Instituting White Space: Racialized Access to Public Space in a New Immigrant Settlement

• In Event: 148 - Regular Session. Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Abstract

Emplaced in a brown neighborhood where Latina/os and migrant groups spatially concentrate on the eastside of Springdale, Arkansas, The Jones Center for Families (JCF) offered a space of inclusion for local residents before an entrance fee system was instituted in 2008. This paper examines how the implementation of membership dues and entrance fees at the recreation center affects the participation of Latina/os and migrant groups to the extent that the recreation center transformed from an open-access public space into a white space. Using qualitative data collected throughout Northwest Arkansas, this study documents how Latina/os and migrant groups respond to the entrance fee system at JCF by looking at their available options for recreation when met with restrictions accessing the white space.

Author

• Aaron Arredondo, University of Missouri