How do you belong - Religion in Union City
From The Peopling of NYC
Contents |
Religious Refugees
Cubans immigrated to the U.S. not only as political refugees, but also for religious freedom. As of 1959 Cuba was marked an “atheist” nation by the onset of Castro’s Communist regime. Church property was confiscated, private schools were nationalized, and Christmas was no longer a national holiday and Catholics would not be given permission to join the Cuban Communist Party. All this was done in hopes of preventing counterrevolution – the church was organized, a threat.
Earlier Migration, Religion and Politics in Union City
About 70% of Roman Catholic Priests, the dominant religion at the time, and all rabbis either left for the U.S. or were actively forced out by the government. Here they re-created that which they lost in Cuba. In the 1970’s it is estimated that 70% of the clergy in Union City were Cubans. To Cubans, religion retained its indisputable importance, but political involvement seemed to matter more at the time. At present, the 2004 American Community Survey points out that Cubans are less likely than other Hispanics to attend religious services. At the same time, while Cubans consitute only 4% of the total U.S. Hispanic population, they accounted for 6% of the total Latino Electorate.
Religion in Modern Union City
Still, the importance of religion in Union City at present is self-evident: Churches, both a century old and recently renovated, are easily noticeable – they hover over the smaller businesses and residential homes. Religion in Union City is no longer dictated solely by Cubans. The caretaker to a Presbyterian church is Asian, with eastern hieroglyphs on one of the doors to the Church. However, it seems they were added – not originally there. Walking inside you notice all the religious icons are covered – the Church used to be Catholic. There is a Holy Cross Armenian Church, yet farther down a Synagogue. The old mixed with the new. A store sells religious products and icons not only of the Catholic faith, but also those of Santeria (essentially Catholicism and West African beliefs combined) and Jewish heritage. All three faiths were prevalent in Cuba, and found a home in Union City as well. However, adjacent to the Menorah we see a Buddha made of Jade.
Changing Demographics
The various religious icons present within Union City today represent its changing demographics. The 2000 U.S. Census data shows that while 82.3% of Union City was Latino, only 15.3% was Cuban with West New York now housing the highest percentage of Cubans in New Jersey. The diversified Latino population includes Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Ecuadorians, and others of Southern and Central American origin. Asians also constitute 2.1% of the population at present.
