Negotiating Invisibility at the Epicenter: Himalayan New Yorkers Confront Covid-19

Abstract

Through audio diaries and interviews, former SSRC fellow Sienna Craig and her collaborators chronicled the experiences of Himalayan New Yorkers during the pandemic. Many Himalayans live in central Queens, the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in New York City. This essay shares the many challenges faced by the Himalayan community, not least their struggle to be seen as a "community" with its own needs. But it also emphasizes the responses of Himalayans in terms of collective self-help and making claims on city government for attention and essential services. https://items.ssrc.org/covid-19-and-the-social-sciences/covid-19-fieldnotes/negotiating-invisibility-at-the-epicenter-himalayan-new-yorkers-confront-covid-19/