Ethnic Identities

Jane Addams clearly had ethnic diversity in mind when establishing Hull House. It was meant to serve all people, regardless of what race they were. Looking at the map illustrating the different ethnic groups at Hull House, we can see that this endeavor was successful. While there were large sections of one ethnicity, there were still others interspersed throughout it and throughout the rest of the locations.

Having a place where all cultures could mingle together was most likely a response to the segregation found in Chicago and other parts of the country. The U.S. is still a "melting pot" nation, just as it was then. Different nationalities naturally clung together, and as a result were not exposed to people who might be different from them. Addams thought that learning from the experiences and intellect of other people was what made us whole as human beings, and so seeing a community where everyone kept to themselves probably looked particularly foolish to her. Having a place where everyone could be exposed to different cultures and learn from them was not only a way to keep racism, etc from developing, but was a way to help more people become the best they could be by learning from the experiences of different types of people.

We still see geographical segregation of different cultures, today, unfortunately. I come from a town not too far from Milwaukee, and there is a definite area there where only blacks live. If you are any other race, you are looked at funny for being in that area. There is also an area where Hispanics are the only people residing. Even in my little po-dunk town there is an area made up of several blocks where only Hispanic people live, and everyone knows where it is and that you don't live there unless you are Hispanic. This is truly unfortunate. Even overlooking any racism this situation might imply, there is no way for people to be exposed to other cultures if they are separated from one another. It is a situation that Jane Addams would clearly frown upon.