Urban Renewal in June Jordan’s His Own Where
Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name
Dr. Steven Engel
Proposal Track
Student
Session Format
Paper Presentation
Abstract
His Own Where, June Jordan’s poetic novel for adolescents, was considered upon its publication to be controversial, due to the fact that it was written entirely in Black English. In schools where it wasn’t banned or discouraged, it was used as a corrective grammar activity. However, as the title suggests, His Own Where is not just about race and language, but about place.
Jordan’s novel is not just revolutionary in its attack on the privileging of Standard English, but also in the radical vision of urban renewal it presents. Jordan, a celebrated poet and socio-political activist, was also an avid student of architecture. She asserted a firm belief that the structure, appearance, and organization of space directly correlates to the psychological and emotional health of its inhabitants.
This philosophy led to her collaboration with Buckminster Fuller, an innovative architect, inventor, and designer. Jordan argued that the layout of Black Harlem not only divided it from the up-and-coming, trendy areas being revitalized in the Sixties, but psychologically paralyzes them. The current layout prohibited any mobility in social and economic class, fractured homes and communities, and removed a sense of identity or agency.
Of the qualities of Harlem’s structure, Jordan most abhorred the grid-layout: “Rigidly flat land is ruled by rectilinear form. This crisscrossing pattern too often becomes a psychological crucifixion” (“Letter to R. Buckminster Fuller” 298). In addition, she criticized the lack of green space available to citizens, especially the division from the Hudson River and the lack of productive, fertile, garden areas which could provide both sustenance and a sense of productivity. The division between White/wealthy and Black/poor was a major point of contention for Jordan. The discrimination behind this segregation was not just ideological, but reinforced by the physical environment of the city.
Although it was disregarded by many as a novelty utopian dream, “Skyrise for Harlem,” the plan published by Jordan and Fuller, strived to create a more equalitarian lifestyle for the community of Harlem, improving the standard of living for its Black citizens. The wildly ambitious plan, while never realized in Harlem, comes to fruition in His Own Where. Buddy’s struggle with the fear of the streets and the very real dangers they present, along with his discontent with his neighborhood and recognition of racial disparity, reflect the daily struggle of Black Harlem. As he renovates his father’s home, revives his community, and eventually runs away with his girlfriend to start an entirely new way of life, Jordan’s dreams for a new Harlem is achieved.
Keywords
June Jordan, Urban renewal, Architecture, Literature, Race
Award Consideration
1
Location
Room 2905
Presentation Year
2014
Start Date
11-15-2014 11:05 AM
End Date
11-15-2014 12:05 PM
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Oliver, E. Feagin, "Urban Renewal in June Jordan’s His Own Where" (2014). Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (2014-2015). 72.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gurc/2014/2014/72
Urban Renewal in June Jordan’s His Own Where
Room 2905
His Own Where, June Jordan’s poetic novel for adolescents, was considered upon its publication to be controversial, due to the fact that it was written entirely in Black English. In schools where it wasn’t banned or discouraged, it was used as a corrective grammar activity. However, as the title suggests, His Own Where is not just about race and language, but about place.
Jordan’s novel is not just revolutionary in its attack on the privileging of Standard English, but also in the radical vision of urban renewal it presents. Jordan, a celebrated poet and socio-political activist, was also an avid student of architecture. She asserted a firm belief that the structure, appearance, and organization of space directly correlates to the psychological and emotional health of its inhabitants.
This philosophy led to her collaboration with Buckminster Fuller, an innovative architect, inventor, and designer. Jordan argued that the layout of Black Harlem not only divided it from the up-and-coming, trendy areas being revitalized in the Sixties, but psychologically paralyzes them. The current layout prohibited any mobility in social and economic class, fractured homes and communities, and removed a sense of identity or agency.
Of the qualities of Harlem’s structure, Jordan most abhorred the grid-layout: “Rigidly flat land is ruled by rectilinear form. This crisscrossing pattern too often becomes a psychological crucifixion” (“Letter to R. Buckminster Fuller” 298). In addition, she criticized the lack of green space available to citizens, especially the division from the Hudson River and the lack of productive, fertile, garden areas which could provide both sustenance and a sense of productivity. The division between White/wealthy and Black/poor was a major point of contention for Jordan. The discrimination behind this segregation was not just ideological, but reinforced by the physical environment of the city.
Although it was disregarded by many as a novelty utopian dream, “Skyrise for Harlem,” the plan published by Jordan and Fuller, strived to create a more equalitarian lifestyle for the community of Harlem, improving the standard of living for its Black citizens. The wildly ambitious plan, while never realized in Harlem, comes to fruition in His Own Where. Buddy’s struggle with the fear of the streets and the very real dangers they present, along with his discontent with his neighborhood and recognition of racial disparity, reflect the daily struggle of Black Harlem. As he renovates his father’s home, revives his community, and eventually runs away with his girlfriend to start an entirely new way of life, Jordan’s dreams for a new Harlem is achieved.
