Bangladeshi Americans

Bangladeshi Americans (Bengali: বাংলাদেশী মার্কিনী, romanized: Bangladeshī Markinī) are Americans of Bangladeshi descent. Most Bangladeshi Americans are also Bengali Americans. Bangladeshi Americans are usually Muslims with roots in Bangladesh in which Bengali is the majority language. (However, other Bengali speakers can be Hindus from India.) Since the early 1970s, Bangladeshi immigrants have arrived in significant numbers to become one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S. New York City is home to two-thirds of the Bangladeshi American population. Meanwhile, Paterson, New Jersey; Atlantic City, New Jersey[7] are also home to notable Bangladeshi communities.

Bangladeshi Americans
বাংলাদেশী মার্কিনী
Total population
213,000(official estimate, 2022)[1]
800,000 (other estimates)[2] [3]
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Religion
Predominantly Islam, minorities include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity
Related ethnic groups

History

Immigrants from present-day Bangladesh have been in the United States since at least the 1880s during the British Raj, originating from East Bengal of British India.[8]

Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, immigration to the United States grew slowly but steadily through the 1970s and 1980s. Over 10,000 Bangladeshis have immigrated to the United States annually.[4] Many of the migrants settled in urban areas. New York City is home to two-thirds of the Bangladeshi population in the United States. Other cities including Paterson, Atlantic City, New Jersey; Buffalo, New York; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Boston; Chicago; and Detroit.

In New York, it was estimated that 15,000 Bangladeshis resided in the city in the early 1980s. During the late 1970s, some Bangladeshis moved from New York City to Detroit, and Atlantic City for jobs. Homes to prominent communities of other Muslim Americans, in search of better work opportunities and an affordable cost of living,[9] but most have since returned from Detroit to New York and to New Jersey, in hope of starting a new community and a peaceful life. In Atlantic City, Bangladeshis established an association, and two smaller Melas are held in June/July and in August.

The Los Angeles Bangladesh Association was created in 1971, and there were 500 members of the Texas Bangladesh Association in 1997. The Bangladeshi population in Dallas was 5,000 people in 1997, which was large enough to hold the Baishakhi Mela event.

Baishakhi Mela events have been held in major American cities such as New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; Atlantic City; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles; as the Bangladeshi population continues to increase in these cities.[10] The third and largest wave of arrivals came in the 1990s and 2000s. Because of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, professional and educational criteria were not used. Most Bangladeshi immigrants took blue-collar work such as taxi driving and restaurant help.[11]

Demography

States, Cities, and Metro Areas by Population

Bangladeshi Americans are largely concentrated in metropolitan areas in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes regions of the country, especially working-class neighborhoods and suburbs. There are smaller concentrations in states such as Texas, California, and Nevada.[12]

The states with the highest percentages of Bangladeshi Americans are:

State Bangladeshi

Percentage

 Bangladeshi

Population

New York 2% 140,000
Michigan 1.2% 100,000
Virginia 0.37% 33,452
New Jersey 0.27% 30,000
Maryland 0.1% 7,000
Connecticut 0.1% 9,000

Some communities with the highest percentages of Bangladeshi Americans are:

Community Bangladeshi

Percentage

Hamtramck, Michigan 57%
Warren, Michigan 15%
Atlantic City, New Jersey 10%
Center Line, Michigan 10%
Detroit, Michigan 4.4%
Hyattsville, Maryland 2.9%
Seven Corners, Virginia 2.7%
New York, New York 2.1%
Paterson, New Jersey 1.7%
Manchester, Connecticut 1.6%
Lincolnia, Virginia 1.37%
Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia 1.2%
Greenbelt, Maryland 1.05%
Elmont, New York 1%
Waterbury, Connecticut 0.8%
South Laurel, Maryland 0.69%
Arlington, Virginia 0.6%
Fayetteville, Arkansas 0.6%
Irving, Texas 0.5%
Reno, Nevada 0.32%

The metropolitan areas with the highest percentages of Bangladeshi Americans are:

Metropolitan area Bangladeshi

Percentage

 Notable Communities
New York, NY/NJ/CT/PA 2% Queens, NY; Paterson, NJ
Detroit, MI 0.92% Hamtramck, MI; Warren, MI; Center Line, MI
Washington, DC/VA/MD/WV 0.55% Fairfax Co., VA; Arlington, VA; Prince George's Co., MD
Dallas-Forth Worth, TX 0.35% Irving, TX
Buffalo, NY 0.27% Broadway-Fillmore, Buffalo, NY
Atlanta, GA 0.18% DeKalb Co., GA
Hartford, CT 0.17% Manchester, CT
Philadelphia, PA 0.15% Northeast Philadelphia, PA

