Written by Attia Taylor
Images: Brooklyn Panamanian Parade. Photos courtesy Enrique Small.
Enrique Small, President of the Panamanian Parade. Photo courtesy Enrique Small.
Enrique Small is a member of BAC’s Cultural Heritage Advisory Group (CHAG). CHAG consists of members whose artistic practice, expertise, insights, and perspectives contribute to our efforts to preserve and promote Brooklyn's rich cultural heritage and help inform our future programs with a focus on diversity and inclusivity.
Enrique Small is a Panamanian-born Brooklyn resident who has dedicated his life to capturing the spirit, culture, and essence of Panamanian heritage since leaving Panama in 1998. As the President of the Panamanian Parade organization, Enrique celebrates and honors Panamanian leaders, educators, artists, and celebrities who have left a lasting cultural footprint.
The Day of Independence Committee of Panamanians in New York, Inc. (DICPNY) was founded by Mr. Mauricio Alleyne in 1995 to celebrate and promote Panamanian culture, tradition, and folklore, and to commemorate Panama’s separation from Colombia on November 3, 1903.
For the past 25 years, this historic event has been celebrated annually with a parade in Brooklyn. Starting at Franklin Avenue and Bergen Street and proceeding south to Eastern Parkway, the parade attracts over 30,000 people and features displays of arts and crafts, as well as Panamanian-Caribbean and Latin American food specialties.
I briefly spoke with Enrique about his involvement with the organization, the future of the parade, and its impact on the Brooklyn community.
Attia Taylor: So yes, if you can start by just telling me a little bit about yourself and how you found yourself in Brooklyn?
Enrique Small: I came to Brooklyn from Panama in 1998 as a teenager at 18 years old. I'm a direct descendant from those people who built the [Panama] Canal. I’m the third generation. I was also involved with the church. I'm still involved with The Christian Mission of Panama — the church was built at the same time as the Panama Canal.
I remember being in this country for so many years and then I heard of the Panamanian parade. I heard a band practicing. And it brought me back to my memories from when I grew up in Panama. Because I used to play the drums in Panama. And when you leave at that age and come from a different country, you start to dream about what you used to have. So I joined the marching band but for several reasons I couldn't be in it anymore. But everything came full circle in 2014 when the Christian Mission of Panama was going to celebrate their 100 year anniversary which coincided with the construction of the Panama Canal.
So I wanted to have a meeting with the Panamanian organization that did the parade to see if perhaps we could march in the parade and have everybody know that we were there when they constructed the canal.
So when I came to the first meeting just to give them a point, all I heard was ‘welcome the new member, Enrique Small!’ So I didn't even know when I became a member [laughs]. And in my head, I'm like what's going on?
This elderly lady named Dorothea Small, no relation, she kept it going at her house. It was her and a couple of elderly people. They didn't have a website. They didn't have a logo. They didn’t have anything. And at that time, I think the parade had like 14 or 15 years. So I said, let me see where I can help. That's where everything came to fruition. I became great friends with the President at that time, Mr. [William] Howard. He was a treasurer for Shirley Chisholm. That's how I became all entrusted in the Panamanian parade.
Wow. How have the parades changed since you started working with the organization? And how does Brooklyn show up in that space?
The parade as an organization was treated before as another social group but in reality the Panamanian parade is one of the largest representations of our country here in the United States. Even though it wasn't summoned by the Panamanian government. They really have never publicly stated thank you for what you are doing or said here is some capital to be able to do what you're doing.
It’s a group of people that came together and saw fit to perpetuate the culture in one of the greatest cities of the world, New York. One of the things that Mr. Howard used to tell me that he wanted to make sure was that Panamanian parades stay and remain in Brooklyn because of the changes and gentrification.
So it was a thing to make sure that we stayed in Brooklyn and make sure we started making connections with the elected officials. To have them understand what it is we're doing and why it's good for the culture and good for the economy. In one weekend, we probably pump in one to two million dollars in the economy.
A lot of people come [to the parade] from Panama. You have to pay to eat. They need somewhere to sleep. They gotta take the subways. Approximately 30,000 people attend the parade.
What's the Panamanian culture or the amount of Panamanian people who are living in Brooklyn?
I personally don't know. In the last census, we tried to nudge the Panamanian people to fill out Panamanian. But I don't want to lie to you. I know the last time I heard about Panamanians in the US was over 200 and something thousand. However, since the beginning of the century, Panamanians have been coming to the US just because of the building of the canal.
For some reason, especially for Black Panamanians, they have never really identified as Panamanian but instead West Indian. So I think that has really made us look like we are not in the US.
What are you most excited about for the future of the work you’re doing and the Panamanian parade?
This is actually my last year as president. But I will try to still be a supporting character. I believe that the parade in reality is just a cover.The parade is a wall to really show people who the Panamanian people are but in reality, there's a lot of infrastructure that we need.
If I speak about getting the Panamanians better, I speak about getting everyone in Brooklyn better.
Sources
New York State Senate. "COMMENDING the Day of Independence Committee of Panamanians in New York, Inc." New York State Senate, 2023, www.nysenate.gov/print/pdf/node/12009788. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.
Howard, William. "Shirley Chisholm: A Political Trailblazer." The Shirley Chisholm Project, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, www.depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/womens/studies/chisholm-project/The_Shirley_Chisholm_Project/William_Howard.html. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.
About Attia Taylor
Attia Taylor is a Brooklyn based creative producer, director, and musician. She is the founder of Womanly, a creative studio and publication founded in 2017 to provide preventive health information through art to Black and Brown women and non-binary folks. Her work is rooted in social justice and health advocacy to bring inclusive and culturally relevant content to print and film. She is passionate about building and cultivating communities through storytelling, research, and creative production.
Attia Taylor, Founder and Editor in Chief of Womanly, 2023 BAC Grantee.