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The Newkirk Avenue subway station on the 2/5 line in Flatbush has officially been renamed Newkirk Avenue-Little Haiti, honoring the large Haitian community in the area, officially known as Little Haiti.
“Each and every local subway station is ingrained in the fabric of the neighborhood,” said Craig Cipriano, acting president of New York City Transit, at an event commemorating the new name’s dedication. “Much like the local public schools, restaurants, and markets. Newkirk Avenue-Little Haiti is no different, it only made sense for us to adjust the name of the station for the area.”
The push to rename the station was helmed by local Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents Flatbush in Albany and became the first Haitian-American elected to the State Legislature in 2014. Bichotte Hermelyn said at a ceremony at St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church, right beside the station, that the renaming involved changing signs and maps, but also affixed Little Haiti and Haitian identity in the area’s fabric.
“Today we celebrate the heart of Brooklyn,” Bichotte Hermelyn said. “To uplift everyone. We have to remind our children and teach them Black history. Because Haitian history is Black history.”
The designation is not for an example of an American neighborhood but rather for the contributions of Haitian-Americans that live/work in the area.
Back when Chinatown and Little Italy were named, Italy and China were also third-world countries, so is this a race thing for you?
Chinatown and Little Italy were never officially given those names by NYC, they evolved over time. Italy was more of a 2nd world country back then. Semi-industrial but with regional poverty in the south.
Chinatown and Little Italy were never officially given those names by NYC, they evolved over time. Italy was more of a 2nd world country back then. Semi-industrial but with regional poverty in the south.
love how these people always have an excuse for why their thing is legitimate and others aren't. italy was soooooo "second world" that millions left that heavenly paradise "back then" to come here right?
Chinatown and Little Italy were never officially given those names by NYC, they evolved over time. Italy was more of a 2nd world country back then. Semi-industrial but with regional poverty in the south.
What does timing have to do with the designation? It’s a designation that was given by the City of New York. Ironically, Little Italy was barely Italian/Italian American when it was officially designated.
Nice try on calling Italy a second world country in the 1840s to 1920s. Even setting aside the North/South divide, the fact that Sicily/the south comprised of the majority of emigrants to the shores of NYC - you need to get with the program that NYC is a city of immigrants and your distaste for certain countries/racial groups don’t dictate what is right.
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