The title is "Goodbye to Glocamorra" and I''m not sure who posted it on youtube. My friend Nancy sent it to me. When I opened it and saw it was 20 minutes long, I thought "I’m just going to watch the first two or three minutes." Of course ended up watching the whole thing. Inwood is just about the northernmost section of Manhattan and the demographics have changed dramatically in the last 25 years. It's now primarily Hispanic.
Note the reference to Connor Funeral Home. Is it still there?
Being an Inwood native, I found this documentary fascinating, although I had become a Westchester resident by the time it was produced. In addition to great glimpses of the great Romanesque church where my parents were married and I was christened and received my First Communion, it also showed that other Jesuit university in the Bronx. I wonder if Fordham still turns out such enlightened pre-law students as Mr. Barrett? The Fordham student worries about the Irish leaving Inwood and “losing” their homes to non-Irish New Yorkers. Having visited the neighborhood a few weeks ago, I found it most interesting that many in the largely Dominican neighborhood are “losing” their homes now to gentrification as young urban professionals stake claim to larger parts of the community.
As a CONNER descendent, I can relate that the neighborhood institution of the Conner Funeral Home is long gone from 4955 Broadway although my grandfather’s name is still associated with another funeral home in the neighborhood. In another historic transition, Good Shepherd Parish, which was founded by the Paulist Fathers, is now under the stewardship of the Capucian Franciscan Friars and is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The church is still a central part of the now diverse community.
Many thanks to Nancy and The Folley for sharing this with us!
you’re welcome!
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