Painting the portrait of a neighborhood as vibrant as Flushing using a little over 1500 words is no easy task. However, Gautam and I tried to at least get a mental picture by strolling through the area and conversing with several of its members. The overall portrait described in words may end up being a bit blurry, but considering it’s a portrait of Flushing, it should still be beautiful and dynamic.
We can start sketching our portrait by looking at Flushing’s origins. Flushing was originally land purchased by the Dutch from a group of Native Americans called the Matinecocks. The settlers named the land Vlissingen, which translates to “flowing water.” Later, when the British took over the area, they Anglicized the name Vlissingen, giving the area its current name, Flushing. Flushing was one of the first areas to petition for and later obtain religious freedom. The petition, called the Flushing Remonstrance, was written in 1657. The petition was written in response to a law passed by Governor Stuyvesant that prohibited Flushing residents from receiving Quakers into their homes. At the time, the occupants of Flushing were primarily Dutch and English. Later, in the 1800’s African Americans, attracted by Flushing’s tolerance of Quakers, began settling in Flushing.
As time went by, Flushing’s development served to make it even more appealing to outsiders. In 1843, a local newspaper was put into circulation and a secondary school opened. The school’s population included students from other parts of the U.S., Europe, South and Central America. In 1854, a railroad was set up that connected Flushing with New York City. After the Civil War, the population of Flushing increased significantly. This increase can be attributed to trolley lines and railroads, which facilitated commuting in and out of the area. The population would see another increase in the early 1900’s. New developments in Flushing corresponded with this increase. A subway line was developed that connected Flushing with Manhattan and apartment buildings began replacing houses.
Later in the1900’s, large groups of Asian immigrants began making Flushing their home. Most of these immigrants were Chinese, Korean and Japanese. Their arrival at this time can be partially attributed to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which got rid of the quota system that severely limited the amount of Asian immigrants that could immigrate to the U.S.. A second wave of immigrants came in the 1980’s. This time, the immigrants came from a wider variety of countries, including China, Korea, India, Colombia, Afghanistan, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Pakistan, the Philippines and El Salvador.
With our sketch of the past complete, we can begin adding some color using current demographics of Flushing. Flushing has the seventh largest immigrant population in New York. 67.7% of residents in Flushing are foreign-born. Of those foreign born, 80% are from Asia, giving Flushing the largest concentration of Asian immigrants in Queens. That means that about 54% of Flushing currently consists of Asian immigrants. This is a very different picture from 24 years ago when the largest population in Flushing was White Non-Hispanic, which made up about 58% of the population. The Asian population at the time represented only about 22% of the neighborhood. The current Asian population consists primarily of Chinese, Koreans and Indians. The immigrant population of Flushing also includes people from Colombia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Bangladesh, as well as other countries. While Flushing’s Chinese population has increased over the years, most likely taking in Chinese immigrants that left the Chinatown in Manhattan, its Indian population has actually declined by 23% since 2000.
To finish of our picture, we need to add a personal touch in the form of personal experiences. I had never been to Flushing before, so I was not sure what to expect. When I got off at the last stop on the 7-train and walked out into the sunlight, I was immersed in a raging sea of people. Everyone had somewhere to be and seemed to be in a hurry to get there. I felt intimidated, wondering how I was going to find the courage to stop such seemingly busy people for an interview. I went to the corner, and waited for Gautam, who lives in the area, to arrive. When he did, we went to a nearby public library to discuss our game plan. I was surprised to see so many people in the library on Saturday. It was so packed that we could not find a seat. Planning our day did not take long, so we departed soon after.
We decided to stay away from the busy Main Street and instead walk the less-crowded streets and visit several parks in the area. Away from Main Street, the residential houses brought a sense of calm compared to the congested buildings in the main street area. Something that surprised me as we walked was the variety of religious institutions we passed by while covering a relatively small area. We saw a Sikh temple, a synagogue, and a Korean Christian church. While walking along one street, we looked into one yard to see what looked like a yard sale. Several people, all Asian, were perusing a table covered in a vast collection of clothing, and pulling out what they thought they might like. A few feet away from the table stood a lady who appeared to be in charge of transactions. In front of her were several boxes, one of which said “Donations.” I decided to walk over and ask her what the donations were for only to find out that she did not speak English. Instead, she called over another woman who greeted us and asked us what we needed. I told her I wanted to know what the donations were for. She explained that they were collecting donations for the homeless. The yard they were in, and the building behind it was used to house the homeless and the clothes the people were perusing were meant for the homeless. Unfortunately, the owners of the building were no longer allowing the homeless to reside there. As a result, the people, who I found out were a part of the Jesus Love House Mission, were giving away the clothes, partially in exchange for donation. Essentially, the clothes were free and for anyone who needed them. However, it was deeply appreciated if those who took clothes could donate as well. The money used would go to help the homeless. I did not want any clothing, but I decided to put a dollar in the donation box. The woman was grateful that I did so and told me “You got good love.” I was honestly surprised. I did not expect that just a few blocks away from the bustling main street there would be a quiet community working to help the homeless.
