Last week, I had to take an early train from Penn Station and decided to take the subway to catch my 6:30 a.m. Amtrak train. I initially thought I might be on a relatively sparse subway at such an early hour and would need to keep my head on a swivel. What I remembered the moment I arrived at the subway is that thousands of New Yorkers are up and working every day to keep this city afloat.
When I boarded the subway car, it was almost standing room only. There were so many people heading to work in construction boots and hospital scrubs, and loads of folks dressed for a long day ahead. As I stood in the packed subway car, I realized that so many people wake up before the sun to get to their respective jobs and keep this city running and thriving.
I think sometimes I take for granted just how much work goes into making New York City the global epicenter and literally the city that never sleeps. So many parts of the city are open 24 hours, from public transport to restaurants to bodegas. All of these institutions ensure that communities can live the lives they need to live. Maybe that is why people spend so much money to live in a place that sometimes feels like a distant planet compared to other cities.
I have fond memories of running for the last train in Boston or catching the late-night bus in London because I missed the last “tube” train for the evening — but not in New York City. You might wait on the platform for a spell, you may need to be sure the rats don’t come too close, but you will have a subway to get you home late at night. There are just so many people in New York City who work graveyard shift hours so our lives can run seamlessly.
More and more Americans are losing their jobs because of federal government downsizing or businesses eliminating jobs due to lack of revenue coming in because customers have lost jobs … a vicious cycle that persists. The president’s pursuit to give wealthy Americans larger tax cuts is likely to make it harder for many people to stay in the city. It is incumbent on us to look out for our fellow New Yorkers when we can.
We can start by supporting our local businesses. We can support our local restaurants. We can give our seat on the subway to someone who looks “bone tired,” as my grandma used to call it. We can keep our head on a swivel and ask our fellow neighbors what they need in these frightening times.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.