Initially, I didn’t completely understand the meaning of “folk” and so I looked it up on Dictionary and found that it means “people as the carriers of culture, especially as representing the composite of social mores, customs, forms of behavior, etc., in a society.” When City Lore describes themselves New York City’s center for urban folk culture, they claim themselves as the keepers of our culture which I think is extremely commendable and noteworthy. It is so important to preserve cultures and especially one of a city wtih so much diversity and so many immigrants. The work of City Lore is really admirable- they embody what it means to be compassionate and cosmopolitan. They are so concerned with the well-being of others and developing areas that have been abandoned. They are working to improve the quality of life of so many and it is truly inspiring. Many times when I think of service work, I think of going to a developing country and offering my services, however one thing that really stuck out to me was their belief that we can start in our own backyards. We can serve impoverished communities in the Bronx and other areas in NYC. It’s hard to think that in such a fast-paced and forward city like New York, there is still poverty. The talk was truly so inspiring and it made me want to start volunteering even close to where I live.
