Mourners gathered at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Oct. 17 to bury the dead, but this was no ordinary funeral.
Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians escorted two caskets – one a small, white children’s casket with golden angels; the other larger and pearl-colored – into the church as bagpipes played “Amazing Grace.”
The two coffins contained the final remains of immigrants who died over 150 years ago.
Under the rumbling No. 7 line el along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights hangs the red, blue and yellow sign of the Ecuadorian consulate. Clusters of down-and-out men sit on the sidewalk around the sign, waiting for a job that never comes. Most haven’t worked in weeks – or months, in some cases.
The immigrants’ usual living arrangement of two to three people per apartment is now closer to seven or eight as they struggle to pay the rent. Some can’t afford housing and become homeless. Those without documentation hesitate to seek social services and must often ask their families in Ecuador for money.
“If I’m going to starve, I’m better off starving in my country,” said Patricio Garces, an Ecuadorian-born U.S. citizen who plans to return home this year.
Rosa Martinez used to stroll to the local money transfer office in Corona every week to send $200 to her family in Cuenca, Ecuador.
She still goes to the Delgado Travel office, but not to send money. Instead, it is she who collects a little cash from those family members in Cuenca.
“My husband used to earn $140 a day working three, four days a week as a construction worker,” said Martinez, 48. “Now he gets $80 a day and works two, maximum three days a week.”
The economic downturn has battered the nation in recent months, but it also has deeply affected countries like Ecuador, where a recently improved standard of living has devolved with less money flowing from immigrants working in the U.S.
On a warm night in Fort Greene, people often sit at tables outside a bustling restaurant on DeKalb Avenue, just down the street from the park. Inside, patrons sit at tables or the bar, sometimes just chatting, other times listening to music or a reading from an author.
For a decade, Madiba restaurant has been a cultural center for South Africans in the city. Mark and Jenny Henegan, co-owners and spouses, modeled Madiba after a South African shebeen, where locals gather to drink, socialize and talk about politics. As a native of South Africa, Mark Henegan wanted to bring a taste of his homeland’s culture to his adopted hometown.
Peaceful Feeling
“When I arrived in New York it was the first place I ever felt closest to world peace, where everyone lived together and walked together and ate together,” said Mark Henegan. “In New York you can be anybody you want. You can be connected with people.”
The Henegans opened the restaurant across the street from their apartment, using $10,000 in savings. The concept caught on, with the Henegans opening other branches in North Carolina and Florida.
The venture hasn’t been without its share of difficulties. In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Madiba and other restaurants along DeKalb reported a downturn in business. More recently, the recession has hit DeKalb Avenue. Madiba’s profits are down 20%, according to Henegan.
The restaurant joined with other businesses in the DeKalb Merchants’ Association to cut costs through bulk purchases. The Association also shares a garbage service. Henegan said these moves have made up the difference from the fall in profits.
Community Spirit
That same type of community spirit is present at the restaurant, where locals mingle with a diverse group of South Africans and other patrons from around the city. That’s in stark contrast to the realities that Henegan experienced growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, or even in his travels throughout the American South.
“Traveling across the South, I found a lot racism, a lot of separation,” said Henegan. “Though it was not labeled as apartheid, I found very similar towns to where I was raised in South Africa, where there was a lot of segregation. New York for me was not even part of the United States. It was a different place altogether.”
