New York's Richmond Hill Stretch co-named 'Punjab Avenue' to honour South Asians

101st Avenue of New York’s Richmond Hill Stretch was, on October 24, co-named ‘Punjab Avenue’ to honour the South Asian community’s contribution towards its development. Hundreds of Punjabis along with other south Asians came together to celebrate the renaming. The area, which lies between 111th and 123rd streets, was casual as ‘little Punjab’ before the announcement majoring owing to its ‘Punjabi culture’ including cuisine and clothing of people living there.

The announcement was made by City Council me member Adrienne Adams, who not only worked hard toward the christening of the area but also joined south Asians in their celebrations. Acknowledging the contribution made by the community is in “building” and “shaping” the Richmond hill for the past 50 years, she said that it was crucial to celebrate the “mosaic of the city.”

'Filled with pride'

Photographs and videos of the grand celebration have now surfaced on the internet and show people posing with the signboard. The event saw the presence of prominence south Asians in the state, including the Democratic nominee for State Assembly District 38 Jenifer Rajkumar, who said that she was “filled with pride.” "I am a proud American and more importantly I am proud Punjabi American," she said. Others included Harpreet Singh Toor, former president of the Sikh Cultural Society, and restaurateur Harjinder Singh Kukreja. 

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Later in a statement, the city authorities said the co-naming is the first step towards recognizing the contribution of the Punjabi community. At the end of November, 97th Avenue from Lefferts Boulevard to 117th Street will be co-named Gurdwara Street, as a mark of respect for the temples in the area, they revealed. 

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 Image: KanwalSinghJK/Twitter