No Somos Amargados y Fracasados: Social Play, Public Parks, and Latino Masculinity in Lawrence, MA

We know from the academic literatures and lived experiences, that both Black and Latinx populations have used group playfulness to address the impacts of urban decay and social exclusion, build community, and foster civic engagement. Black and Latina Feminisms highlight the linkages between playfulness, vulnerability, and fostering a loving solidarity across marginalized groups. Yet for many low-income Black and Brown populations, public sites that allow for group forms of play, particularly for adults, are often lacking or, if they exist, are unsafe. As one of the few bastions of a relatively free good time, I analyze the significance of public parks within communities of color. Drawing on critical feminisms, leisure studies, and cultural geography, I suggest that public parks can serve as critical sites of community building and leisure, particularly for adult Black and Latino men.

For this presentation, I focus on Lawrence, MA, a post-industrial mill town that is now home to predominantly low-income and Latinx populations that include residents from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Central America. Despite its industrial history, it boasts over 40 public parks and greenways, many of which are underutilized. Drawing on over three years of community-engaged ethnographic and interview data collection, I discuss how Latino men use public parks in ways that challenge denigrative narratives of men of color and offer insights into battling male loneliness. With a focus on the hangout, basketball, and dominoes, I argue that Latinos’ playful occupation of public parks, what I term Latinx pla(y)cemaking, operates to transform these spaces somatically into critical sites of joyful and loving community. Furthermore, I show that incorporating elements of play into urban activities can transform perceptions of marginalized populations and increase social cohesion.