You are reading

New Mural in Woodside Honors Its Filipino Community

Unveiling the new mural in Woodside’s Little Manila neighborhood (Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts)

June 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Woodside community members unveiled a new mural Friday honoring the Filipino neighborhood and the efforts of Filipino healthcare workers and businesses during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

The mural reads “Mabuhay,” a Philippine expression that has several meanings, including “cheers”, “welcome” and “may you live.”

It was painted on the side wall of the restaurant Amazing Grace on the southeast corner of 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in the Filipino section of the neighborhood known as “Little Manila.”

Filipino organizations, businesses, artists, community leaders and local elected officials unveiled the mural Friday, on Philippine Independence Day.

The mural is a special thanks to Filipino healthcare workers who risked — and gave — their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community leader, Sockie Laya Smith, read names of Filipino healthcare workers who died from COVID-19 during the unveiling ceremony.

“This is to remember them as human beings—not simply as a labor percentage, a deceased statistic, or an immigration number,” she said. “We thank you, say thy name. Mabuhay!”

(Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts)

Artists and community members Princes ‘Diane’ De Leon, Ezra Undag, Hannah Cera, Jaclyn Reyes, and Xenia Diente painted the mural, borrowing details from Philippine culture. For example, the typography is based on lettering found on iconic jeepneys, colorfully painted jeeps used for public transportation in the Philippines.

The community has tried to create a Philippine mural in the Little Manila neighborhood for more than 10 years, according to organizers. The “Mabuhay” mural finally came to fruition thanks to the Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts, a year-long project that seeks to create public art installations in Woodside.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Father slashed defending son in after-school fight near Hollis playground; 14-year-old arrested: NYPD

A 14-year-old boy was arrested for slashing a father who tried to defend his son during an after-school brawl near I.S. 192 in St. Albans on Wednesday afternoon.

Police from the 113th Precinct in Jamaica responded to a 911 call of a man slashed at 109-89 204th St. just before 3:40 p.m. When officers arrived on the scene, they were informed by NYPD School Safety that the 37-year-old man was slashed across the lower back during a dispute between two strangers in the vicinity of 204th Street and Hollis Avenue, police said Friday, stressing that the incident did not occur on school grounds.