The Landscape as We (Don't) See It: Economic Realities of Newport News

TJ Bartakke and Ross McClintock

For our photo essay showing the political-economic landscapes of Newport News, we chose to highlight the economic realities of the city. We noticed that the residents of the more affluent areas have access to better schools, roads, parks, and general services. The residents of the more economically downtrodden areas had far inferior public services in comparison. To designate economic status, we photographed an average house (for that neighborhood). So for a more affluent neighborhood the house was more upscale and well kept than the house we chose for a less well off neighborhood.

What we found in during the creation of our essay was that the services provided to those in a better off neighborhood were far superior to the services of those less financially secure. To highlight this, we first stopped off at the Mariner’s Museum and Mariner’s Museum Park. The museum and park are privately funded, yet open to the public. The economic reality of the Park and Museum’s location geographically segregate it from most of the city as it’s in the back of the University which dissuades casual visitors. Many citizens are simply unable to travel so far out of their way during their schedules to enjoy the park and Museum (which costs money to enter). Also, we looked at the roads and schools available to those of financial influence, and for that we examined Hilton Elementary and the roads in front of the school which were well kept and maintained.

When we went downtown looking at the other side of the equation we noticed a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial off of Jefferson. However unlike the secluded Mariner’s Museum, this memorial was right in the middle of various businesses and construction with a barbershop immediately next to it. Later as we travelled to King-Lincoln Park and 6^th street we noticed the park wasn’t as lush and full of foliage as Mariner’s Museum Park was (though the Mariner’s Museum Park is privately funded). Also, 6^th street was a mess as the car we travelled in made several unintentional swerves due to the potholes. We also drove by the Achievable Dream Academy. Achievable Dream offers at-risk to students a chance to go onto college when they complete the program (Newport News will pay for college tuition). Unfortunately only about 30-40% of the students are able to stick with the program, and the school grounds themselves are a mess, due to the economic reality of the environment. At the end of our trip downtown, we noticed a block of abandoned apartments condemned and set to be demolished which were still standing there. This stuck out to us as a lack of attention by city officials to that need.

Finally to really highlight the disparity between who has political and economic power in Newport News, and who doesn’t, we looked at the Police Station off of Jefferson and compared it to the shops across the street. The shops were dingy and looked boarded up while the station was essentially a palace. Those final images show that while there are considerable economic and political resources that can be utilized for the good of the general public, it’s easier to keep the status quo of those with financial influence having political advantages.