Hull House

Last week's tour of the Hull House was rather interesting, and I definitely enjoyed learning about the contributions Jane Addams and her colleagues made towards the community of immigrants living in Chicago.  I have heard of the Hull House in the past, but I had no idea how deeply woven the services Hull House offered to the community were.  I also did not know the extent of her work, but the museum provided many details of each individual's life that I was unaware of before our visit.

However, what I do not understand is why the Hull House was shut down so abruptly .  Hull House was doing an abundance of good for the community; the "staff" left the lives they were used to, and moved to an area full of immigrants to actually be with them, understand their needs and try to do something to help them.  They were there, experiencing things with them in order to make their lives just a little bit better.  Hull House made decisions that were not necessarily "giant leaps for man," but instead, they made decisions that would best benefit the people living there; they made decisions that were feasible for the community around them.

Creating a daycare for working men and women that needed to support their children, but could not watch them and work at the same time was the first step the Hull House took toward helping the community.  It was a project that could help and be put into effect immediately.  Children were cared for and were not left to wander the streets.  Soon after book clubs, art classes, weaving classes, a boys club, sewing and cooking classes for girls,  and lectures emerged at the Hull House.  Eventually, apartments were created for families that needed a place to stay, a play ground was built for children, and even the first public bath house was created thanks to Jane Addams and her colleagues.

Furthermore, Addams made sure that all the immigrants could come to Hull House and share their culture through art, cooking, talking, dancing, weaving and games.  She wanted to make sure that every ounce of their culture could be shared, lived, and most importantly, not forgotten - all while helping them to become a part of American society.

However helpful those at the Hull House were, though, it did not seem to be enough to gain notice from the city of Chicago as a whole.  Instead, the University of Chicago decided to completely undermine anything and everything Hull House was doing for the immediate population, and petitioned to build their new campus on the Hull House's property.

It seems to me that Chicago has no regard for its people, and only considers it's appearance.  It did not matter that Hull House was helping so many people and giving them programs and skills to help build a better life so far away from the homes they once knew.  The city of Chicago only wanted (s) beauty that will attract businessmen and tourists to bring money into the city.  I mean, look at Cabrini Green as well.  Fix the high rises and make Cabrini look pretty, all while pushing the less wealthy to the outskirts of the city - that way people won't see them when they come to visit.

Instilling the values of community and helping those around you just does not seem to matter anymore; it's all about profit. The cost it brings to the people that live there and their families is no longer a concern, and helping them is no longer a concern either. If you ask me, it is shameful to even think that we could turn our backs so easily for money and appearance.