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Community Mela 2006

A report
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Thank you!
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Sakhi’s first-ever Community Mela brings hundreds to Richmond Hill gathering

“A mela? What’s that?” asked Trevolta Karran, an emcee at Sakhi’s first-ever community mela held on Saturday, September 16th in Richmond Hill, Queens. “You don’t know what a mela is?! A mela is a fair where people get together and celebrate!” responded Shivana Jorawar, the other emcee and one of the organizers of this extraordinary event that transformed the Indo-Caribbean and South Asian neighborhood on 133rd street between 105th and 107th Avenues in Queens. Their banter and celebratory tone matched the spirit of the more than 750 people who walked through the residential blocks to learn about services available to them and enjoy the day of performances.

The event – the first of its kind in this neighborhood- showcased a wide range of local performers such as the B & B Girls Dance Group, Bollywood Axion Dance Troupe, Rajkumari Cultural Center, comedienne Nikki Chawla, dhol master Madan Madi, theatre groups like Flat Tire Productions and Natraj Center for the Performing Arts, poets Piper Anderson and Taij Kumaree Moteelal, singer Rick Ramdehal and more! In Pied Piper style, community members came to the mela following the drumming of Nirvana Humanitarian Foundation’s Tassa band (a traditional East Indian drumming quartet, very popular in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago) as they marched through the streets.

Once they reached the main venue on 133rd street, community members were pleasantly surprised that this mela did not consist solely of the usual staples of song, dance, food and crafts. Instead, Sakhi organized children’s games, drawing competitions and most importantly, the presence of over 40 community-based organizations that provide crucial resources and services, including health access, legal information, ESL classes and of course, domestic violence services. As Ravisharon Khun Khun, a Richmond Hill resident put it, “I thought it was great that it [the mela] brought to this community services that either this community didn’t know existed or hasn’t had easy access to. It creates an environment where even if the person sitting at the table doesn’t speak your language, you can probably find someone at the next table who can help you. It creates an open exchange, especially for South Asian women.”

This open exchange and sense of being integrated in the community was echoed by several of the organizations present. “It’s important not only to serve the community but to be a part of the community. The Sakhi mela helped us become a part of the community this afternoon”, said Mabeena Kaur from the Sikh Coalition, an organization that defends civil rights and liberties while educating the broader community about Sikhs, who tabled alongside the Latino Commission on AIDS and a jewelry vendor. The range of advocacy and service-providing organizations tabling on the street reflected the power of partnership as well as the diversity of the neighborhoods they serve. Yet, for some organizations, the mela was their first chance to learn about each other’s work. Alice Hawks, Director of Safe Horizon Queens Criminal and Supreme Court Program exclaimed, “I’m so thrilled to be here – I’ve met organizations that I didn’t even know existed but are right here in Queens!”

Partnership development was one reason that Sakhi put together this brand-new event. The other, of course, was to reach community members on their turf. In its 17 years of existence, Sakhi has conducted hundreds of community awareness events including screenings, presentations and its Annual March Against Violence, in various neighborhoods. The mela however, is a first - both for Richmond Hill and for the organization. It marks the beginning of Sakhi’s new campaign called Communities Taking Charge, which engages community members to end and prevent abuse by hearing their methods of intervening in domestic violence situations and fostering sustained dialogue on the issue.

Speaking at the mela, Bix Gabriel, Sakhi’s Community Outreach and Media Director who leads the campaign, reiterated the idea that the mela and the campaign were community-centered and driven saying, “Sakhi has organized this mela – for you – the community of Richmond Hill. We have tried to bring information and resources that address your needs. And I congratulate you because you have taken this huge first step of building a community partnership.”

The first step was not only the audience presence at the mela but the enthusiasm and encouragement from the community in organizing it. Originally Sakhi planned to host a street fair, but no new permits were being issued for street fairs in 2006. Fearing that the event could be postponed till 2007, Sakhi approached community members. On hearing about Sakhi’s work to end domestic violence in the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean community, husband and wife Danny and Devi Megnath who live in the neighborhood immediately volunteered to help organize a block party. Through their efforts, which were acknowledged by Sakhi with a Community Leadership award at the event, the mela became a reality. Their motivation to assist Sakhi came from the belief that domestic violence is a serious issue in the Richmond Hill community that is rarely addressed.

