Google Maps has given me the opportunity to share what I love the most about my community with millions of people from around the world: our history, international cuisine, and our role in social change. From history going back to the 1600s, when Flushing was at the forefront of the struggle for religious freedom, to the cosmopolitan center of international commerce it is today, there is a vibrancy and quiet pride in the food, culture, and entrepreneurship of ordinary people here – a sentiment that I try to communicate through my images and words on Google Maps. Often marginalized by mainstream media as a “Chinatown” ghetto, I have been working with local residents and business owners to create a new narrative where we posit Flushing, Queens, as the epicenter of a new multicultural and interconnected world – the real New York – where ordinary people from around the globe struggle, learn from each other, and transform themselves and our society. As the Chamber of Commerce, which I helped to establish in 2014, states in our vision: We envision a community that is a beacon for economic opportunity, mutual respect, and solidarity. As we overcome challenges and reach for our dreams, we transform ourselves and redefine what it means to be an American.
John Choe
Flushing, Queens
