Reflection
Through researching labor in Glassboro, it is clear that common names around town such as “Whitney” and “Carpenter” reflect the influence of businessmen over the common person. In addition to this, Rowan’s campus follows a similar theme with most of the older academic buildings being named after the college’s presidential administrations (“Robinson”, “Bunce” etc.). However, while this location was sought after by these business moguls, the actual land has a larger effect on ordinary people's lives. While glass, agriculture, retail, and Rowan helped ‘grow’ Glassboro into what it is, ordinary people act as this necessary driving force. For one, while investors paid for the factories to be built and deciding on the planning of it all, the workers themselves had to move to Glassboro, make room for lives outside of work (home and leisure). The influx of workers to this area are white ties families to this land. Families establish themselves here, and generations after have a bias towards this location (weather it is a positive or negative bias). This is why retail exists; to serve the demands of the common person. Whether it be near the Glassboro Town Square near Angelo’s diner, or the strip malls built years later, the demand from common people are what caused this growth. Similarly, homes and schools are not just for Whitney’s, or Carpenter’s, but the hordes of other people who choose to reside in Glassboro. Lastly, the wealth generated through cheap labor is a part of a broad accumulation of wealth from common people’s backs. A good analogy for this is with soldiers who died in battle. Glassboro has a memorial for these soldiers because it is important to remember the small yet important role they played in a larger effort to defeat the Nazis, for example. While this is acknowledged today through the statue near the Glassboro Town Square, a similar mural would acknowledge who both the value from labor, and the demands of common people helped shape our lives today in our residences, leisure and pastime.
Acknowledgments
Jennifer Kitson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability, for aiding us with her expertise in this project and other projects outside of class, we sincerely thank you
Mike Benson, Coordinator of Rowan’s Digital Scholarship Center (DSC), Research Guide, for guiding us in our research every step of the way
Danielle Spence, Glassboro Town Councilwomen, President of Glassboro Historical Society, and lifelong resident, for providing us with valuable insight
Dylan Kois, Sophomore Marketing Major at Rowan, for his time and efforts in creating my proposed mural
The Grassroots Project, for discovering where our skills can take us, inside and outside the classroom