Immigrant Heritage Week celebrates NYC’s rich multiculturalism

This year’s Immigrant Heritage Week logo celebrates frontline workers. Image via nyc.gov

By Rachel Vick

The city’s annual Immigrant Heritage Week is usually marked by dynamic in-person events and programs throughout the five boroughs, but the coronavirus has compelled institutions to move activities online.

A few organizations have stepped up to meet the challenge.

The New York Public Library has shared a reading list full of stories, like “Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love” by Oscar Hijuelos and “Tis” by Frank McCourt, that celebrate the history and literary work of immigrants and first-generation Americans in New York City. The curated selection includes fiction, non-fiction, and a separate list of books for kids and teenagers.

IHW was established in 2004 to commemorate April 17, 1907, the day when more new Americans passed through Ellis Island than any other date in history. New York City is now home to more than three million immigrants, who make up 45 percent of the workforce, according to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Annual Report. Immigrants also comprise about 50 percent of Queens’ population.

The initiative is organized by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, which has begun highlighting the contributions of its employees. MOIA recently featured Queens resident Stephane Labossiere, who works on their community services team, in social media content about IHW.

“I wanted to serve people who look like me and who had problems similar to those I experienced when I first came to the United States,” said Labossiere, who emigrated from Haiti in 2008. “If there is any certainty in how likely you are to live the American dream, it’s in New York.”