12
QUEENS WEEKLY, MAY 19, 2019
Meng helps launch salute to Chinese rail builders
Smithsonian honors legacy of laborers who helped build Transcontinental Railroad
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
On the 150th anniversary
of the completion of
the Transcontinental Railroad,
Flushing Congresswoman
Grace Meng helped
launch a new display on
May 10 at the Smithsonian’s
National Museum
of American History that
pays tribute to the Chinese
immigrant laborers
who helped build the
American railroad.
The display, “Forgotten
Workers: Chinese Migrants
and the Building of
the Transcontinental Railroad,”
as well as its companion
display “The Transcontinental
Railroad,” offers
insight into the backbreaking
labor that ultimately
connected the Union Pacific
and Central Pacific railroad
companies at Promontory
Summit, Utah, on
May 10, 1869.
The Transcontinental
Railroad has long been
considered one of the most
remarkable engineering
feats of the 19th century,
said Meng. After its completion,
the railroad reduced
cross-country travel time
from six months to a single
week — facilitating a new
era of commerce; bringing
the country closer together
in the aftermath of the
Civil War; and unleashing
the unlimited potential of
the nation.
Meng thanked the
Smithsonian Museum for
recognizing and bringing
attention to the story of the
Chinese railroad workers,
as they celebrated their
memory and a milestone of
the railroad’s completion.
“Today marks the 150th
anniversary of the completion
of the Transcontinental
Railroad that connected
our nation, spurred
economic growth, and
unleashed the unlimited
potential of our nation,”
said Meng. “Less known
to the American public
are the enormous contributions
made by Chinese
immigrant laborers who
toiled in extreme weather
to lay down the literal
foundations of our nation.
Today, we honor their
memory, sweat, blood,
and labor, and we provide
them with the recognition
they deserve. I hope the
contribution they made
to our country are recognized
and remembered by
all Americans.”
The displays at the
Smithsonian Museum will
run through spring 2020.
In February, Meng introduced
a resolution that
seeks the House of Representatives’
recognition
of the Chinese railroad
workers. The measure
seeks to honor the sacrifices
they made for the
nation and recognize the
important role they played
in America’s history. The
resolution is currently
pending before the House
Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure.
In her statement submitted
to the Congressional Record
on May 10, Meng noted
the lack of acknowledgment
for the nearly 12,000 Chinese
immigrants who “endured
both the arduous physical
labor of constructing
a railroad and the
emotional trauma of
being discriminated.”
Despite those conditions,
Meng said, the Chinese
railroad workers
were considered indispensable
and were respected
for their work ethic and
discipline. Above all, the
workers formed one of the
first organized labor movements
in the United States
for better living wages and
work conditions, which ultimately
opened doors for
future generations.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4526.
Meng with Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
(CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and descendants of the
Chinese railroad workers. Photo courtesy of Meng’s office
Cemetery
on the border of Queens
and Brooklyn.
According to law enforcement
sources, at 4 p.m.
on April 19, an unknown
man was spotted at the Beth
Olam Cemetery, located at 2
Cypress Hills St., removing
property from the location
by a 66-year-old employee.
The suspect ultimately fled
the scene in a vehicle in an
unknown direction.
An investigation found
that the thief had taken seven
sets of mausoleum doors
and 50 bronze mausoleum
vent covers.
The vents and doors
that were stolen are valued
at approximately $24,000,
authorities said. Police believe
that the suspect was
working with an unidentified
female; the NYPD,
however, could not provide
a description of her at this
time.
Two days later, a similar
burglary took place at
the same cemetery. At 10:45
a.m. that morning police
received a report that more
sets of mausoleum doors
and air vent covers were
taken from the cemetery.
A spokesperson from
the NYPD says that they
believe that the crimes
are connected and will
be investigating it as
a pattern, as the cemetery
has been the victim
of multiple thefts in
recent history.
The cemetery employee
took a picture of the suspect
in the April 19 incident,
which was released
by police.
Cops described the
suspect as a white man
in his 30s who was last
seen wearing a navy
blue hooded sweatshirt,
dark-colored pants and
black sneakers.
Anyone with information
in regard to the
identity of this male is
asked to call the NYPD’s
Crime Stoppers Hotline
at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or
for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA
(74782). All calls are
kept confidential.
Reach reporter Emily
Davenport by email at
edavenport@qns.com or
by phone at (718) 224-5863
ext. 236.
Continued from Page 12
Key Food
About 60 of the Astoria
Key Food employees
are unionized as a part of
UFCW Local 1500. Key Food
franchise owner Larry
Mandell, who was present
at the rally, told QNS that
he plans to continue fighting
to stay at the location.
“Larry is one of the bosses
who we work with and
get contracts with every
year without a strike, without
a problem. He’s a man of
his word. We love him. I’ll
say that publicly. We love
you,” said Tony Speelman,
president of UFCW Local
1500.
The development of the
new Target is slated to begin
when the Key Foods
lease ends in 2020. Though
the ground floor and lower
level of the new development
are reported to be
designated for retail, it
remains unclear whether
Jenel will permit the grocery
store to stay terms
that the grocer deems to
be favorable.
Michael Hirschorn, the
president of Jenel Management,
has said that talks
with Key Food suspended
three months ago when the
grocer turned down a deal
to occupy 25,000 square feet
of space in the new building.
Nicholas Roloson, chief
of staff for Astoria Councilman
Costa Constantinides,
stood in for the
councilman, who was absent
due to a family emergency.
Roloson rebuffed
Hirschorn’s account of the
negotiation process.
“We are seeing mischaracterizations
that Key Food
was offered discounts to operate
in the basement of this
building. Does that sound
like a fair deal operating in
the basement of this building?”
Rolson said. “We are
here to ask now to stop ignoring
the will of the community
and to say here that
we need Key Food here.”
Reach reporter Max Parrott
by email at mparrott@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 224-5863, ext.
226.
Continued from Page 12
State Senator Jessica Ramos, leading other local politicians
and labor advocates pressured Jenel to work with Key Food
on a lease that would allow it to stay at the property.
Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
Photo courtesy of NYPD
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