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THROWBACK THURSDAY: WHEN ‘DIVERSITY WAS THE DEFAULT SETTING’

February 12, 2015 | 11:10 PM - Updated on March 13, 2015 | 12:04 AM
in COLUMNS, HISTORY
16

It’s Throwback Thursday, when Upper West Siders and formers UWSers send in their photos of life in the nabe back in the day. Today’s contribution is from Simone Farber, who gave us permission to post this photo taken in Central Park around 1977. She’s the little girl in the blue shorts and headband in the front.

throwback thursday simone

“Something that keeps coming to mind in view of the horrible murders in North Carolina and the impending SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage…the diversity of our UWS community is something I took so much for granted that it took me many years to realize so many Americans didn’t grow up with it. I have a black mom and a Jewish dad. My building had Holocaust survivors, gay couples, celebrities and more than a few mixed race families. We shopped at markets run by Koreans and my mom used to buy cloth from a shop run by Orthodox Jews. We ate at Chinese and health food and Italian restaurants. When you grew up here diversity was the default setting, and it has carried through my entire life. Not that NYC was paradise–we know there was and still is racial and economic strife–but to see the rest of the country convulsing over things I took so much for granted still amazes me.”

To participate in Throwback Thursday, please send us a photo, preferably by email to westsiderag@gmail.com. The subject line of the email should be “Throwback Thursday.” In the email include the photo and a brief description of who is in it and where it’s taken and when.

The best way to send an older photo, if you don’t have your images scanned, is to scan them into your computer or take a photo of the photo with a phone or digital camera. We’re not looking for perfect clarity, just a good sense of the image and some information. If this isn’t an option email us and we’ll figure out how to get a digital version of the image. (And yes, we’ll even accept photos from after 2000.)

Check out our other Throwback Thursday posts here.

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16 Comments
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Patty Lakin Koenigsberg
Patty Lakin Koenigsberg
8 years ago

WOW! I spotted Simone immediately. I was her second grade teacher and hope we can touch base. I’d love to give her a hug!

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Reply
Simone Farber
Simone Farber
8 years ago
Reply to  Patty Lakin Koenigsberg

Miss Koenigsberg!! Helloooo!!!

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Reply
Patty Lakin Koenigsberg
Patty Lakin Koenigsberg
8 years ago
Reply to  Simone Farber

Dearest Simone: I loved seeing you as a wonderful munchkin and would love to connect and give you that promised hug. My email is patty@patricialakin.com. I’d love to connect with you and find out what you’re up to. Hugs via email!

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Martha
Martha
8 years ago

My thanks go to the West Side Rag for the series, to Simone Farber both for the terrific photo and the touching comment, and to the teacher who responded. Just when you think the neighborhood isn’t a neighborhood any more, you get this glorious trio of inspiring contributions, reminding us that communities need memories to stay alive.

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Don Price
Don Price
8 years ago

Love this article and only wish I had a photo to send…

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Reply
se
se
8 years ago

I,too, was born and raised on the UWS. I greatly miss those years of true economic and racial diversity. The UWS (and Manhattan in general) is no longer at all diversified. Gentrification has destroyed the fabric of our once quirky, artsy, politically radical, slighty sleezy and dangerous world that we loved. There are barely any real New Yorkers left. It is, unfortunately, no longer unique or even nice. So very sad….

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Reply
Bruce Bernstein
Bruce Bernstein
8 years ago
Reply to  se

Se, i think you’re really hitting on something true. everything is about money now. you encapsulated what has been lost in a few poignant words.

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Lisa
Lisa
8 years ago
Reply to  se

Very true and very sad.

Photos are a lovely reminder.

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Reply
webot
webot
8 years ago
Reply to  Lisa

GREAT Pic Simone and great posting!
I am around the same age too.

Se and Lisa – its nice to look back, but it was hardly Mayberry back then. Do you walk the streets and take the subways? Plenty if not more diversity now then ever. Personally I have more friends and interaction with folks of various backgrounds now then I ever did back then.
1977 was also summer of the Blackout (Google image for a refresher of what that was like).
I recall a posting here a while ago of memories of someone’s family appliance store being looted on Bway.
After the looting (or maybe before?) a walk down broadway at night was met with rows of forbidding graffiti covered riot gates. Not the case anymore.

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Mark
Mark
8 years ago
Reply to  webot

The graffiti never left.

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Reply
ursus arctos
ursus arctos
8 years ago

This has made my week.

Thank you, Mss. Farber and Koeningsberg (and what a great name for a teacher who has clearly bridged the generations).

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Reply
Judy
Judy
8 years ago

This is so, so, nice.

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Reply
DMH
DMH
8 years ago

Awwwwwwwwwwww…

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Reply
Terri
Terri
8 years ago

So heartwarming! It is something we desperately need to get back to–some semblance of unity and care for one another.

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Reply
Sean
Sean
8 years ago
Reply to  Terri

Tell that to your 401K.

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Reply
Edy
Edy
8 years ago

This is a lovely idea for posts and I really like this photo and Simone’s write up on her childhood experience with diversity. It is very New York.

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Reply

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