My New York City neighborhood of Sunnyside has been the honorary home for 20-years for an alternative Irish celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Known as the St. Patricks For All parade, this year it made the news with the entrance of our illustrious congresswoman, Alexandria Ortiz-Cortez. It's a community that from its inception in the 1930s has been primarily composed of varied waves of working class immigrants. Today's diaspora of newcomers include many folks escaping overpriced Manhattan and Brooklyn, and making this enclave in Western Queens their home.

Once considered the borough's Little Ireland, home to many emigrating Irish men and women, today's more recent immigrants represent everywhere from Korea to Turkey and many other places. Maybe that's why  the alternative St. Patricks parade has welcome all  to this cherished community. Here's some of what I saw at the celebration, including our new representative and new neighbors.

AOC from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.

Pipers from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.

ST. Patricks For All from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.

Mariachi from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.

County Cork Pipe band from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.

Soul from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.

Pouring a Guinness from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.