Neighbors mark 250 years with celebration and concern

The nation’s 250th anniversary brought large crowds to Sunset Park’s western lawn to watch the Macy’s fireworks against the Manhattan skyline. For local residents, the nation’s birthday was also a chance to celebrate and reflect on what the country means to them and how they feel about its future.

Xingze Lin, a Sunset Park artist, joined friends at the park. “Whether people are celebrating a holiday or watching the sunset, I like seeing everyone enjoying the outdoors together,” he said. Lin does not regularly celebrate the Fourth of July, but friends from elsewhere in Brooklyn had heard about the view and came to join him.

Kiki Qi, a recent immigrant from China who lives in Sunset Park, didn’t have the day off, though she still took some time to take her daughter to the park. She enjoyed the atmosphere but preferred the fireworks she remembered from China.

“The fireworks here definitely aren’t as good as the ones in China,” she said.

Fang, who immigrated to New York with her husband and young child three years ago, began the holiday with a family dinner at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant before heading to the park. “The atmosphere in the park was great,” she said.

Raquel, 27, has lived in the United States for nearly two years and is learning English. She celebrated July 4 with a family meal at home and later spoke with the Sunset Post at the El Bronco taco truck on Fifth Avenue, where she was eating with a friend.

“This country has given me many things, so it is an important day,” Raquel said. “It gives us many opportunities and contributes a great deal to the lives of people from here and from other countries, so celebrating the day means a lot.”

For Alex, a cook, July 4 meant a day off. “Whether you are an immigrant or undocumented, it is a day off,” he said. He went to the beach to watch the fireworks. “It is a day when you can take some time for yourself and enjoy things that work and routine leave no time for. For me, it is a beautiful day, whether you have family to enjoy it with or you are alone.”

Alex also said the holiday reminded him of the opportunities he has found in the United States. “This is a country that has offered me many opportunities, so why not have respect for it?” he said. “That’s why I say the Fourth of July is beautiful.”

Jesse, a 30-year-old Sunset Park resident and mother of two, spent July 4 with her family at a water park in Pennsylvania. “I guess independence is like freedom and celebrating the United States, where we are now,” she said. “Everybody wants to do fireworks, barbecues. It means happiness. It means being part of the United States.”

Jesse said Hispanic families celebrate in the same way, with barbecues and fireworks. Asked whether she felt part of the same celebration as everyone else, she answered, “Of course. Everybody does.”

Residents also spoke about what they wanted to change in Sunset Park and whether they felt hopeful about the country.

Lin said, “I hope more can be done to address the housing crisis facing low-income Sunset Park residents.” Qi called for cleaner streets, less litter, more trash cans and more frequent street cleaning.

Raquel said the country is doing well in some respects but “in others, unfortunately, not so much.” Immigration, she said, is “a little delicate,” though she thinks conditions will improve in the coming years.

Alex said, “From my perspective, I think things are fine because I have not been affected and I do have work.”

Fang said, “I think this year is a little better than previous years.”

Jesse was less optimistic. “It’s not going to be the same,” she said. “Everything changes — and not in a good way.”

Residents also spoke about birthright citizenship following the Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling in Trump v. Barbara that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment. The ruling rejected President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict that right.

Alex called the proposed restriction unfair. “If you are born here, regardless of whether your parents are immigrants, you were born in the United States,” he said. “The child is not at fault and does not choose where to be born. It seems very unfair to me.”

Raquel agreed. “I do not think it is fair, but there is not much that we as foreigners can do, unfortunately,” she said.

Jesse also called the proposal unreasonable. She said most American families include someone who came from another country.

In a neighborhood as diverse as Sunset Park, it's not surprising that opinions about the country and ways of commemorating the Fourth of July vary, but Raquel said there was room for different traditions. “Everyone celebrates in their own way,” she said. “Each person gives it their own touch, but in general, the way people celebrate deserves respect.”