By The TimesLedger
Without trying, City Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis) has caused an identity crisis within the city’s Black and Hispanic Caucus. As reported last week, Weprin, who is Jewish, said he was asked by two members of the minority caucus to join their group because they had learned that his mother was Cuban.
Weprin was happy to join the caucus. Unfortunately, not everyone in the caucus is happy with the way things are going. For a long time it was easy to decide who could be included in the minority caucus. All the members were either African American or Hispanic. But that all changed in January when the caucus asked the Council's first Asian American, John Liu (D-Flushing), to join their group. No one objected. The umbrella was opened wide enough to include all people of color.
But the term “people of color” apparently does not include Jews, although Jews are clearly a minority. But if Mr. Weprin’s mother was Cuban, that makes him at least half a person of color. Cubans, of course, come in a variety of shades or, if you will, “colors.” There are Cubans who are very light skinned and more closely linked to Castilian ancestors and there are Cubans with dark skin who are more closely linked to African or Caribbean ancestry. Because all Cubans speak Spanish and are not Spaniards, they are arguably “Hispanic.” Therefore, by definition of the caucus they are “people of color” even if they are, for lack of a better word, white or Caucasian.
So, the dilemma is this: Is there room for a Caucasian in this caucus? This begs another question: in a city and, indeed a borough, where “minorities” collectively outnumber the “majority” does an organization such as the Black and Hispanic Caucus still have relevance? Would the people who don’t blink at the existence of this caucus be as willing to accept a Caucasian caucus? In the year 2002, are there still issues and concerns unique to “people of color” that are not equally relevant and important to people who are not “people of color?”
In this new City Council, in a new era for city politics, just maybe, the Black and Hispanic Caucus has outlived its usefulness.
Editorial: The end of an era
After 30 years of public service, Bernard Haber has stepped down from his position as chairman of Community Board 11. While we have had our disagreements with Mr. Haber, we have never found reason to doubt his unwavering dedication to the people of northeast Queens.
CB 11 includes the communities of Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, Oakland Gardens, Hollis Hills and Auburndale. It remains one of the most desirable places to live in all of New York City. Haber has had the demanding job of balancing continuous growth without compromising the community’s quality of life.
At times he must have felt more like a referee in a WWF match than a board chairman. During his tenure, Haber has had to deal with bitter disputes over group homes for the mentally retarded, expansion of the Long Island Expressway, commercial development on Northern Boulevard and the expansion of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, to name just a few. Through it all, he has conducted himself as a gentleman and a peacemaker, always looking for compromise solutions to the most difficult problems.
Most people living in northeast Queens don’t know Mr. Haber, but all of them owe him a debt of gratitude.
