Celebrating the Cultural Diversity of Western Queens

Queens County is the most diverse place in the nation, if not the world, with almost 150 different languages spoken here!  And for the past 60 years, Riis Settlement has been part of that incredible diversity, growing and changing in order to serve an ever-changing community.  On Saturday, March 6th, that diversity (as well as our big anniversary!) was celebrated at an event entitled Embrace/Abrace.   As the name suggests, participants were invited to embrace (“abrazar” in Spanish) the amazing cultures of Western Queens during a day of performances, ethnic food, and outreach activities.  

There were vendors selling everything to Ecuadorian handicrafts to jewelry to household items, delicious food ranging from burritos to sweet potato pie to empanadas, and of course an afternoon of amazing performances by Riis Settlement participants from three different programs.  The entertainment was as diverse as Queens itself, with Bengali dancers, hip-hop performances, martial arts demonstrations, campesino music from Cuba, and merengue and bachata from the Dominican Republic.  There was also a spoken-word essay on civil rights pioneer Angela Davis and, of course, our own Senior Shakers led by Ms. Marion Jefferies. 

We were joined by our friends and community partners from The Floating Hospital, who provided vital health and wellness information as well as from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, whose teaching artists helped organize the wonderful exhibition of student artwork on view during the festival.  Also on hand was newly elected City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who spoke of the vibrancy of the Long Island City community, and representatives from Long Island City Community Supported Agriculture, which offers fresh organic vegetables to local residents throughout the spring, summer, and fall.  Last, but certainly not least, we were joined by our new Census Outreach Coordinator, Yvonne Cabrales, who stressed the importance of and answered questions about participation in the 2010 Census. 

Special thanks to Starbucks Kaufman Astoria Studios, which kept the coffee flowing, and to TransCanada Corporation, which provided support for the event.