ABSTRACT
IN HARLEM, INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PMW AND STRANGERS USUALLY TOOK place across socioeconomic boundaries. Heterogeneity has this community teeming with richness and diversity. Each day, whether walking down the street or waiting for the subway, residents are in the midst of people from different regions and socioeconomic backgrounds. In some settings, PMW converse with neighbors at the apartment building mailboxes in lobbies or while patronizing area stores. In others, PMW may not even acknowledge their surroundings. I observed community members both ignoring and exchanging pleasantries and/or information with each other across the lines of socioeconomic differentiation.
