picture by ipitimes.com
Gilia Gomez, a resident of Jackson Heights and one the organizers of the “Dia de la Raza” (A day for Race), is very happy these days. She is one of the members of the committee that is behind the prestigious Hispanic event that has taken place in Queens and Manhattan for the past 40 years, and things couldn’t be going better for the 2008 event.
On October 12, a parade of carriages featuring the different Latin American countries will take 5th Avenue in Manhattan for a day of fun, pride, and beauty.
Every year, young women of Latin heritage participate to become the queen of the parade. They can be as young as 16 and as old as 23 in order to participate in the competition. The participants must be single and have no children. Many girls participate because the winner will receive many prizes, including two tickets to the Latin American country of their choosing.
“The main idea is to show our warmth, our pride, and obviously out beautiful women,” said Gomez. “It’s a day to celebrate our unity and our folklore.”
To see pictures of this event, click here
Jackson Heights is such an unusual neighborhood. In the two years I’ve lived in the New York City area, I am sold on the idea that it is the most diverse neighborhood out there. As such, I’ve found myself in some unusual situations. I know where to find a $4 haircut (I won’t be doing that again), a green card, or a social security card. The latest of my unintentional findings is that of “girls for delivery.”
Allow me to explain.
A man approaches me, while I was walking around 71st Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Figuring that I speak Spanish and that as a young latino man I have ‘needs’, he offers me a wink and tells me in almost a whisper “chicas, chicas.” (Girls, Girls) He then proceeds to hand me a card that contains a cell phone number and pictures of topless girls (I sure doubt those are the girls they offer). In the lower left side of the card I can read “Delivery, from 11:00am to 3:00am.”
I couldn’t help wondering how these people can run such a business without getting penalized or without having anyone find out about it. I called and a woman picked up the phone. She asked me where I was calling from and I lied. I asked her to tell me how much it was to get a “delivery.” She was very hesitant in her answer and told me the driver, who would wait outside until the girls are finished with their “date,” would let me know the price. After she asked me for my address for the ‘delivery’, I told her that maybe another day, and freaked, out hung up the phone.
Rafael, a construction worker who moved to Elmhurst last year, assured me that some of those girls may walk out with up to $1000 at the end of the night since most people request them for bachelor parties and similar events. “They brought two out to Long Island one time,” he recalled. “They made crazy money because they entertained a group.”
As commuters walk at a fast pace through the busy station in Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, some can’t help but stop to listen to Alvaro Munoz and his partner deliver the soothing sound produced by their wind instruments. Alvaro belongs to the group Raices (Roots in Spanish) who, through their music from the Andes Mountains, wish to deliver their message of Indian pride.
“The problem nowadays is that people have no identity,” said 24-year-old Alvaro. “We try to educate people with the teachings that our ancestors left us in their music.”
Alvaro makes it very clear that their Andean music is not folklore, but a music genre very much like rock or country. “Folklore talks about legends or myths and that’s not what we’re about. We take contemporary music and make it our own.”
Raices uses wind instruments such as sinkus and quenas. Sinkus are composed of 13 to 15 tubes made out of of sugar canes which are tied horizontally together. Each tube makes a different sound. On the other hand, quenas are kinds of flutes that have six holes and are made from wood.
by Simon Caller (flickr.com)
One of the reasons I find Jackson Heights fascinating is because of its diversity. However, what really draws me to look into this area is soccer. For me soccer is not a sport, it’s a passion that I live fervently everyday. When I walk around Jackson Heights, I find myself visiting dozens of stores offering my favorite team jerseys, all kinds of soccer balls, and different videos from past tournaments.
Unfortunately, the ugly side of soccer has also reached Jackson Heights; mainly in “El Abuelo Gozon” bar, where soccer aficionados get together for some soccer, some beer, and some trouble.
Soccer hooligans have been terrorizing stadiums for many years, and the fights carry on at this bar to the extend of having police constantly around the site on Sundays, when most of the games are played. Javier, a soccer fan who didn’t want to give his last name because he has fought in different occasions just outside of “El Abuelo Gozon,” recalled being ambushed by supporters from other teams because he was wearing a soccer jersey from the Colombian side “Millonarios.”
“My girlfriend and I were attacked by five guys at least,” he said. “I wasn’t hurt badly so I went back the next week with friends, but nothing happened.”
The manager of the establishment has been unavailable when I have visited. I imagine he is probably busy preparing the place for the upcoming international game featuring Colombia against Honduras. Hopefully there won’t be any trouble once the final whistle blows.
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