Newburgh and the Importance of Community
The rich and the poor. The fortunate and the struggling. The white and the minority. The helped and the unassisted. All in their own universes, mingling amongst themselves. A perpetual duality seems to occupy this town -- a juxtaposition of two different types of people with different styles of life. It is not to be thought of as a divide, but rather like a fusion of the black and white in a yin and yang.
This is what diversity is, and this is what Newburgh is; it is like a cooking pot filled with various spices and vegetables and herbs and meats. Behind everyone is a story; some have positive relics stored in the safes of their mind -- stories of wonderful experiences within the Newburgh community -- but others see their past as dark as midnight in the countryside when there are no lights and the clouds cover the shine of the moon and the world is quiet -- as quiet as they remain. Everyone is different, but to some degree, everyone is the same.
All nestled into a 5 square mile town latching onto the edges of the Hudson. All a part of a town that Washington resided in. All a part of a town that was once so glorified, yet now neglected and seen with so much condescension. Amidst this all, all having a distinguishable grit -- a determination to make a bad situation better and a toughness to get through rough times.
Newburgh is like a sunny park covered by towering trees. It is a bright place with deep roots, but so often it is overshadowed -- crime, unaddressed poverty, racial tensions, and poor education block the sunlight from hitting the surface. It is like a flower that is budding in the spring but is then stumped by an unforeseen snowfall. What was once such a promising area has been left to crumple into itself.
It is the aforementioned grittiness, collectively, that keeps this town afloat above the vast banks of the Hudson. Newburgh has had indelible impacts on me as a person. It has forced me to always have a chip on my shoulder, to appreciate my fortune, and to embrace diversity. Communities impact their members just as much as members impact their communities, but much more subliminally perhaps.
Newburgh is, and will always be my base. It defines me. It stays with me. It will never leave me, just as I will never leave it. A community is where your heart is, and Newburgh will always have a piece of my heart.
