Being A Better Tourist In Brooklyn, New York

 Historically, neighborhoods like Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens, and The Bronx have been the home to Black folks. Over the years, due to gentrification, these areas have become too expensive for Black people to reside. For example, the gap between rental agreements in Manhattan versus Brooklyn used to be $ 1, 000, but now that gap is a mere $ 171. This is to say that the cost of living in historically black neighborhoods has gone up exponentially! 

Gentrification is insidious, particularly where it disenfranchises systematically disadvantaged communities. Generally speaking, people aren’t opposed to their communities improving or people visiting the area. However, to avoid being a tourist with the demeanor of a colonizer, integrating into the spirit and culture of a community makes all of the difference when visiting various communities. 

For example, in line with AFROPUNK values, AFROPUNK Brooklyn attendees should be harmonizing with the essence of Brooklyn. To assist in this effort, we’ve curated a short list of things to remember!

Respect the bodega owner and their pets

Bodegas are integral to communities in New York. If you ever watched Law & Order, you would have noticed that bodega shopkeepers often knew the community intimately. While the TV series is a dramatization of what happens in real life, this part was true. A bodega isn’t a mere convenience store in the way non-New Yorkers would understand them. Regardless of your understanding, the shopkeepers are meaningful to their communities. 

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AFROPUNK is more than a festival, it’s a celebration of life, music, food, and culture in the Black community. 
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