At the end of the A train, getting off at Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd drops you into a small piece of the Caribbean. Walking down the main stretch of Liberty Avenue, the streets are filled with the people, flags, religions, foods, voices, art, and cultures of Guyana and at every turn. Garlands hang from the awnings of puja shops, creole chatter dances through the streets and the smells of fresh roti and mixed masala wafts through the air and at every corner. This is Richmond Hill, also known as Little Guyana. Since the 60s and 70s when there was mass migration to New York, the community has grown and is now home to the largest Guyanese population outside of Guyana, and it is the 2nd largest foreign-born group in Queens. While heavily linked to the Indo-Guyanese culture, Richmond Hill is a home to other Indo-Caribbean diaspora communities like those from Trinidad and Suriname, as well as a hub that represents the beautiful diversity of Guyana’s cultures.
On May 29, 2021, Liberty Avenue was officially dubbed “Little Guyana Avenue,” in a co-naming celebration at the intersection of Liberty and Lefferts. To celebrate this historic moment, many political representatives, religious leaders, community organizations, cultural workers, community members and even Mayor de Blasio came out to celebrate this recognition of the people and culture that add so much to the fabric of New York City. As a company with a predominantly Guyanese team, and deep roots in the Richmond Hill area, we were honored to be brought in by the committee behind the naming initiative to capture the magic through a short documentary. Media Sutra is connected to the Indo-Caribbean community in Queens in a myriad of ways, and is the heart of where so much of our work began—including a key setting in the origin stories of our company.
The importance of visibility and recognition from the city is a monumental moment for the Guyanese community. Caribbean communities have long been absorbed into larger categories in data collection, such as on the census, that ignore the significance of “Caribbean” has in a person’s culture and identity. The official recognition is a symbolic marker reinforcing, “We exist. We are here. We are important.” Visibility is only so impactful, and just a piece of a larger vision. It is equally important to leverage this historic moment to bring more resources to the community, and even attract tourists to further support economic development. There still remains a lack of culturally relevant social services, secular community centers and other resources from the city. Community organizations like Jahajee Sisters, Caribbean Equality Project, and South Queens Women’s March (among many others) have put in major efforts to fill this gap, through mutual aid, housing justice, immigrant rights, gender justice, legal support, emergency funds and more. It’s always important to have local community members fighting for justice and self-determination, and these efforts should not lie solely on the shoulders of those who are most directly impacted.
We would like to thank everyone who took part in the creation of this beautiful moment. You can find all of our special thanks and credits at the end of the film. We’d like to extend a special thank you to Richard David, Annetta Seecharran, Chhaya, Caribbean Equality Project, and Rhonda Binda. Please be sure to check out the amazing people, organizations and companies who are listed there! We are so proud of our community and the tireless work put into keeping our culture alive, our voices heard, our spirits well and our needs met, and we are excited for the visions we hold for Little Guyana to be fully realized. Join us in celebrating this moment and be with us as we continue to organize, advocate and co-create a thriving Little Guyana.