Heritage of the Hurricanes

By: BHS Features Staff

January 29, 2025

Heritage is important for many reasons because it shapes who we are, and it is a part of who we are. It shows people what we value and can also bring people and families together. Most importantly, it provides clues about our past and shows how our society has evolved. It allows us to examine our history and traditions, see ourselves in different ways, and explain who we truly are.

The word tradition comes from the Latin word “tradiare,” which means to hand over, transmit, or deliver. Traditions mostly consist of practices or rituals that are passed down from generation to generation. It is not just about getting something passed down; it is about the joy of feeling included and a sense of belonging to cultural roots.

Brooklyn’s ethnic population mainly includes people of White descent (61.9%), along with Hispanic descent (15.5%), African-American descent (10.1%), and Asian descent (8.7%). 

Heritage is an important part of everyone, so we decided to interview some staff members about their heritage to learn more about their different cultures and traditions.

*Mr. Larson (Swedish, Danish, and a healthy dose of German): “My great-great-grandparents came from Sweden and Denmark. At the end of the 19th century, many people from Scandinavian countries settled in Minnesota, and my grandparents were one of them. When they moved out West, my grandparents took big fishing trips to Idaho, Montana, Washington, Canada, and Alaska, and they smoked and pickled the salmon they caught. My favorite food is smoked salmon because it’s the one I remember the most. But for the German side, it is pork and sauerkraut. A custom that my family does is potlucks, one of the biggest feasts that comes from my family.”

*Miss Harkelroad (Italian): “My grandfather was 100 percent Italian. He came from a village called Alvito. I would love to visit home and see where he and his eight siblings lived. I love hearing about their life in Italy because of the strong family bond, and they loved cooking and having gardens. When I think of the food they had, I just think of homemade red sauce. My mom got the recipe from her aunts and uncles and passed it down to us, and having the sauce cook for hours made the house smell good and reminds me of family. The traditions mainly center around food, so when we get together, we tell stories and just eat well.”

*Mr. Roegiers (Dutch): “I am mostly Dutch. I remember my great-grandmother making authentic Dutch food when I was younger. My favorite, for example, is oliebollen. Olliebollen is fried dough with raisins, and you dip it in cinnamon sugar. I didn’t do any traditions or customs, but my grandmother used to tell me that they used to put wooden clogs out.”

*Mrs. Velez (Dominican): “I was born in NYC. My parents were born and raised in the DR. My ancestry goes all the way from Congo in Africa to Spain in Europe. My cultural favorite food is green plantains, fried, mashed, and boiled; it doesn’t matter because they are all absolutely delicious! My favorite holiday is Dominican Independence Day, and my favorite tradition is gathering as a family to dance and cook food together.”

*Mrs. Huang (Taiwanese/Chinese): “I am originally from Taiwan. Taiwan is a free country, and we can elect our own government. Chinese culture is the same in both places. My favorite food would be steam buns. I use a bamboo steamer to make the food. It is very light and healthy. My favorite tradition is Chinese New Year’s Eve, having dinner with family, and the elder generation will give money in a red envelope to the younger generation as a gift to encourage them to do better. If the kids do better in school, they can get more money in their red envelope. This is a way to encourage the kids to do better and to do well.”

*Mr. Taylor (African-American): “I am African-American. I’m not too sure of my full background. When you ask me about my favorite food, I would have to say that my family is eating anything that involves a pig. My personal favorite is eating pig’s feet. It’s kind of self-explanatory, but it’s like eating hotdogs with hot sauce and seasoning. My grandma and I also love to eat chitlins. A big thing in my family is religion and the church. They are important things to me because my family is Baptist Christian. My grandfather owned a First Baptist Church.”

*Miss Matthews (Puerto Rican): “I am half Puerto Rican. My grandparents were born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York. My mom wasn’t born in Puerto Rico, but her first language was Spanish. My favorite foods are pastelillos and rice and beans; the rice and beans are cooked differently than the normal Mexican way, and in pastelillos, you can put a meat turnover like chicken beef or corn beef. They are similar to empanadas, and I love drinking guava juice. Because I grew up half white and half Hispanic, the amount of unconditional love was overwhelming. Hispanic families are close and loving which can sometimes get overwhelming. My favorite memory is when we would go to church on Sundays and all pack into one car with four people in the back and three people in the front, and I liked to listen to my abuela sing because I love Spanish music.”

*Mr. Rademaker (Irish): “The heritage I do the most with is Irish. My family came from Ireland to Canada in the 1830s. After living in Canada, they moved down to Vermont and back up to Canada. Then, my grandmother left Canada and moved to Cleveland because it was a good place to work. My favorite cultural food is fish and chips. I think it’s really good, but it is also a standard thing to eat in Ireland. They have what they call chip shops, and they mainly sell fish and chips; it is like our fast food. My favorite custom is eating taytos, a kind of potato chip you can only get in Ireland. They are very good to the point where everyone is stuffing their face with them. People like them so much that when they finish the bag, they just toss them. You can find a lot of the bags on the ground in Ireland.”

Thank you to everyone for sharing with us your background, your traditions, and of course, your go-to cultural dish.

As we are halfway through Heritage week, now is a great time to embrace your own heritage. Be proud of where you came from, who you currently are, and who you will become.

{Information for this article sourced from The United States Census Bureau, The Heritage Council, and Air Combat Command.}