We are all immigrants.

We all came here from some other land – perhaps for some of us, it happened in another generation.

For me, it was my grandparents who came here. Like so many other eastern Europeans around the turn of the century before last, a home in America offered freedoms and opportunities, not available to them in the land that they left.

They traveled across a treacherous ocean, faced perils and difficulties so that their lives and the lives of their children would be better. Like many of you, I am one of the fortunate ones – someone else had the struggle and I reaped the benefits.

It is a story of building our nation — the story of Queens.

Today, only the times have changed. Perhaps the hues of the faces, the sounds of the new words, and some customs are unlike those of the past, but there are no real differences.

People, in search of a better life leave their homeland and make their way to a new one. They bring with them the desire to be free, the commitment to provide their children with a new home, education and opportunity. They also bring a bit of their culture – their foods, their religion, and the charm of their unique and different land.

They come with their dream, their determination and hard work. They are for the most part builders – builders of our tomorrow. They, in the universal time continuum, have built, are building and will continue to build this, the greatest nation the world has known.

With all of our faults and all of my regular criticism, there is no place on earth, nor has there ever been, with the freedoms and opportunity afforded by our country. And so they came, are coming, and will continue to come to build America and make our land their home.

Yes, this is a land of immigrants.

And with this special edition, we reach out to the immigrant community to touch the newest arrivals to our borough. That is no small number. Based on the latest information, half of Queens’ more than two million residents were born in another country.

But that shouldn’t be so surprising.

Queens is the most diverse place on earth. It has been statistically demonstrated to be the most ethnically diverse county in this country. Yes, we’re number one! We are the world’s true home of multiculturalism.
But that also should not be surprising.

The first home of the United Nations General Assembly was here in Queens. The New York City Pavilion from the 1939 World’s Fair played host to world. It is the same building which today houses an ice-skating rink, the Queens Museum of Art and the wonderful panorama of our City. We have hosted Two World’s Fairs. And we are part of the wondrous multicultural metropolis of New York City.

For much of last century our city served as the melting pot of the cultural diversities arriving at our shore.
People from all over the globe came to New York through Ellis Island and then Idlewild (later named Kennedy Airport) seeking the American dream. Each ethnic group found its small piece of our city. Sometimes cultures blended quickly, sometimes they existed side by side and occasionally there was conflict. But they came to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and all she symbolizes. And they came in large numbers and often settled here in New York.

And today, they continue to come in search of the same American dream. And many of those dreamers make their home in our borough, Queens.

But that too, should not be surprising.

My grandparents were those dreamers. A century ago, or a little more, grandma and grandpa Schenkler and Katz made their way from Eastern Europe to New York to build their future and have a family in a home which promised religious freedom and opportunity. My in-laws came from the concentration camps of Europe a little more than a half a century ago for the very same reasons.

And although their story sounds a little more dramatic than most, the basic underlying reason for the settlement and growth of our great nation was the opportunity and freedom it offered. And since our founding fathers first spelled out those principles and our system of legislation and jurisprudence helped those freedoms to evolve, while a competitive economic system rewarded hard work and ingenuity, freedom and opportunity have became the shibboleths of every immigrant group arriving at our shores.

Today Queens is the center of the action.

The business that I took over more than 25 years ago has changed. The colors of the faces and the pronunciation of the names have become more varied. The ethnic backgrounds have become much more diverse. Our office reflects our city and our borough.

We are Queens.

And today, we invite the more than two million people who call Queens home to thumb through this guide to settling in the most ethnically diverse community on the planet. If you are a Trib regular, share some of the concerns of Queens’ newest residents, and recall or imagine the problems encountered by your ancestors.

And then take a moment and walk down the block to the new family who just moved in — the family that came the furthest point on earth.

But go on, reach out to someone new to our land and offer your hand and this copy of the Queens Tribune Immigrant’s Guide and tell them: “Welcome to Queens, the most diverse place on earth.”

Celebrate our borough.

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.