The Wonderful Multiethnic Tapestry of New York City
By Dr. Pola Rosen
Parades are a great way to celebrate the diversity of New York City. As you enjoy the images taken by Education Update on this page, you will see the Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Israeli Day Parade, and the Indian Parade (along Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn) marked by music, festive garb, and beaming faces.
Traditionally, the immigrants of decades past called the United States a “melting pot,” a land where many different peoples would blend and work together for the common weal, our great nation. Today the goal is the same, but there is a recognition of the value of preserving and celebrating one’s own heritage.
What a wealth of riches here in our “town,” where one can eat tapas on one street, hummus on another, and chicken tikka masala on yet another. And that’s only the beginning. How about visiting El Museo del Barrio, the Jewish Museum, or an Indian exhibit or two at the Rubin Museum or the Metropolitan Museum of Art?
Picture living in Davenport, Iowa or Minneapolis, Minnesota—that’s like weaving a blanket all beige!
While New York City parades generate litter and cost us money in security, the interchange of cultures and ideas provides incomparable opportunities for learning, living and cooperation.
I wouldn’t live anywhere else!#
