Earlier this week I was invited to join the Flushing Interfaith Council and the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce at a local lunch. Faith leaders from northeast Queens joined in solidarity with the Flushing community at a lunch at Dumpling Galaxy, a local restaurant located in Arcadia Mall, at 42-35 Main St. My 3 year old and I had a great meal and learned a lot from the friendly crowd.
More than a dozen faith leaders representing the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and BaháΚΌí faiths gathered to caution New Yorkers against the panic spreading in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic while enjoying the affordable and Michelin-rated Cantonese menu. Conversation topics included upcoming community events, the proposed development of the Flushing waterfront, and the irresponsible media usage of photos of Flushing posted by the New York Times and the New York Post to illustrate reports of New York City's first confirmed case of the novel Coronavirus, even though the victim returned from a trip in Iran, lives in Manhattan, and is not connected with the immigrant community in Queens.
"Flushing businesses are already experiencing 30-50% drop in revenue because of the Corona virus panic," stated Taehoon Kim, an acupuncturist and president of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce. "Today's news reports in the Times and Post will certainly add oil to the fire. As a business owner in Flushing, I take this as a declaration of economic war against Asians in addition to blatant racism."
If you and your family or friends visit a local Flushing restaurant you are encouraged to hashtag a photo of your outing with #IWillEatWithYou as a show of support and solidarity for our local community. As of publication there have been no reported cases of Covid-19 in Flushing. The CDC has issued basic recommendations and safety precautions to keep yourself healthy.
Other faith leaders who spoke out against the media-inflamed racial panic included: Jack Chang, a member of the BaháΚΌí community of Queens and president the Flushing Interfaith Council; Caroline Lane, clerk of Flushing Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Ramanathan Subramony of the Hindu Temple Society, Souksavat Soukhaseum of the Free Synagogue of Flushing, Lourdes Hartick of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sau Chau of St. Michael's Church.
