Bangladeshis In New York — the Challenges and Triumphs of A Growing Community
This past Friday was the first time in several months, since I last walked on 169th st and Hillside Ave of Jamaica, a neighborhood in Queens. In recent years this spot has become a popular zone for Bangladeshis living in New York metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs. A number of Bangladeshi owned restaurants, clothing, grocery stores, medical practices have made this section a little "Bangla town." Other similar Bangla communities can be found all over the city. Seventy fourth street in Jackson heights and Parkchester, Bronx are also home to many businesses and the growing community.
The twenty minutes drive from my home to Jamaica used to be a regular weekend outing for my family, prior to Covid-19. I was glad to be back after so long. My first stop was the restaurant Ghoroa, one of the many restaurants in the area that serve home style Bangla food. I ordered my take out of chicken roast curry and a beef kachi biriani, which is a flavored rich dish with spicy beef. The food is rich with heavy spices and the lovely aroma went right through my double layered mask.
Despite momentarily achieving the feeling of normalcy, I knew very well that the community was trying to overcome the dire impact of Covid-19. While much of the media has focused on the stark racial disparities in number of Covid cases in Blacks and Latinos, the Bangladeshi community of New York City have been disproportionately effected by Covid-19 as well.
Although there is no specific data released by the city, it is estimated by many that ⅕ th of the Asian population that died from Covid-19 is of the Bangladeshi community. A lot of essential workers that had to support their families had no choice but to keep working during the hard hit months. Many could not properly quarantine due to overcrowded living conditions
"Who are Bangladeshis?" One might ask. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country nestled between India and Mynamar. In 1947 during the partition of British ruled India, it became a part of Pakistan. Later becoming the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971 after a bloody civil war which had left the country in poverty and turmoil.
Bangladeshi diaspora to the United States started in the 1970s, with the greatest number of immigrants coming between 1990 to 2000 due to the diversity immigrant visa program.
According to a 2018 report released by the mayor's office the Bangladeshi community is around 100,000 in New York City alone. The recent affects of Covid-19 brought light into the long standing socioeconomic and health problems of the community. As well as the limited English proficiency language skills of many Bangladeshis that reside in the five boroughs. According to a recent census done by the Asian American Federation (AAFY), 28.2 percent of Bangladeshis live below poverty line in the city. Many Bangladeshis live in over crowded settings and is a part of a large share of New York's working class. They are the essential workers such as cooks, cabbies, restaurant servers and so on.
The community also suffers from a large number of underlying health problems. That also contributed to the large number of Covid-19 deaths. Type 2 Diabetes and hypertension are common in the community. A study done by Dr. Nadia Islam an associate professor at NYU medical center, showed that 25 to 30 percent of adult Bangladeshis in the city have type 2 diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits and not following up with health care providers contribute to the high percentage of the population having underlying health issues.
The economic impact to the community has also been devastating the last several months. Many workers have been laid off as businesses succumbed to great loss.
Despite being so hard hit in recent months, the Bangladeshi people of New York City are resilient and are trying to move on. As I walked down the street to my next stop Mannan Grocery to buy Halal meat, a small group of men wearing masks were headed off for Friday Jummah prayer at the nearby Jamaica mosque. Retail stores selling traditional sarees, gold jewelry and clothing also opened up. I went into one, to try to find a shalwar kameez suit for my 3 year old daughter, who loves to wear glittery traditional jewelry and clothes. The sales clerk was eager to sell. I am sure they suffered extreme loss the last several months. Luckily, I found a perfect little outfit for my baby girl.
Traditional clothing is a very important part of the Bangladeshi culture. In better times, there are many programs and celebrations through out the year through many organizations, in New York. The rich culture is reflected through dance, literature, music, clothing, painting and food.
Throughout all the Bangladeshi communities, one thing that remains consistent is they love to celebrate life through food. Delicious dishes rich and heavy with an array of spices, such as goat biriani, chicken korma are always center pieces of any gathering. Bangla sweets are also one of the favorites in the entire south Asian community as a whole. The community makes an array of Pithas, a variation of rice cakes, that are incorporated into major celebrations such as the Pohela Boishak, the Bengali new year. The Bengali roshmalai, which are cottage cheese balls soaked in sweet milk, are a favorite dessert dish served in all occasions. While such rich dishes are for social gatherings, rice and fish remain the foundation of the daily diet.
The Bangladeshi community of New York also has a growing population that have done significantly well. It is estimated by the Asian American Federation that over 37 percent of adult Bangladeshis in the city have at least a bachelor's degree or higher. Over the last decade many more Bangladeshis have also become home owners and have moved to the suburbs. Organizations such as American Bangladeshi Engineer association, American Bangladeshi Physician Society have grown larger over the last 2 decades. As the community is growing, so are the number of Bangladeshi police officers in the NYPD. As of January of 2019, it was reported by the NYPD that 248 of their force is of Bangladeshi ethnicity.
While there has been much progress among the Bangladeshi community in New York, there is still a long way to go. The recent impact of Covid-19 on the community has shown us that a disparity exists in the community. The community must unite and help each other more than ever now. We have to reach out to the most vulnerable through community leaders with emphasis on education. We have to raise more awareness around the problems of those that are struggling.
Sources used
Profile of New York City's Bangladeshi Americans. Asian American Federation. 2019
https://med.nyu.edu/asian-health/research/dream/diabetes-and-south-asian-communities/bangladeshi-community-united-states-new-york-cit
