By Isiah Christie
Jersey City, much like its sister New York City, is a representation of America’s diversity. In fact, it is ranked as the most diverse city in the United States by many research efforts and censuses, and has maintained that status for several years dating back to 2017. But that raises the question – how did it become so diverse? What historical patterns have embedded the city with such rich culture?
The answer is simple – a mix of population density, embracing community and the division of local housing circumstances. Jersey City is the second-densest city in the state of New Jersey, and has experienced significant growth as a result of city initiatives to expand and improve the area, especially downtown. Jersey City’s greatest strength in renovation is its willingness to acknowledge locals and community staples instead of uprooting them. This is reflected in its diverse array of local establishments, namely restaurants, shops, and recreational locations. This is further amplified by their status as a sanctuary city, meaning they have strong efforts oriented around supporting the immigrant population and offer services to help them in their residency journeys. The city was in fact the first in the nation to offer free legal services to immigrants as part of the U.S. Department of Justice Recognition and Accreditation Program – this decision cemented their place as a national leader in immigrant support and recognition initiatives. Much of Jersey City’s services “focus on naturalization, which is a strong social indicator of health”, according to Health and Human Services Director Stacy Flanagan.
However, a questionable aspect of Jersey City’s diversity is that it is inherently segregated. The city suffers from township segregation, which is a byproduct of high-variance tax brackets and a steep difference in neighborhood quality. This often leads to unequal differences between neighborhood sectors in terms of demographics and living conditions, which is further echoed by locals’ desire to live near people similar to them culturally. While the sense of social comfort is understandable, it does translate to rough clashes between demographic groups and often trickles down into the education system, where schools often face similar issues with segregation.
As a result, Jersey City has to understand that while they are on the right track, they have political improvements to make that will ensure diversity is a byproduct of inclusion and progression, rather than the national cliche of deep-rooted segregated neighborhoods that often invite soft culture wars and misunderstandings of citizens different to themselves. This starts at the housing level, where affordable housing needs to be built in all kinds of neighborhoods to establish natural diversity not tied to economic hardship or vice versa. It’s a long-winded issue to tackle that runs far deeper than the city’s presentation of diversity, but it is a much – after all, Jersey City is a hot commodity nationally and wants to maintain its image as thoroughly as possible.
