Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood in the mid-1970s was populated largely by Indians, poor Southern Whites from Appalachia, Blacks and Hispanics. However, many people from eastern Europe had also migrated here. I met and photographed many Hungarians, including this lady who lived in a small apartment with a large, extended family comprising three generations. She, her sons and daughters, and their sons and daughters all lived together. I felt a lot of love in this home despite the overcrowding. When you look at this woman’s smile, you can see where all that love came from.
No one in the family spoke much English. Language barriers caused many immigrants to cluster in neighborhoods where they could support each other. One person might speak passable English. Another might make great kolaches. It was a classic win-win. Immigrants, perhaps more than most, understand the inter-dependencies that connect us all.
