"I am Emily and I grew up in Baldwin, but went to private Catholic high school in Hicksville. Baldwin from my perspective, starting in elementary school and in my neighborhood, is very mixed between Black and white, and I am lucky to have friends of every race.
Up until middle school age, when playing sports, the teams were very mixed. My twin brother played basketball, and it was always him and all of the Black kids, and they would always joke about it. Church is another very big aspect in my life, and where we go in Baldwin has a very mixed population as well.
In terms of high school, Holy Trinity was better than some other Catholic or private schools. Between that, and now going to school in Connecticut, it is so white, so I am very thankful for where I live and I am happy I was raised where I was. Baldwin is pretty culturally diverse so there is access to a lot of different cultural cuisines, which is nice. I think that being from a diverse environment creates better people.
One of the times when I most notice the segregation on Long Island is when I drive through Baldwin and Rockville Centre, the town next us, and then also in the transition from Hempstead to Garden City. From Baldwin to RVC, there is a literal change in the physical road paving, the road gets wider, and the houses double in size. Plus, as a new driver you can see white privilege in a way. There are certain things you do not have to worry about as a white person that a Black driver does have to unfortunately be thinking about."
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