Traveling Home Narrative

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River Forest- “proud heritage, bright future.” That’s the saying that etched into the light posts that one sees going into River Forest through Lake Street.

Coming from the west Humboldt Park area the first thing I notice are the streets. They are clean, wide, and empty. No cars parked and double parked blocking anyone else trying to get through. There is no trash lining up the sides creating their own makeshift curb, and there are certainly no pigeons and bird droppings everywhere. From a distance the town looks beautiful; it is serene, clean, and welcoming. The people depict this as well. The streets are barren and devoid of people but if you go to the town square around the intersections of Harlem and Lake, you will be surprised with the crowds you see. Panera bakery is bustling with people at all times similar to a dead carcass being swarmed by flies.
Living amongst this people you will come to see that River Forest is following in the footsteps of Oak Park.
River Forest is an affluent suburban village which houses two universities, Dominican University and Concordia University. There are also two Catholic grade schools, St. Luke’s & St. Vincent’s and one all girls’ Catholic high school named Trinity. Besides these very Christian schools, it contains two other lesser known public elementarys. Although now its residents vary across the spectrum of color and language, it was once a predominantly Catholic and Protestant community only available to rich whites. I say all this because although all these schools were built up many, many years ago there still seems to be a very strict conservative ethic in the air.
From the day I walked in here to this very day I still hold one thing true about this place, it’s the Florida of rich white folks. The houses aren’t cheap and one pays through the nose to be here. And it is totally understandable. One’s identity changes when you are here. All my life I was just another wetback even though I was born and raised here. The minute I became a River Forest resident though, things started to change. Kids in my class wanted to be my friends, cops now escorted me to my house instead of detaining me, and life seemed to be overall sweeter. People hear River Forest and they see dollar signs. I even had a teacher here in Dominican University change his attitude about me the minute he knew I lived a few blocks away, let alone the biggest house in River Forest.
I have changed. I am no longer the same person I was when I first moved here. I don’t believe I have changed drastically, but I realize I have. And the best way to describe River Forest- using the same five words Ernest Hemingway used to describe his Oak Park, a town of “wide lawns and narrow minds”.