean that learning cannot come from the town itself. Talylor and Phillips (2017) believe that “Informal settings offer a range of ways to become involved, collaborate, and to develop and distribute expertise. In addition, informal science contexts provide opportunities to try out and take ownership of new roles.”. If this is to be considered, then Bellerose remains a great place for such ideas of place-based learning. Bellerose – Full of STEAM (map 5) argues that regardless of location within the town, ideas surrounding STEAM are everywhere. This ranges from the variations of flora and fauna to the consistent direction of solar panels, to even the frequent and distinct signs of a dabbing dog asking you to not allow pets to poo or pee on vegetation. The town itself is filled to the brim with questions which make you wonder about how the physical structure of the town came to be, and not just the societal structure. It is however, also relevant to consider how this town can build towards improving the education that students receive. Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995) would argue that the use of this type of culturally relevant pedagogy relative to a towns community and culture is integral to ensuring students engaging critically with any form of curriculum.  This type of culturally responsive place-based learning allows us as educators to insert education within the culture of the students rather than the other way around (Ladson-Billings, 1995). This allows students to best think critically and reflect on how parts of their own lives came to be.

The curation of all these maps occurred through not only research through the New York State Education Department (map 2), but also through a physical walk to map the town of Bellerose itself (maps 1, 3, 4 and 5). The underlying goal of this walk was to determine how adolescence fits within the borders of Bellerose. The walk and path I took was ultimately intentional, but to curate the path I had to think like a teenager. Shlain et al. (2024), describes teenagers as explorers looking to discover about themselves and the world around them. As such, the path taken consisted of twofold, locations where transportation occurs (either bus stops or train stations), and the passage of several schools. Both allow students to explore, either literally or figuratively. A similar ideology was used for the locations of the Sounds and Songs of Bellerose (map 3), the train stations acted as a place to explore New York. However, based on the findings of my data driven map (map 2) I also wanted to see if an east to west segregation also existed within the town. So naturally, in the easter portions of Bellerose I decided that there was no better cultural melting pot where teens hung out than Taco Bell.

So why choose Bellerose for this activity? My choice mainly aligned with my mother upbringing within Bellerose on 256th Street and between 82nd and 83rd Drive. My mother had always discussed her town with a lot of diversity but few white people. By technicality she was right, Bellerose is a town with a diverse population. However, she was also VERY wrong. The white population of Bellerose (especially within its education) remains on the south side of town near the train station. Funnily enough after having a conversation with my mother about my findings she noted that she never really went to that side of town, which likely caused part of this skewed view. Additionally, while there is a diverse make up within Bellerose all five of these maps of these maps point us towards the idea. Bellerose is a town with extreme segregation built up over years of structural and political discourse, and yet the town remains an excellent location for which place based learning can thrive for adolescence

Refrences:

• Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But That’s Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. But That’s Just Good Teaching! The Case fir Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. https://theavarnagroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/But-thats-just-good-teaching.pdf 

• Noguero, P. A., & Alicea, J. A. (2020, October 26). Structural Racism and the Urban Geography of Education . Structural Racism and the Urban Geography of Education. https://kappanonline.org/structual-racism-urban-geography-education-noguera-alicea/ 

• NYSED. (2024). Nysed Data site. NY STATE DATA. https://data.nysed.gov/ 

• Rothstein, R. (2019, January 22). The myth of de facto segregation . Schooling in segregated America: The myth of de facto segregation . https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0031721719827543 

• Steele, S., & Traig, J. (2024). The Teen Brain. Tiffany Shlain’s Let it Ripple Studio. Retrieved from https://www.letitripple.org/teen-brain-questions. 

• Taylor, K. H., & Phillips, N. C. (2017). Place-based and Place-conscious STEAM Pedagogy. https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-out-of-school-learning/chpt/placemaking