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In order to investigate and begin a dialogue about this significant difference in outcomes between the haves and have-nots, www.BlackBottom.org seeks to recreate the change that happened in Philadelphia neighborhoods, such as Fairmount, through a different perspective then the traditional, established history. This perspective seeks to give voice to the neighborhood citizen that is seldom, if ever, heard and even less often published or documented. It also seeks to dig beneath the typical headlines or trends of any one time period to give a broader view of history. We believe that this unique view reveals a story of struggle that is replayed daily in neighborhoods not only across Philadelphia, but also across the country, and the world. This is the struggle of the citizen against the overwhelming, and often otherwise-concerned choices of influential decision makers and institutions. Fairmount has been taken over by developers, and left vacant by eminent domain. Based around the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmount has changed from an area of immigrant workers of strong families, to an area decimated by poverty, to an area taken advantage of by developers and the wealthy that pushed out decades of family legacies.
The “Neighborhood of Fairmount,” a website dedicated to historical and tourist information, introduces viewers to its home page with a description of the area:
Fairmount combines the rich tradition of a neighborhood built by immigrants with the diversity of today’s modern cosmopolitan community
The site, which can be found at www.fairmountonline.com goes on to note the neighborhood’s location and traditional boundaries:
Fairmount is a neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania situated just northwest of Center City… Named for the hill upon which the Philadelphia Museum of Art stands, Fairmount is just north of the museum, It borders the Benjamin Franklin Parkway… and Fairmount Park in the west and south, with Girard College and Poplar Street to the north. The eastern boundary is officially 22″d Street, but many residents
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