Major communities
A Bangladeshi mural in Hamtramck, Michigan, which is home to a significant Bangladeshi community

New York City

New York City is home to the largest Bangladeshi community in the United States, receiving by far the highest legal permanent resident Bangladeshi immigrant population.[4] The Bangladeshi-born immigrant population has become one of the fastest growing in New York City, counting over 93,000 by 2011 alone.[13][14] The city's Bangladeshi community is prominent in Jackson Heights, Queens. 74th Street has most of the Bangladeshi grocery stores and clothing stores in Jackson Heights. The Bangladesh Plaza hosts numerous Bangladeshi businesses and cultural events. Recently, one part of Jackson Heights has become an open platform for all sorts of protests and activism. The adjacent neighborhoods of Woodside and Elmhurst in Queens have also drawn Bangladeshi Americans.

In the 1960s, Bangladeshi Americans developed the Manhattan restaurant area called Curry Row.[15] Since the 1970s, thousands of Bangladeshis were able to legally migrate to the U.S. through the Diversity Visa Program lottery. Centered on 169th Street and Hillside Avenue, Jamaica, Queens, has become a popular draw due to the large number of Bengladeshi restaurants and grocery stores. Sagar Restaurant, Gharoa, Deshi Shaad, Kabir's Bakery, and other stores in Queens are attractions for the Bangladeshi community from throughout New York City. The largest numbers of Bangladeshi Americans now live in the Queens neighborhoods of Jamaica, Jackson Heights, Hollis, and Briarwood. Bangladeshi enclaves have also emerged in Parkchester, Bronx; Ozone Park, Queens; City Line, Brooklyn.[16] More affluent Bangladeshis have relocated to Long Island, largely due to many Bengladeshi-owned pharmaceutical companies that also employ many Bengladeshis there. However, a relatively small number of Bangladeshis have moved from New York City to cities such as Buffalo, New York, and Hamtramck, Michigan, mainly due to low costs of living there.

New York statistics:

  • 1990 census:
    • Total population: 10,000 (7,592 in New York State and 29,000 in total in the United States).[17]
    • Highest concentrations: Queens—2,567 people, and Brooklyn—1,313.[18]
    • In Manhattan, Bangladeshis formed a small enclave on 6th Street. Larger numbers lived in the Astoria area of Queens.[19]
  • 2000 census:
    • Total population: 28,269
    • Highest concentrations: Queens—18,310 people (65%), Brooklyn—6,243 (22%), Bronx—2,442 (9%), Manhattan—1,204 (4%), Staten Island—70 (0.2%)
    • Population growth rate from 1970 to 2000: 471%
    • Foreign-born population: 83,967 (100%)
    • Limited English proficiency: 14,840 (60%)
    • Median Household Income: $45,537
    • People Living in Poverty: 10,500
    • Percentage of people in poverty: 40%
  • 2010 census:
    • Total population: 100,000
    • Highest concentrations: Queens (60%), Brooklyn (19%), Bronx (17%), Manhattan (4%), Staten Island (0.4%)
    • Population growth rate from 2000 to 2010:
    • Foreign-born population: 80%
    • Limited English proficiency: 78%
    • Median Household Income: $36,741
    • Percentage of people in poverty: 32%[20]

Bangladeshi neighborhoods in NYC include Jamaica, Jamaica Hills, Briarwood, Jackson Heights, Woodside, Elmhurst, Hollis, Queens Village, Hunters Point, Long Island City, East Harlem, Bayside, Hillcrest, West Maspeth and Astoria in Queens; Kensington and City Line in Brooklyn;[16] and Parkchester and Castle Hill in The Bronx.[20][21] Smaller Little Bangladesh communities can be found in Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; and Los Angeles.

Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey, in the New York City metropolitan area, is home to the second largest Bangladeshi American population, after New York City.[22]

Paterson, New Jersey, in the New York City metropolitan area, is home to a significant and growing Bangladeshi American community. Many Bangladeshi grocery stores and clothing stores operate in the emerging Little Bangladesh on Union Avenue and on nearby streets in Paterson, as well as a branch of a subsidiary of Sonali Bank, the largest state-owned financial institution in Bangladesh. The Masjid Al-Ferdous mosque is also located on Union Avenue. Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman was ultimately certified as the winner of the 2012 City Council election in the Second Ward, making him northern New Jersey's first Bangladeshi-American elected official. The current Second Ward Councilman is Bangladeshi Shahin Khalique, who defeated Akhtaruzzaman in 2016 as well as in 2020. Khalique has largely stimulated growth and advancement of the Bengali community in Paterson.[23]

