Newark, Ironbound 2000

What a difference 29 years make. Ironbound in 2000 was a far cry from Ironbound in 1971-1973. There were no Portuguese-speaking evangelical churches then, nor Brazilian press either. Weekly 'Brazilian Voice' no doubt had its name inspired by the (Greenwich) 'Village Voice'...and was eagerly read by the migrants. 

The numbers of Brazilian walking around the Ironbound streets were much bigger and different. Then, they were mostly Mineiros & Paraenses with a Paulista minority made up the Brazilian mix...now there were Paranaenses & Gauchos and everyone else. 

In the 1970s, Brazilians were resigned to never speak to their loved ones left in the old country once they arrived in the USA. Now, one had telephone exchanges in the main roads where one could talk for hours with relatives without being bankrupt.  

Saint Stephan's Lutheran Church in the Ironbound...at intersection Ferry Street & Wilson Avenue.

The issue here is the fact that certain people refer to the United States of America as simply America, which leaves certain sensibilities unsettled, and with good reason. The name America was a tribute paid to Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator in the service of the Kingdom of Portugal, who proved that Christopher Columbus was wrong in asserting he had arrived in India on 12 October 1492, but rather, discovered a new continent. In fact, poor Columbus died thinking he had arrived in India.

Vespucci claimed to have understood in 1501 (after having traveled there twice) that Brazil was part of a fourth continent unknown to Europeans, which he called the "New World". The claim inspired German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller to recognize Vespucci's accomplishments in 1507, by applying the Latinized form "America" to a map showing the New World. (Wikipedia). 

The problem with the United States of America is that, as Caetano Veloso sang in his 1967, 'Soy loco por ti, America', this is a country without a name. Yes, it is a country without a name. 

In the early 1600s, when the English began to inhabit these lands on the American continent, each colony had its own name: Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, etc. Over time, they came together and called themselves the United States of America. But the country itself was left without a name. This is a federation, not a country. 

And like today, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, France and 8 other countries in the European Common Market decided to become a Federation, calling this federation the European Community, but each country has kept its own name. Now, here in the U.S.A., things weren't very well thought out, perhaps they didn't think that one day they would be a homogeneous country and not a federation.

The fact is that this is a country without a name. This is the source of all this confusion. 

Maybe if reader Adinam Nogueira knew all these facts he wouldn't be so outraged to see certain Brazilians referring to the United States as 'America'. The poor things don't have a name. Perhaps the right thing to do would be to call the country as the United States and the inhabitants Americans. But Canadians and Mexicans are also North Americans... Try to get out of this.

Luiz Amorim, Newark (NJ)