"I was surprised by the diversity"

Ashleigh is from Boston.

Ashleigh was born and raised in Boston, and still lives there today. She currently works for a publishing company. She left the city to attend college and briefly lived in New York City and Virginia before returning in 2010. She has traveled to various countries in Europe, and visited Dortmund in April this year.

…diversity in Boston:
"Boston is incredibly diverse, and I believe Boston proper is only 50% white.  Boston is also known for its queer-friendly neighborhoods, which we take pride in. One reason for its diversity is because it’s an educational hub and people come from all over the world to attend our universities and colleges. At the same time, Boston is still segregated in certain neighborhoods. Although there are multicultural neighborhoods, there are still certain areas that are still predominately white, black, etc.  With gentrification, I’ve seen a places shift because low-income families or minorities are pushed out because of urban redevelopment." 

…multiculturalism:
"When I read the word multiculturalism on your blog for the first time, I felt taken back in time to the early 90’s when people talked about it a lot. It embraces so much, like different lifestyles and different cultural backgrounds."

…multiculturalism in Europe and Dortmund:
"What I noticed first when I visited Europe was the number of African immigrants, especially when I visited Italy in 2003.  From the outside there seemed to be these insular communities, which I also saw in Dortmund when I came to visit. But I also saw non-immigrant German people of color. I was surprised by the diversity in Dortmund, especially because when you think of Germany the stereotypical notion of a nation of blond hair and blue-eyed people comes up.  But it was nice to see different Turkish and African communities."

Interview by Marie Denecke