On October 11, 2014, a groundbreaking ceremony was conducted for the Shohid Minar Monument in West Side Park in Paterson. The monument pays tribute to those killed in Pakistan in 1952 while protesting the country's ban on the use of Bangladeshis' native language Bangla (বাংলা). The monument is modeled after similar monuments in Bangladesh, according to the World Glam Organization, the Bangladeshi cultural group working on the Paterson project. The Shohid Minar Monument was completed and unveiled in 2015.[24] This project reflected the increasing influence of Paterson's growing Bangladeshi community as reported in The Record.[25]

Community and economic issues

Per capita income

In 2014, identified by factfinder census, when Americans per capita income was divided by ethnic groups Bangladeshi Americans were revealed to have a per capita income of only $18,027, below the American average of $25,825.[26]

Median household income

In 2015, Bangladeshi Americans had an estimated median household income of $49,800, lower than the overall American median of $53,600.[27]

In 2019, Bangladeshi Americans had a median household income of $59,500.[28]

Poverty

According to a news article from the website Mashable released in 2015, 26% of the Bangladeshi American community lived under the poverty line.[29] This is much higher than the U.S. average of 16% according to data released by the Economic Policy Institute in 2011.[30]

In a 2013, NPR discussion with a member of the Economic Policy Institute and co-author of the book The Myth of the Model Minority Rosalind Chou who is also a professor of sociology. One of them stated that "When you break it down by specific ethnic groups, the Hmong,the Bangladeshi, they have poverty rates that rival the African-American poverty rate."[31]

Education
The New York City Metropolitan Area is home to by far the largest Bangladeshi population in the United States.[32][22][33]

In the 2000 U.S. Census, 57,412 people reporting having Bangladeshi origin.[34] In 2015, it was reported that 25% of the Bangladeshi population in the US had at least a Bachelor's degree.[35] Almost 40% of Bangladeshis over the age of 25 earned at least a Bachelor's degree, compared to less than 25% of the U.S. population.

Politics

Bangladeshi Americans strongly favor the Democratic Party. Republican President Richard Nixon's support of Pakistan during Bangladesh's struggle for independence partly swayed Bangladeshis to the Democratic Party.[36] In the 2012 U.S. presidential election, 96% of Bangladeshi Americans voted to reelect Barack Obama.[37] In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, 90% of Bangladeshi Americans voted for Hillary Clinton.[38] In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, 91% of Bangladeshi Americans voted for Joe Biden.[39]

In recent decades, the Bangladeshi-American community has become more active in local and national politics, with many Bangladeshi Americans seeking office or forming political organizations to better represent those within or outside the community who share similar goals.[40][41][42]

Culture

Bangladeshi Americans are highly visible in medicine, engineering, business, finance and information technology. Bangladeshi Americans have introduced Bengali cuisine through several Bangladeshi markets and stores in the U.S. Some of the largest are in New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; Central New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Los Angeles, California.

Languages

Bangladeshi Americans often retain their native language Bengali and run many programs to nourish their mother tongue. Many also speak regional dialects of Bengali, such as Noakhailla (prevalent in Bangladesh’s Noakhali District), Sylheti (prevalent in Bangladesh's Sylhet Division)as well as Chittagonian (prevalent in Bangladesh's Chittagong and Cox's Bazar Districts) among many other dialects from various regions.

Religion

Before the colonization of South Asia by Great Britain, folk religion in villages in the Bengal region incorporated elements of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism to varying degrees. Leading up to the modern era, Bengali families increasingly began identifying with a single religious community. In North America, Bangladeshis residing in rural areas often practice their faith at home and make special trips during community holidays like Ramadan and Durga Puja. In cities such as Detroit and New York, Bangladeshi Muslims attend religious activities at mosques in their own ethnic enclaves. Bangladeshi Americans have taken on leadership roles at major Hindu temples in the U.S.

Notable people
For a more comprehensive list, see List of Bangladeshi Americans.
Sears Tower (now Willis Tower), was designed by Fazlur Rahman Khan. It was the tallest building in the world for over two decades.

