Abstract

For the Cultural Profile assignment, we were asked to study and interview someone from a different culture in order to better understand how identity connects to larger social issues. In this essay, I focus on Abubakar and how the Nigerian family-first mindset influences his life in New York City. Using interview details, personal observation, and outside research, I examine how culture, immigration, inflation, and gentrification shape the responsibilities he has and the decisions he makes.

  A man of two nations 

Coming from a Senegalese family myself, I know what “Family First’ means. Your success isn’t just yours; it’s for mom, sisters, and uncles back home. I’ve seen this happen to generation after generation. My mom went through and is still going through it. It is an issue that is not often spoken about in African communities, and with the way that NYC’s inflation is rising, gentrification is not making it any easier. New York, especially Harlem, is changing fast with new boutiques being opened. Rents keep getting worse, and everything is turning into the new Manhattan, making the community worry about their pockets.  I was discussing this issue with my friend, who is currently going through it as you are reading this, so that I can have his point of view as well, helping to shed light on the issue. 

When I asked my friend Abubakar about this, he went back to his childhood in Nigeria.

 Growing up in Nigeria was very centered on the community and family. As a young kid, you were exposed to responsibilities very early. You’d run errands or take messages for family members 20 minutes away, and you’d walk because taxis were very expensive. And being not only the first but also the only boy that my mom had, so I was obligated to most of the duties, especially since my dad had traveled to the USA to pursue the American dream and provide for his family. I never had time to play around because I also have school, plus I had to step up since dad wasn’t here, but what choice do we have in our culture? Thinking it would change, or I would get used to it, it just got worse since my dad introduced me to this ‘American Dream’ thing that he is kinda obsessed with. 

Imagine having to juggle between the Shop, NYC inflation, College life, and having to transfer money back home, well, that’s Abubakar’s everyday reality. When his dad came to the United States, he started a small business in the African Market in Harlem, selling African fabrics imported from the Ivory Coast. Since rent was too high, He had saved up and opened his own shop outside of the market. It took him a long time since he had to take care of his extended family back home. When I took over, it was hard to balance at first, with being in school, classes weren’t getting any easier. Sometimes he’d skip classes so that he could be at the shop. 

NYC hits Abubakar from both ends. The pressure comes every month, “Whether you make enough money to send to your sisters,” he explained. Gentrification keeps pushing his rent up to 20 percent a year.  According to RentCafe.com, “ The average rent for an apartment in Harlem is $3,315, a 23.53% increase compared to the previous year, when the average rent was $2,684.”, and his landlord isn’t making it any better, ignoring the broken shower, “hoping you’ll leave so they can rent higher.” Inflation hasn’t helped either. A sandwich that used to cost $5 now ranges from $10 to $25. And it gets worse when you’re trying to eat healthy; he barely has time to cook for himself between classes and the shop. With family back home counting on him, every dollar stretches twice as far. 

Nigeria’s values make it very hard for Abubakar to take risks when everyone is counting on you. When asked Does the Nigerian family-first mindset affect your financial decisions or taking risks in New York?,  he talked about how him and his dad discussed about expanding to Queens, but “HUGE FINANCIAL RISK,” he said, no revenue until they have a strong clientele, and if it fails, how will it affect him and his family, so he wasn’t willing to take the risk. Not only that, but sometimes emergencies come out of nowhere; his sister needed a laptop for school, and he said that he had to sacrifice his expensive textbooks, scanning through library pages instead. Because of how things are getting more expensive, the shop’s profit can not cover its rent, all of its expenses, along with its family’s. Most migrants can’t survive on one source of income. Reports from the article City Limits, “More Than Half of Immigrant New Yorkers Can’t Afford Basic Needs, Report Finds” confirm this harsh reality that people go through everyday do to how things are getting more expensive. “Around 64 percent of immigrants in New York City don’t make enough to meet their basic needs, according to a report released Tuesday.” He agrees that “Every immigrant I know has two jobs minimum,” including that even he sometimes does Uber Eats overnight when he needs extra funds. The shop barely makes enough to keep up with New York’s lifestyle and support his family back home.

Because of how these prices are getting out of hand, making it harder to take care of his family and the shop, his dad suggested to quit school and focus on working and expanding his business. Since he is skipping some of his classes already to cover for his dad when he can’t. “Family first,” he says, “If we can’t help ourselves here, we can’t help them back home.”  In his culture, the community shares everything, but here in the United States, young people build solo futures, which is not his reality. Gentrification and inflation don’t just mean higher rents and food, they force immigrant families into impossible choices. Abubakar isn’t the only story, he is one in a haystack, showing what happens when “family first” values crash into America’s urban reality.

Bibliography 

RentCafe. “Average Rent in Harlem, Manhattan, NY.” RentCafe, 2025, www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ny/manhattan/harlem/.

“More Than Half of Immigrant New Yorkers Can’t Afford Basic Needs, Report Finds.” City Limits, 7 May 2023, citylimits.org/more-than-half-of-immigrant-new-yorkers-cant-afford-basic-needs-report-finds/.