Day 187: Little Guyana, Queens, New York

📌APIA Every Day (187) - Little Guyana, located in Richmond Hill, Queens, is home to a significant portion of New York City's Guyanese population, along with immigrants from India and Trinidad and Tobago. The neighborhood spans about 30 blocks along Liberty Avenue, the main commercial strip, which features numerous roti shops, Chinese-Guyanese restaurants, sari emporiums, bakeries, and specialty stores. Notable eateries include Singh’s Roti Shop, Sybil’s, Veggie Castle, and Little Guyana Bake Shop, serving traditional Guyanese and West Indian dishes such as roti, doubles, sweet breads, and savory pastries. Off the main strip, quieter residential streets with tidy row houses and gardens contribute to the neighborhood's distinct character.

The influx of South Asians to Little Guyana began during the 1970s and 1980s, driven by the search for better economic opportunities and political stability amid the turmoil under the Burnham/Hoyte dictatorship in Guyana. Many Guyanese immigrants, primarily of East Indian descent and often Hindu, initially settled in low-rental areas of lower and mid-Manhattan and Jamaica, Queens. Over time, the neighborhood also attracted immigrants from Trinidad, China, and India, creating a unique blend of Caribbean and South Asian cultures. The area's demographics began to shift as the Caucasian population aged and moved out, allowing Indo-Caribbean and Punjabi immigrants to establish a foothold in Richmond Hill.

Efforts to formally recognize the area culminated in the co-naming of a portion of Liberty Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard as Little Guyana Way, acknowledging the significant cultural and economic contributions of these populations in transforming Richmond Hill. By the late 1980s, the Guyanese population in Richmond Hill was estimated at around 90,000. Today, Little Guyana is known for its diverse businesses, cuisine, and cultural practices, reflecting its evolution into a melting pot of Caribbean and South Asian cultures.

LEARN MORE:

New York City Tourism: On the Road to Roti in Little Guyana

Untapped New York: A Guide to Little Guyana in Richmond Hill and Ozone Park, Queens

Guyana Chronicle: The Emergence of ‘Little Guyana’ in America

Stabroek News: Great pride in Queens over `Little Guyana Avenue’

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