See also

References
  1. "Asian and Pacific Islander Population in the United States". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  2. "US overtakes UAE as second biggest remittance hotspot for Bangladeshis".
  3. "Bangladeshi In USA" (PDF). gov portal bd.
  4. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2012 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  5. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  6. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  7. "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  8. Bald, Vivek (2013). Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674503854.
  9. Kershaw, Sarah (March 8, 2001). "Queens to Detroit: A Bangladeshi Passage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  10. Other Immigrants: The Global Origins of the American People. By David M. Reimers. page 198-200.
  11. J. Sydney Jones, "Bangladeshi Americans." (2014)
  12. "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  13. "More Foreign-Born Immigrants Live in NYC Than There Are People in Chicago". The Huffington Post. December 19, 2013. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  14. Goldstein, Joseph (November 28, 2013). "Bangladeshis Build Careers in New York Traffic". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  15. Feretti, Fred (March 4, 1981). "A CULINARY 'LITTLE INDIA' ON EAST 6TH STREET". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  16. "The City Line neighborhood on the Brooklyn-Queens border has become a booming Bangladeshi enclave". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  17. Moharnrnad-Arif, Aminah (2002). Salaam America: South Asian Muslims in New York. Translated by Patey, Sarah. Anthem Press. p. 33. ISBN 1-84331-009-0.
  18. Moharnrnad-Arif, Aminah (2002). Salaam America: South Asian Muslims in New York. Translated by Patey, Sarah. Anthem Press. p. 34. ISBN 1-84331-009-0.
  19. Moharnrnad-Arif, Aminah (2002). Salaam America: South Asian Muslims in New York. Translated by Patey, Sarah. Anthem Press. p. 35. ISBN 1-84331-009-0.
  20. "Asian American Federation NY" (PDF). www.aafny.org. Asian American Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  21. "The Bangladeshis Are on the Rise in New York City". Huffington Post. April 14, 2011. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  22. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  23. Clunn, Nick. "Officials certify election of Akhtaruzzaman to Paterson's 2nd Ward" Archived March 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Record, November 27, 2012. Accessed February 18, 2015. "Election officials Tuesday certified Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman as the winner of a special City Council race, settling a prolonged political contest that ended with his reclaiming the seat he lost in a court challenge.... It was unclear when Akhtaruzzaman would take office as the representative for the 2nd Ward and reclaim his mantle as the first Bangladeshi-American elected to municipal office in North Jersey."
  24. Rahman, Jayed (February 16, 2015). "Bangladeshi-Americans unveil Shohid Minar, martyrs' monument, in Westside Park". The Paterson Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  25. Ed Rumley (October 12, 2014). "Paterson's Bangladeshi community celebrates start of Martyrs' Monument". Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
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  28. Budiman, Abby (April 29, 2021). "Bangladeshis in the U.S. Fact Sheet". Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  29. Wu, Huizhong (December 14, 2015). "The 'model minority' myth: Why Asian-American poverty goes unseen". Mashable.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  30. "New poverty measure highlights positive effect of government assistance". Epi.org. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
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  33. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  34. Jessica S. Barnes; Claudette E. Bennett (February 2002). "The Asian Population: 2000" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  35. NW, 1615 L. St; Suite 800Washington; Inquiries, DC 20036USA202-419-4300 | Main202-857-8562 | Fax202-419-4372 | Media. "Educational attainment of Bangladeshi population in the U.S., 2015". Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  36. Rahim, Enayetur [in Bengali] (1980). "Bangladeshi". In Thernstrom, Stephan; Orlov, Ann; Handlin, Oscar (eds.). Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Harvard University Press. pp. 173–174. ISBN 0674375122. OCLC 1038430174.
  37. "New Findings: Asian American Vote in 2012 Varied by Ethnic Group and Geographic Location". AALDEF. January 17, 2013. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  38. "2016 Post-Election National Asian American Survey" (PDF). National Asian American Survey. May 16, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  39. "AALDEF Exit Poll: Asian Americans Favor Biden Over Trump 68% to 29%; Played Role in Close Races in Georgia and Other Battleground States". AALDEF. November 13, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  40. Rashed, Raisa (June 11, 2020). "Bangladeshi American Women Making History in Politics". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  41. Reyes, Juliana Feliciano (October 6, 2020). "Bangladeshi immigrants are winning a seat at the table in the 'club' of Philly politics". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  42. Venugopal, Arun (June 10, 2020). "A Wave Of Leftist Bangladeshis Lands In New York". Gothamist. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  43. Ornes, S. (2016). "Topological insulators promise computing advances, insights into matter itself". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (37): 10223–10224. doi:10.1073/pnas.1611504113. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 5027448. PMID 27625422.
  44. "16 faculty members, 18 alumni elected to nation's historic academies". The Princetonian. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  45. "News at Old Dominion University". Odu.edu. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  46. "2010 Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research". Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.

Further reading
  • Bald, Vivak. Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America (Harvard University Press, 2013).
  • Baluja, Kagri Glagstad. Gender Roles at Home and Abroad: The Adaptation of Bangladeshi Immigrants (LFB Scholarly Publications, 2003).
  • Harris, Michael S. "Bangladeshis," in American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation, edited by David Levinson and Melvin Ember. (Macmillan Reference, 1997).
  • Jones, J. Sydney. "Bangladeshi Americans." in Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 221–235. online
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