It was a day of honor and pride on Saturday, July 31, as Latino residents crowded the southeast corner of Elmhurst Avenue and 94th Street in Jackson Heights for a street co-naming ceremony.
The street was renamed “Mitad Del Mundo” during the event hosted by City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras in honor of the many contributions of the Ecuadorian community. The Ecuadorian community is also celebrating their country’s independence on August 10.
“Mitad Del Mundo,” meaning “Center of the World,” refers to a well-known monument placed astride the equatorial line in Ecuador. The phrase has a particular meaning for Ecuadorians, who proudly see themselves as representatives of both hemispheres, and true world citizens.
Ferreras was joined by Jorge Lopez, the Consul General of Ecuador, Juan Carlos Castrillon, the Deputy Chief Minister of the Ecuadorian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Pablo Calle of the National Secretariat for Migrants of Ecuador, Oswaldo Guzman of the Ecuadorian Civic Committee and Veronica Piedra of the Ecuadorian International Center to celebrate the occasion.
State Senator Jose Peralta, Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry, and Councilmember Daniel Dromm also attended the ceremony and gave thanks to the Ecuadorian community in New York.
“Ecuadorian people are unique, diverse and each day wanting to take part in more community affairs,” said Veronica Piedra, co-executive director of the Ecuadorian International Center. “The street renaming event gave a huge welcoming not only to Ecuadorians living here, but all generations to come. Standing amongst the entire crowd I felt excitement and inspiration, it gave us all a piece of our homeland at the corner of Jackson Heights.
The ceremony drew a large crowd of guests and on-lookers. The crowd was entertained by the local Ecuadorian group, Grupo Infantil Bella Flor de Maiz, composed of 10 children, who performed several Ecuadorian folk dances.
“The Ecuadorian community in Queens is one of the largest concentrations of Ecuadorians anywhere in the world, and their cosmopolitan outlook and creative energies enliven New York City and help make it the greatest city in the world,” Ferreras said.
