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The Importance of Community:

Everyone wants to feel like they belong. Since early history, people have organized themselves into groups, and even today people will often go out of their way to ensure a sense of belonging. But, it’s not always easy to accomplish this. How would one manage to form a community if, for example, they were in a foreign place? Immigrants often find themselves having to find or create communities based on common ties, such as religion or family. We often treasure the gifts we receive from family and friends, but why? Objects often have deep ties to the context from which they were created. They can serve as a reminder of the people, cultures and communities that they represent.

Immigrants and Building Community:

The blankets were made for Rebecca Neri by her grandmother, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. Having made similar pairs of blankets for her cousins, Rebecca’s grandmother made a pair for her in different colors. In her account, she attributes part of her love for the blanket to the work her grandmother put into it. Among many immigrant families, elders play an important role in their families’ lives. In the secondary source, case studies were done on numerous immigrant elders, four of whom were from Mexico. The study denotes that immigrant elders often have active roles as caregivers towards their kin. This contrasts with American elders, who often play more passive roles, enjoying the company of their families but acting as care recipients rather than caregivers. Furthermore, Rebecca notes that her grandmother’s house was a source of community for her family, as she and her relatives would often meet there. The trend of immigrant elders having active roles in their kin’s lives reflects the work Rebecca’s grandmother put into making the blankets, and how her house was a source of community for a large part of the extended family.

Additionally, the idea of community is emphasized in a series of interviews with Latino Hoosiers, who emphasize belonging and what immigrants do to establish it. When first arriving in the U.S., Rebecca’s grandmother needed to establish a community in some way and was able to do so through connecting her family. Within the interviews, Latino Hoosier immigrants share similar goals, with many discussing their lives, immigration and involvement in Latino communities. While not all involve themselves with family, the interviews give insight into another major form of community—churches. Through religion, many immigrants are able to connect to each other and establish tight-knit communities through shared personal beliefs.

Community in American Society:

The tight-knit community formed in churches isn’t exclusive to immigrant communities. Within the U.S., black churches are often major parts of their communities. Therese Smith notes a consensus that the church is the crux of the black community, and further observes that the churches promote this idea themselves through their songs’ lyrics. The black church provides a social community, and Smith notes that the church becomes the main social focus of many members’ lives. This suggests that familial bonds are something establishing by providing for others, even if they aren’t related by blood. Among the items Rebecca Neri brought in was a cross. This religious icon establishes that the church has a major role in the community and culture of Latino immigrants.

Gifts as a Means of Building Community:

The use of gifts can help establish memories of the time they were received. In Rebecca’s case, the blanket allowed her to reminisce on the time she spent with her grandmother while the latter was making it. However, not everyone was able to build communities with their families or traditions. One primary source is an image depicting Japanese children, who were moved to a relocation center during Japanese internment, receiving a Christmas tree from a merchant. While both the merchant and Rebecca’s grandmother established community, they did so in different contexts. Despite these differences, however, the use of gifts in both contexts brought people closer together, and promoted strong memories of the times they came from.

From the Contributor

One of the things that I miss about her is that I would go to her house every Sunday and we would just have coffee and eat bread and just talk about life. And this is what she—a lot of the time—she would be doing at the table and we’d be sitting there. If I could bring that table, I would’ve brought that table.

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