Wednesday, September 9, 2009

NY400 - Black Holland on the Hudson


This is the black community in the Amsterdam and in New York, at least according to NY400 Holland on the Hudson.

This year Holland and the city of New York will celebrate 400 years of friendship. It's a one year celebration, but this week, 08 - 13 September, special Dutch events will be organised in New York to mark the event. For this special occasion there is an official website called NY400 to show the New Yorkers what Holland is all about. No tullips this time.

Of course, as a black guy from Holland, I was looking for some “diversity” on this site. I found it though, but it wasn't really what I was looking for.

The only black person I found was an image of black man lying on the street. He will be discussed on a Conference Urban Health “A Public Health Tale of Two Cities” Part 2.

The intro states: "Big cities inhabit groups of marginalized people. The mental illnesses, addiction and health problems where they suffer from have an impact on the individual and society." Is this black Holland on the Hudson?

Amsterdam is the most multicultural city in the Netherlands and it seems that was the only "shared" thing they could find. Take it from me, you won’t find black people lying on the streets in Amsterdam. And is this the right image of the black community in New York?

But let's not spoil the party. Apart from this website, Holland is a great country to live in, and Amsterdam is the place to be. So If you are in New York, take that free Dutch bike ride and eat my most favourite cookie, stroopwafels. Have fun!

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