The Lower Manhattan Historical Association is celebrating Independence Day by honoring four immigrants who have made outstanding contributions to their city and country from Harlem to Hollis.
The recipients of the Alexander Hamilton Immigrant Achievement Awards are Guillermo Linares (above left), Chakanaka (Chaka) Watch, Jimmy Neary, and Queens Councilman Peter Koo.
Columbia University in Harlem graduate Linares left the Dominican Republic in 1966 and drove a taxi before becoming one of the first two Dominican-Americans elected to public office in the US when he won a New York City Council seat in 1991.
Watch, of Zimbabwe, is a pastor and gospel singer. He preaches at the Salvation Army Harlem Temple.
Read about the awardees Jimmy Neary and Queens Councilman Peter Koo here.
