Richmond Hill street co-named for founder of Sikhism
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Faith leaders, cultural leaders and elected officials celebrate the “Guru Nanak Way” street co-naming in Richmond Hill on Friday. Eagle Photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
The Sikh community of Queens was given another landmark in the heart of the Richmond Hill community they call home last week.
The intersection of 118th Street between 101st and 95th Avenues was renamed “Guru Nanak Way,” on Friday, named for the founder of Sikhism, the South Asian religion practiced by a number of residents of South Queens.
The block, which intersects with the part of 101st Avenue already co-named “Punjabi Avenue” is also the home of the Sikh Historical Society, the first on the East Coast.
“Richmond Hill, sometimes called ‘Mini Punjab’, and this is what it is,” said Harpreet Singh Toor, a cultural leader and activist in the local Sikh and South Asian communities in Queens. “There may be people who may try to give it other names, but no, this is Richmond Hill, this is ‘Mini Punjab.’
The Sikh community of New York, and Richmond Hill specifically, have faced hate crimes and attacks for many years, particularly following 9/11, due to their traditional turban and long beards. Just last year, in April, three Sikh men were attacked within 10 days on the same street, and an 82-year-old man was robbed and assaulted in September.
This street co-naming, and the two previous ones in the community that have gone up since the pandemic, hope to increase knowledge of Sikhs and Sikh culture so that it might lead to less ignorance and more understanding.
“When the people say hate attacks, yes, they do happen, we should not ignore those, and we should not also try to push it under the rug,” Singh Toor told the Eagle. “They happen because there is an ignorance about who we are, or anybody else when they move into any area.”
That ignorance creates the fear, and out of the fear comes the retaliation,” he added. “That is what the aim is, to give the public that knowledge about the different faiths, and that's the ultimate goal which we are trying to achieve. Because the people who are going to pass by here will look at the name, that name will create a curiosity and then they will start searching for it.”
Queens officials who helped push the co-naming, and the two previous Sikh and Punjabi-recognizing co-namings in Richmond Hill in 2022, spoke of the Sikh community and its voice in the World’s Borough.
“There is no better place to honor Guru Nanak than right here on 118th Street,” said Richmond Hill Councilmember and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “This is the third time that we are making sure that you are visible in Richmond Hill and visible in your community, the community that you continue to build on a daily basis.”
Guru Nanak, born in 1469 in what is now the Punjab region of Pakistan, founded the Sikh religion, and was the first of nine gurus, who were spiritual masters of the faith until 1708.
“Guru Nanak was an advocate for human rights, a champion for the poor, and a believer of equality for women,” said Adams. “He was a writer, a poet and a philosopher, who traveled the world and reached countless people through his humanitarian efforts and his great service.”
Local State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajukumar, the first Punjabi ever elected to state office in New York, spoke of the shared values of the people in Richmond Hill.
“Guru Nanak’s message of universal love, equality and social justice continues to inspire millions of people around the world,” she said. “To this day, Guru Nanak’s teachings are timeless, as they emphasize the importance of compassion, humility and unity.”
“We realize this dream of unity here in Richmond Hill. We are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and Jewish neighbors who live together in love and harmony, often on the same block. Not only do we live together, we cherish the connections that bind us together,” she added.
The elected officials, cultural and religious leaders who spoke on Friday highlighted the importance of recognition and representation, and how events like the street naming mark the Sikh community’s role in Queens and beyond.
“This will show recognition, when people walk by, no matter what religion they are, no matter what group they're with, they will see the sign of the guru and ask questions,” said State Assemblymember David Wepirin. “It really symbolizes the entire Sikh community throughout the city and state.”
Fellow State Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson echoed similar sentiments.
“It's also history,” he said. “It's going to be the responsibility of every single one of us who are here today, when young Punjabi boys and girls walk through this community, for you to point to that side and say this is what this actually means.”
For Jatinder Singh Boparai, the current president of the Historical Society, this is another marker in a long journey for the Sikhs of Queens.
“There was a time when nobody knew about the Sikhs,” he said. “And today Sikhism is the fifth largest religion.”
“We are proud…Queens likes diversity,” he said.
