Through a unique partnership between the Lower East Tenement Museum’s Youth-Digital-Arts-In-Residence program and La Lutta NMC’s Active-Knowledge-Youth program, two New York City youth’s from immigrant families are taking part in developing, designing and launching a web-site dedicated to highlighting the important role immigrants play in defining New York City. Arun Konkoth of Staten Island and Daniel Charitable of Brooklyn are currently working in the La Lutta NMC studio in an effort to build the The Immigrant Experience: Immigration as Seen Through the Eyes of New York City Youth.

Daniel’s family emigrated here from Port-au-Prince, Haiti in the 1950’s. Immigrants from Haiti and the surrounding Caribbean area make up one the largest immigrant groups arriving in New York City in the last decade. According to the 2000 census, there are about 200,000 Haitian/Haitian American inhabitants in Brooklyn making it home to the largest number of Haitian immigrants in New York City. Flatbush Avenue serves as the ‘Main Street’ for the Haitian-American community.

Throughout Flatbush Avenue or ‘Little Haiti’ as it is otherwise known, Haitian immigrants have reconstructed the key elements of their homeland through language (Creole and French), religion (primarily Catholic), music (Konpa), literature (Edwidge Danticat) and cuisine (mixture of West African, indigenous Caribbean, Spain, France, and the UK).

Extending outwards to Nostrand Avenue and Church Avenue, two adjacent locations with a substantial amount of Haitian-Americans, Flatbush Avenue represents the cultural, social and political center of the Caribbean and, more specifically, the Haitian immigrant community. Little Haiti also benefits greatly from the presence and influence of other Caribbean and West Indian peoples. Immigrants from Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Antilles and a host of other Caribbean countries add to the multi-ethnic diversity, spirit and vitality of this community and New York City as a whole.

In his work for The Immigrant Experience web site, Daniel recounts his grandparents struggle both in Haiti and here in the U.S. His story, along with thousands of others living in Little Haiti, speaks directly to the will and determination of the human spirit to overcome adversity through culture and community. Two important contributions immigrants make to New York City every day.