The Silencing of Queens’ Little Guyana

By ARIAMA C. LONG

AmNews Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Little Guyana, located in Richmond Hill and South Ozone in Queens and consisting of Indo-Caribbean and South Asian residents, is a gerrymandered community in New York City. For three decades, organizers have been on a crusade for the community to be adequately represented at every level of city and state government.

Every 10 years, after the census, the voting lines for the State Senate, State Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives, and City Council have to be redrawn to reflect the new count of the population. Before the state’s redistricting process was kicked off by the census count in 2020, Little Guyana was split between two senate districts, two congressional districts, four city council districts, and seven assembly districts: Districts 23, 24, 27, 28, 31, 32, and 38.

Caribbean Equality Project Founder and Executive Director Mohamed Q. Amin said being split up is detrimental in real time. When the COVID crisis struck in 2020 and people were dying by the thousands, he said that residents were desperately calling all assembly members and city council members for help and a testing center.

“You’re on Facebook seeing all these virtual memorials happening for somebody because they didn’t have access to testing. Our South Asian Bangla community didn’t have information in their language,” said Amin. To him, this was the definition of gerrymandering: fracturing a community based on racial identity. He said if there had been a central representative to advocate for them, the COVID crisis might not have claimed so many lives.

Recent redistricting rounds split the community into three assembly districts, but the process is still dragging on after failing to reach a cohesive decision about voting maps last year. A special master was then appointed to redraw maps. He put Little Guyana into a single assembly district for the first time in history, although they are still left without a singular city council or senate district.

This week, another series of public hearings is being held on the assembly district voting maps. It’s one of the last chances the community has to hold onto a singular district, because the map is subject to change later.

In preparation for the hearings, groups like the Caribbean Equality Project and South Queens Women’s March under the umbrella of the Asian Pacific American Voting and Organizing to Increase Civic Engagement’s (APA VOICE) Redistricting Task Force joined together last Thursday to inform the community about what’s going on and recruit people who would testify.

“I grew up here, so this issue is deeply personal to me,” said South Queens Women’s March Founder and Director Aminta Kilawan Narine. “As a child and now young adult, I have watched so many candidates from our community who have bravely attempted to run for elected office and lost. And that’s important because when we talk about this issue of redistricting, we’re talking about the fact that our communities have historically been chopped up in so many different pieces that it practically makes it impossible for a candidate [who] comes out of our community of interest to win.”

Despite the advocates’ clear passion, this is not the easiest topic to get people involved in. Redistricting can move at a glacial pace and unexciting when it requires attending hours-long meetings. Still Amin, Narine, and other speakers stressed the importance of the process in allocating resources like healthcare, education, transportation, jobs, housing, and public safety to the community.

“Over the past two years, we have seen the power of visibility—the power of community and the power of Asian diversity. Often, in the redistricting process, our Asian American communities of interest have been neglected to the point where our communities are divided between multiple Assembly districts,” said Amin. “We have seen this throughout NYC, which makes it far more challenging for Asian Americans to have our cultural and linguistic needs taken seriously by elected officials.”

District leader Richard David’s family immigrated to the city in 1991 and he has lived in the neighborhood since 1996. His parents were working class parents with too many jobs to be politically involved, but they did want that for their kids. He became an activist, founding

6th Annual HBCU Panel Discussion and Mix & Mingle

On February 23, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., Bergen/Passaic Chapter, will partner with Bergen Community College to educate high school and incoming college students about the advantages of attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The panel discussion will include a mix & mingle for those who are registered.

Alumni from these HBCUs will be featured during the event: Delaware State University, Howard University, Hampton University, Morgan State University, Virginia State University, FAMU, Lincoln University, North Carolina Central University, UMES, Tuskegee University, and Shaw University. There will be a variety of informational tables, giveaways, and refreshments with music by DJ Pinnacle. This free event is open to the public and will be held at Bergen Community College (Tech Building Room 128) from 6 p.m.–9 p.m., with registration beginning at 5:30 p.m.

If you are an HBCU recruiter or part of an alumni association and do not see your school on the featured list, you are welcome to set up your own table. Email for further information, and with any questions or concerns, at hbcualummixer@gmail.com

Black-owned restaurant Jefferson’s Cafe has whole community talking

The Black-owned restaurant Jefferson’s Cafe in Montclair, N.J., has made its mark on the community. Joan and Jim Jefferson, the two Black owners behind Jefferson’s Cafe have gotten everyone talking about their southern-style comfort food. Their establishment has been up and running since 1985, giving them nothing but success ever since. From a menu with a large variety of items to choose from to excellent hospitality, Jefferson’s Cafe has become a town favorite and an attraction for those visiting the town.

Check out their highly rated restaurant.

Newark dentist serves the city she grew up in In Newark, N.J., Dr. Suffiyah Webb serves the city she grew up in with her practice in dentistry.

Webb works in dental health and provides body wellness to many families throughout the city of Newark at Brilliant Smiles Pediatric Dentistry. She is known for her electric personality that brightens up any room she’s in. Brilliant Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is on Halsey Street, just a few blocks away from where Webb grew up. During her journey, Webb learned to overcome challenges that stood in her way, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on her previous practice in 2020, which completely shut down her business.

In addition to performing dental procedures for the community, Dr. Suffiyah Webb continues to keep smiles on her patients’ faces with her jolly attitude. She also finds the time to make balloon animals for her patients. “I can come here and be colorful and be myself and really put my personality on display and have a great time,” Webb told PIX11 News. She hopes to inspire the next generation of African Americans looking to get into dentistry.

Compiled by Morgan Alston.