Purvi Shah, Executive Director of Sakhi, elaborates, “The Richmond Hill community is greatly underserved. As in every community across America, people here too are concerned about jobs, health care access, immigration, and education. What’s remarkable is that this community is also concerned with issues like domestic violence which shows the desire to build and strengthen the entire community. We recognize that ending domestic violence and building women’s empowerment are the cornerstones to happy, healthy and safe families – and communities. This mela is the first step towards achieving this goal in the receptive community of Richmond Hill, Queens.”

That this first step was not a small one came through in two significant ways. At the mela, attendee Nadia Khan beamed, “Wow! It is so refreshing to see so many people get together to talk about the issues in our community that go unnoticed. I’m so happy to be here to stand up and say no to domestic violence!” And on Monday, September, 18th, two days after the mela, Sakhi received its first post-mela call for assistance from Richmond Hill.

Thank You

A BIG thank you to every single volunteer, vendor, performer, media sponsor, donor, community member and community-based organization for their immense hard work, dedication and love for their community! YOU MADE THE MELA POSSIBLE!

Supporters and Donors:

Sakhi thanks the following community supporters: The Meghnath family
Sponsorship: Ed Ahmad
In-kind donations: Arya Samaj Mandir, Star Productions, Trevolta Karran
Design: Rabbana Omar
Media and Publicity: Akhonsamoy, Ambalika Mishra - Bharatwani on ITV and RBC Radio, Bhawanie Singh on ITV, Caribbean Daylight, Caribbean New Yorker, Gujarat Times, Guyana Journal, India Weekly-USA, India Tribune, ITV, Jyoti Satsangh Show on ITV, Little India, News India Times, RBC Radio, Roy Ramsarran, SALAAM Theatre, Sher E Punjab, Snaps India, Skyline Mortgage Company - Youth Beats show on The Arabic Channel, Tanuja Raghoo - Aap Ki Farmaish and Caribbean Spotlight on ITV and Cablevision, Tony Shaffick, Caribbean Republic Showcase on ITV, The West Indian.

Performers at the mela:
DJ AJAY (Star Productions) and emcees Shivana Jorawar and Trevolta Karran
B & B Dance Group, Bollywood Axion Dance Troupe, Dhol master Madan Madi, Flat Tire Productions, Comedienne Nikki Chawla, Natraj Center for the Performing Arts, Nirvana Humanitarian Foundation's Tassa Band, Poets Piper Anderson and Taij Kumaree Moteelal , Rajkumari Cultural Center's Pritha Singh, Ramona Singh and Anjali, Singer Rick Ramdehal and Sowmya Suresh of the Sadhanalya School of Dance!

Participating Community-Based Organizations:
AANA (Asian American Network Against the Abuse of Human Rights), Andolan, APICHA (Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV and AIDS), Asian Outreach Clinic, CONNECT, CREA, Day One, Domestic Violence Unit of the 106th Precinct, Dress for Success, DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), Forest Park Trust, Indo-Caribbean Community Center Initiative, Latino Commission on AIDS, Metro Plus, Metropolitan Jewish Council Center, MIC Women's Health Services, Nirvana Humanitarian Foundation, NYANA (New York Association for New Americans), NYAWC (New York Asian Women's Centre), NYLPI (New York Lawyers for the Public Interest), OCA (Office of Court Administration), Pragati, Preet Srivastava and Mikako Fujiwara, Queens Legal Services, Queens Public Library, Rajkumari Cultural Center, SACSS (South Asian Council of Social Services), Safe Horizon, SAHI (South Asian Health Initiative), SAYA! (South Asian Youth Action!), Sikh Coalition, South Asian Health Project, Turning Point, United Sikhs Forum, and Voices of Women Organizing!

For more on past events, click here.