16 The Queens Courier • july 17, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com group recently has gone around cleaning the streets down Roosevelt Avenue. Rivera now plans to recite “Community Not Condominiums” at a new quarterly series called “Queens Documented,” which launches on July 20 at Terraza 7 located at 40-19 Gleane St. in Elmhurst and features stories and music from people who migrated to Queens. Photo by Gerardo Mendez Angy Rivera (right), a 23-year-old advice columnist for undocumented youth, shared her views on the changing communities she grew up in through a poem titled “Community Not Condominiums.” Flushing poet, advice columnist captures CHANGING COMMUNITIES IN POEM BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO remembering all the great details of each neighborhood. to the United States just one week shy of her fourth aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 Yet, she said she also felt sadness when thinking birthday. “Through them I grew as a person.” about the idea of growing up and facing changes. Now as a core member of the organization, she helps Angy Rivera, a formerly undocumented immigrant, How will Doña María sell her tamales, out in the media/outreach and arts/self-expression knew which words she wanted to let out when she arepas, café y chocolate programs. Through her weekly column, she said she was invited to take the stage at Flushing Town Hall When the streets become businesses she gets people writing to her from all around the nation last month. cannot pronounce about different subjects undocumented youths face, In her original poem, “Community Not Will her café con leche compete with such as driving without a license and deferred action. Condominiums,” the 23-year-old Flushing resident Starbucks? Although she said it is tricky at times because she describes in detail the communities of Jackson Heights, These signs of a cleaner and safer Queens doesn’t always have answers, especially when it comes Flushing and Corona through following a food vendor erase the resiliency already here to legal topics, she said the column has helped her named “Doña María.” We weren’t dirty to begin with learn different laws depending on states. Doña María is up before the sun rises Will her house stand untouched during “Being involved helped me become more open about Moon shining on her face she gets ready for gentrification? a lot of things and helped me learn a lot of new stuff,” the morning commute “That’s what I wanted to make sure came across, as she said. “It’s been very healing to meet other people in It’s her job to feed others much as it’s a celebration of Queens, on the flipside it’s the same situation as you. It’s always been nice to have Moon shining on her face ella empieza a about things we can lose,” she said. a group to understand.” cocinar arepas, tamales, café y chocolate This wasn’t the first time Rivera’s words reached a Continuing her involvement in activism, Rivera has Arepas made with corn and cheese much larger audience. In 2009 she joined the nonprofit also become part of Queens Neighborhoods United, a They start to melt as soon as they touch New York State Youth Leadership Council, the first coalition created to build power and develop leadership your mouth. volunteer undocumented youth and membership led in Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. The “At first I thought, ‘Oh wait, what if someone doesn’t organization started in 2007, as an intern. understand that,” Rivera said about writing the poem The Colombia native, who was undocumented for 19 in both Spanish and English. “But that’s how it is here years and has recently obtained a visa, went on to create in Queens.” an advice column for the nation’s undocumented The college junior, who is studying culture and youth in 2010 called “Ask Angy.” deviance with a minor in human services at John Jay “It was the first time I met with other immigrant College, said she felt pride when writing the poem young people that wanted to change things that they for being part of “such a beautiful community” and saw unjust,” said Rivera, who immigrated with her family
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