Ewnetu  oil/linen  30" x 30"   2008

EWNETU ADMASU -
"People don't know how lucky they are to be here"

Ewnetu is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ewnetu had a great family; loving parents and eight sisters. He is the youngest and only son. His sisters doted on him, and still do till this day. Ewnetu's mother's name was Mulu, and he named his daughter named after her. Ewnetu played soccer at home, and attended St. George church. Haille Selassi was in power. Amharic is the language of Ethiopia.

Ewnetu's father was a judge, and got a medal from Selassi, which Ewnetu has. Ewnetu has faded memories of his grandmother taking him to meet the famous leader. Ewnetu finished high school and came to US. He was eighteen years old when he came here, and felt very alone. He is manager of the Lincoln Plazas.

RON THOMAS - "Home was street"

Ron Thomas was born in Trinidad. His mom is from Guyana, and she went back to her town, New Amsterdam, where Ron grew up. Mom got remarried when Ron was one, and left to the Bahamas when she remarried. Ron's father, Don Carlos was a man of several trades; he owned a bar with the first jukebox that had a TV screen showing people dancing. He also had grocery stores. He was an engineer and worked the Tide water marine drilling for oil. His weakness was for women & friends-he was tall & slender, always well dressed in suits. Ron's parents didn't have time for him, so he stayed with his grandparents until they died within 6 months of each other. Then Ron stayed with his cousin who drank a lot. His cousin chopped sugar cane as many Guyanese workers did. Since the age of seven Ron & his older brother were on their own- in the streets, ate at other's houses, & mangos from trees.

Ron's father's lawyer was supposed to handle the family's money and give Ron a monthly stipend, but he mishandled the situation, and Ron had to clean house where he was staying; getting up on a ladder to scrub the sides of the building with rags -he was 9 years old at the time. He left, and slept under trees, was scared of night spirits; Dutchman spirit lived under coca tree, Moongazer stalked all paths. Ron would try to find barns to sleep in. He used to go to a theatre & pass a cemetery on Waterside Road, near the sea, a main road Backdam Rd. That's where the spirits partied. He ate fruits called 5-Fingers, jaman, sapodilla, sugar canes & guava.

Ron's mom eventually came to the US & lived in the Bronx near Happyland amusement park. Ron came to NY when he was 11. He stayed with his mom in the Bronx for six months. He had thought, "at least one of my parents will be here." Once when Ron asked his sister for a cup of tea after he arrived, his mother told him "This is America, everyone does for themselves," and threw the cup of hot tea at him. Ron went into his room; put a pair of khaki pants into a "thank you smiley face" grocery bag. He took the Q44 bus to Jamaica, Queens, ran into a cousin on the street, and stayed in his uncle's attic, was on drugs for one year.

"Home was street."

He worked for awhile at Youngworld, a children's department store in Jamaica, and lived in the streets, until he eventually found his own place. Then he worked in a pharmaceutical factory for awhile. His sister Lizena worked at the Lincoln Plaza theatre, & helped him get a job there in 1988. He got there four hours early for his interview. He was happy working at the theatre. Ron met his wife, who at the time was working in an ice cream shop next door. One of the other theatre workers coaxed him to take a look at her, & Ron got up the nerve to go in & asked her for a scoop of ice cream, a cookie and her phone number. They are married and have 3 kids, ages 10, 4, & 2. Ron bought his own house in Queens several years ago and lives with his family there.

ALAM

Alam was born in District of Noakhali in Bangladesh. His mother lived in the countryside with his sister & grandparents. His aunt raised him in the capitol, Khaka. Alam went to a boarding school that was located at a military base. Alam stayed there, and went to his aunt's house on week-ends and holidays. Alam says he had very good teachers there. He also played hockey & soccer.

He came to New York in 1997 at the age of eighteen. His father, mom, and younger sister & brother had arrived earlier in 1982. They lived in Brooklyn near Tompkins & Fulton streets. His father worked in a Yemenite corner store, and then in a Duane Reid at 231st St. & Broadway in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. Alam married his best friend's younger sister in 2002 in Bangladesh. His sister got married in 1999. Alam has a very young sister who turned two at the time of his wedding. Alam and his wife have a two year old son. Alam is one of the managers at the Lincoln Plaza Theatres.

LEENE KESHRIE HIRALAL

Leene is from Berbice, a region of Guyana. Her family is Hindu. She arrived in NY in 1984. She had been married for ten years (got married when she was 14 years old). She has two sons from that marriage, Satesh & Gagnedro. Her first husband died. She married her second husband, an introduction from Leene's brother's friend. Her brother sponsored Leene sons who at the time were 10 & 8 when she came to NY.

Back home Leene's family had land & grew rice. Her mother came from a wealthy family and had a lot of land. They also owned & operated a grocery store. The whole family worked the land, ran the store, and sold goods to many neighboring farmers in bulk supply. There was also a rice mill, and a coconut oil processing plant. Leene learned a lot about business from working in the varied family businesses. Leene's sister is a nurse in England. Leene lives in Richmond Hill, Queens with her husband and their eighteen year old daughter. In addition to working at the concession stand at the Lincoln Plaza., she works at Loews's theatre as a cashier. Her husband is a chef at a midtown Italian restaurant.

EMIYE

Emiye is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Her father was a soldier in the military government that took power away from Haille Selassie's ministers. He had also fought in the Korean War, and received a silver medal for his service. In Ethiopia, he was a high ranking soldier and recruited for special training. In 196 he earned lieutenant in the 25th brigade. In 1964 he worked in the 4th military brigade assigned to protect the king. In 1967 he was in Bali as a military representative. This was a promotion. He was in the probational military government at the age of forty, and in the front lines as a military teacher in soldier training. As a ranking officer, the government moved him around through different provinces.

He was granted political asylum in Ethiopia after Mengista was overthrown, and was sent to live in a refugee camp in Canada for three years to wait for aid. Other soldiers were sent to refugee camps in Kenya, Somalia, & Yemen. While languishing in the camp he got sick, and eventually died three years ago. His body was returned to family in California. Emiye continues to work at the concession stand at the Lincoln Plaza.

IBERTO PLACIDO

Iberto Placido is from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. He works as the ticket taker at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. He was born in 1950, came to New York in 1975, and lived with his brother. His mother lives on St. Nicholas Avenue. Iberto has studied and plays classical and flamenco guitar since he was nineteen. He studied with a well known master, Guido Santarsala, who came from Uruguay to teach in New York. Iberto's wife is waiting to get a visa to come to NY. They have two grown daughters who live in Boston. During the time Iberto lived in the Dominican Republic the government leader, Trujillo killed 37,000 people; he was in power for thirty years.

An incident in the Bronx, where Iberto lived for awhile- while working in his uncle's grocery store, a woman lost a wallet there which the owner kept for her. When she returned to claim it he noticed the wallet belonged to Edwin J. Trujillo, who turned out to be the niece's son of the dictator Trujillo.

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