Last Saturday, the Queens Public Library on Lefferts Boulevard in Richmond Hill introduced a collection of materials dedicated to the diverse history, culture and realities of Indo-Guyanese and other Indo-Caribbean people.
Most Indo-Caribbean people are settled in Queens with the largest gathering in the greater Richmond Hill area. So it is not accidental that the Richmond Hill branch plays host to the collection of literature on diverse topics.
The collection of literature on Indo-Caribbean people is a first for a library in the U.S. The effort is a joint initiative of the Indo-Caribbean Alliance Inc. (ICA) and the Queens Public Library. The ICA was integral in developing the Collection and the Unveiling Ceremony as well as the local staff of the Lefferts Branch of the Library.
The ICA was founded by Faudia Baijnauth, Richard David and Andrew Perumal in 2009 and is a registered non-profit organisation seeking to unify and advance Indo-Caribbean interests by fostering joint and collaborative actions among residents, organisations and businesses in South Queens.
Present at the formal dedication ceremony were activists, community leaders, academics, students, library patrons and other interested persons.
Most of the speakers noted that the project aims to significantly increase the amount of materials on culture and history of Indo-Caribbean population in circulation within the American public library system.
The Richmond Hill collection features about 100 titles on various topics including food, sports, migration, assimilation, music, history, politics as well as social and gender issues. The ICA, the promoter of the project, said it hopes that “the collection will not only foster exploration of Indo-Caribbean history, identity and experiences by the Indo-Caribbean community, but by other communities as well”.
The ceremony featured a wide range of local, national and international speakers including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Queens Public Library, Tom Galante, and representatives of elected officials. Tom Galante gave the opening remarks and praised the role of the Indo-Caribbean Alliance, Inc. for undertaking the initiative.
Galante also announced that the Queens Library Foundation would generously match any monetary donations towards the Indo-Caribbean Collection until January 2012. The ceremony was hosted by Anita Baksh, ICA’s Director of Education Programs & Initiatives, and Richard David, ICA’s Executive Director.
Simone Devi Jhingoor from the Jahajee Sisters, performed a personal and moving poem about her experience as a first generation Indo-Caribbean youth in New York.
Dr. Joy Mahabir, Associate Professor of English at Suffolk Community College and expert on Indo-Caribbean literature and history, highlighted some of the fiction in the collection, which included her own novel, Jouvert.
Dr. Andil Gosine, Professor of Sociology at York University in Toronto, praised the achievement of the collection as well as shared information about his course “Indo-Caribbean in Canada” and his Wardrobes project that explores Indo-Caribbean history and identity through art and fashion.
Other authors included Sukree Boodram, a resident of central Florida, who courageously read from her book “Breakout: Surviving Abuse and Alcoholism.” The full collection can be viewed at ICA website www.indocaribbean.org.
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