After leaving the yard we walked on to visit several parks. In total we visited about five. Of those, the three that I remember the most are Bowne Park, Kissena Corridor Park, and Kissena Park. As we traverse to and from each, I notice that the areas between displayed trees blooming with exquisite flowers, all pink, but of three different types. The buildings looked fairly modern. We passed by an elementary school, which Gautam told me had not been there six years ago, and soon we were at our first park. We were looking for people who had some spare time for an interview. It was interesting to see the different activities that took place at different parks. Some boasted large jungle gyms where children tried to enjoy their weekend as best as possible while their parents watched, relaxing, but keeping an eye out to make sure their children were safe. Other parks were smaller, and rather than children, had groups of elderly people playing, or watching others play go (a Chinese board game). Others still included baseball fields, cricket fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts.
While visiting the tennis area of Kissena Park, we stopped to watch some of the residents play. Each court had players of various skill levels. We decided to watch the group we considered to be most skilled and began discussing our own experiences, or lack of experience, playing tennis. While we were talking, a gentleman a few feet away from us came over and gave us some tips on how to become good tennis players. His name was Jack Amiot. Of the many helpful tips he gave us, one that I found most interesting was that he said the Flushing sector of the USTA (United States Tennis Association), a tennis instruction institutions based in Flushing, “sucks”. Apparently, if one wants to get good tennis lessons, they need to head over to Randall’s Island. He told us that if we wanted to play at this particular court we would need to pay $20. Apparently, a tennis permit at the park used to cost $60, until Mayor Bloomberg altered how pricing works. Now, a permit costs $20 for students and seniors, but $200 for everyone else.
After discussing improving our tennis skills, we started talking about his life. He was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. when he was two years old. While he is Cuban by birth, by heritage he is a mix of races, none of which include Cuban. His father came to Cuba from London when he was three years old. His mother came from Spain to Cuba when she was four years old. Both wanted to immigrate to the U.S., but due to the immigration process, it took some time to actually make it over. In Jack’s case, as he said, it took “an entire generation” to do so. Jack was raised Irish Catholic, but when he researched his heritage a few years back he discovered that he was a descendent of one of the first Jewish families to live in France and later England. As a child he went to Catholic school, though he apparently did not learn much there, became an artist after attending Adelphi University, raised a family, and gave tennis lessons. A severely sprained Achilles tendon ended his tennis instruction career, but his art career continues and he is currently trying to open a non-profit organization with the goal of helping people of all ages learn to read and write in English.
After bidding Jack farewell and departing from Kissena part, we walked to Sangas Pizzeria. Sangas is different from most pizza places I’ve been to because they sell snack-sized whole pizzas as opposed to slices or large pies. There were several families there. While they ate, or waited for their orders, they attentively watched the movie displaying on the T.V. screen in the corner. After eating, we went to Gautam’s house to go over our findings.
Flushing is a diverse area not only when it comes to ethnicity, but also culturally and historically. As with any neighborhood in New York, painting a portrait that captures all the important aspects of Flushing, while also adding a few interesting little details, is not easy for an unskilled artist. However, I hope that the portrait I painted does justice to the intricate design and vibrant color that defined my experience of Flushing.
Works Cited
“Flushing: Queens Neighborhood Profile.” About.com Queens, NY. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“History of Flushing Meeting.” History of Flushing Meeting. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“The History Of Flushing.” The Peopling of New York 2011. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“Leaving So Soon?” Security Alert:. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“The Peopling of New York 2013 W/ Professor Berger Macaulay Seminar 2 @ CCNY.” The Peopling of New York 2013 W Professor Berger RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1943 – 1937–1945 – Milestones – Office of the Historian.” Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1943 – 1937–1945 – Milestones – Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
“U.S. Immigration Legislation: 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Cellar Act).” U.S. Immigration Legislation: 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Cellar Act). N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“A Walk Through Queens . History | Thirteen/WNET.” A Walk Through Queens . History | Thirteen/WNET. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
“The New New Yorkers: Characteristics of the City’s Foreign-Born Population, 2013 Edition”, 07 May 2014.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny2013/nny_2013.pdf
