Richmond Hill community leaders celebrate
unveiling of Little Guyana Avenue street sign
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The rain couldn’t stop
elected officials, community
organizers, small business
owners and residents in Richmond
Hill from celebrating the
street co-naming ceremony
and street sign unveiling of
“Little Guyana Avenue” at the
corner of Liberty Avenue and
Lefferts Boulevard on Saturday,
May 29.
Hundreds of people attended
the event, which honored
the accomplishments,
contributions and sacrifices
of the Guyanese community
in Richmond Hill and beyond.
The event featured a brief history
of Little Guyana, followed
by remarks from elected officials,
community organizations
and local businesses, as
well as performances from
local artists.
A Tassa Band led the march
to the intersection for the unveiling
of the new Little Guyana
Avenue sign, which came
three days after the 55th anniversary
of Guyana’s Independence
Day.
Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams, who sponsored and
passed legislation in December
2020 to co-name Liberty Avenue
and Lefferts Boulevard as
Little Guyana Avenue, said the
historic street co-naming has
been long-awaited, but so well
deserved.
“For decades, our Guyanese
community has contributed
to the economic, cultural and
political fabric of Queens, and
now their accomplishments
and impact are officially recognized
through this new
street sign,” Adams said. “The
co-naming of Little Guyana
Avenue is a testament to the
hard work and sacrifices of
our immigrant families, longtime
small businesses, and
community organizations and
leaders who have endeavored
to make their mark on our
community and our city. Their
long and lasting legacy of
community-building will forever
be remembered through
the new Little Guyana Avenue
street sign.”
In the last several years,
Adams has also championed
and oversaw the co-naming
of Punjab Avenue and Gurdwara
Street in recognition
of District 28’s ethnic, racial,
cultural and religious diversity.
Council District 28 covers
the neighborhoods of Jamaica,
Rochdale Village, Richmond
Hill and South Ozone Park.
Richmond Hill is home to
the largest Guyanese community
outside of Guyana.
According to the U.S. Census
data, the Guyanese community
is also the second-largest
foreign-born immigrant group
in Queens and the fifth largest
in New York City. According
to local historians, since the
1960s, hundreds of thousands
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of Guyanese immigrated to
New York City, with a majority
settling in Richmond Hill.
Bringing their culture, religion,
food and fashion to the
community, Guyanese Americans
built homes, businesses
and religious institutions near
corridors such as Liberty Avenue.
In fact, the first West Indian
store on Liberty Avenue
was J&B West Indian Grocery,
which was first established 44
years ago and still stands as a
community staple today.
Simone Jhingood and Shivana
Jorawar, of the Jahajee
Sisters, honored the elderly for
their hard work, preserving
the neighborhood’s unique cultural
history.
“They were the ones who settled
here in the ’80s and set up
mandirs, mosques, roti shops
and stores where we could purchase
religious items, cultural
clothing and West Indian groceries.
They worked incredibly
hard to preserve our traditions
on this new American soil and
marked our existence as Indo-
Caribbeans with big events like
the Phagwah Parade that have
put Richmond Hill on the map.
We thank our elders for paving
the way for us, and we humbly
carry the torch forward as
custodians of our culture and
community,” Jhingood and Jorawar
said.
Assembly District 31 Leader
Richard David said it was
a proud and powerful moment
for generations of Guyanese
Americans who built Little
Guyana, like his parents.
“We did this co-naming to
honor their migration, their
sacrifices and their contributions
to our great city,” said
David, who thanked political,
business and community
stakeholders for making the
day a reality.
Other community leaders
and organizations applauded
Adams’s efforts for making the
street co-naming possible.
“While we don’t need a
street sign to tell us Richmond
Hill is Little Guyana, recognition
matters,” said Annetta
Seecharran, executive director
of the Chhaya Community
Development Corporation.
“We are immensely grateful
to Council member Adrienne
Adams for making this happen
and for celebrating in style
with us!”
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards said he is
looking forward to a celebratory
summer on Little Guyana
Avenue honoring Queens’
Guyanese heritage, culture,
cuisine and more.
“There are few communities
that represent our borough’s
unmatched diversity
and pride in its heritage than
the Guyanese American community
in Richmond Hill,”
Richards said. “It is an honor
to officially declare Liberty
Avenue as Little Guyana Avenue,
cementing the remarkable
strength and the countless
contributions of our thousands
of Guyanese American families
who call this neighborhood
home.”
As the first South Asian
woman elected to office in New
York state, Assemblywoman
Jenifer Rajkumar said she was
proud to represent the entire
South Asian diaspora, which
includes Indo-Caribbeans
from Guyana.
“The South Asian community
now has a seat at the
table of power in our state
and is finally getting the
recognition and resources
it deserves,” Rajkumar
said. “The historic naming
of Little Guyana Avenue
symbolizes that. Little Guyana,
Richmond Hill and the
South Asian community are
officially on the map.”
Elected officials, community organizations and local businesses unveil the “Little Guyana Avenue”
street sign at the corner of Liberty Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard. Courtesy of Adams’ offi ce
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