Just the other day I was visiting with my grandmother and some of her friends. Every time we thumbed to a page with a photo of the Maxwell Street area, one of the women would excitedly point to the place where she used to shop, or go to Temple, or would break into stories of youth and coming up Jewish in the Maxwell Street area. I had a wonderful afternoon visiting with these older ladies, and I learned something about myself. What these women did was more than reminisce, they were creating continuity, and transmitting to me, a woman of 26, collective memory and a sense of place. The importance of continuity cannot be underscored enough.
Identity is based in large measure on place.
It is not just the Jews of Chicago who have a connection to this area, but also African Americans, Mexicans, Asians, and Italians, to name just a few groups. It is also a place where many people were able to get a foothold into the economy. It is surprising to me that a place which is a testimony to the American Dream would be demolished. During the CIC Traveling Scholar's Conference which took place on our campus in November, a friend of mine visited from University of Michigan. We got together and I asked him what he would like to see in Chicago.