Unexpected Discovery

Tom Couri

On a blistering hot Tuesday morning Team Woodlawn took the Cottage Grove bus south to the Woodlawn’s commercial district, the intersection of 63^rd Street and Cottage Grove. Longtime community activists told us of the businesses and establishments that radiated from this intersection decades ago, but even today many shops can still be found. Our goal was simple: enter several grocery stores, observe the type of foods sold in the store, and note the way these foods are advertised. I expected a simple, fun activity that would highlight the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in Woodlawn grocery stores, and also to be bombarded with chips and soda advertisements (not only in Woodlawn, either—almost any store barring groceries specializing in fruits and vegetables will be the same. They have to make a profit after all). And we did encounter all of that, with the exception of Aldi. What surprised me most, however, were the employees.

Out of the several grocery stores we visited, almost all of the employees were Arabs. I noticed this in the first store, and as we were leaving I spoke with three of the employees. They were astonished that I could speak Arabic, and I asked them where they were from and how the business was. They told me that Arabs owned many of the stores around this part of Woodlawn. In the next two stores, once again, the employees were Arabs. In the latter shop I spoke with the employees, and after learning we lived near the same part of Amman, Jordan, they wouldn’t let me leave without showing me typical Arab hospitality and giving me something free.

The rest of the day I was thinking about the issue of a small minority owning many of the businesses in a largely homogenous community, or if it was even an issue at all. Is the money spent in the stores re-invested in the community? What is the relationship like between the two different peoples? Do the Arabs feel part of the Woodlawn community? I didn’t spend enough time talking to people or learning about the situation to discover the answers. Hopefully in the future I will.