New Bangladeshi-American Political Group Sets Sights On Queens

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — A group of Bangladeshi Americans who united earlier this year on the campaign trail for insurgent Queens district attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán is seizing on that momentum to launch a full-fledged political organization.

Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress, which celebrated its official launch Wednesday in Jackson Heights, will look to build a citywide Bangladeshi-American voting bloc focused on issues such as housing and immigration.

Its organizers will also work on campaigns, help new Bangladeshi-American citizens register to vote, host candidate meet-and-greets and offer educational programs on how the political system works, according to founding member Raihan Faroqui.

"This is honestly lacking in Bangladeshi-heavy neighborhoods," Faroqui said in an interview.

The group will focus much of its effort on Queens, which is home to two-thirds of the city's Bangladeshi-Americans, according to a 2019 census data analysis by the nonprofit Asian American Federation. Faroqui named Astoria, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Jamaica and Ozone Park as areas of Queens with large Bangladeshi populations.

Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress' launch coincides with what may be a record number of Bangladeshi Americans running for political office in New York, including Congressional candidate Shaniyat Chowdhury and state Assembly candidate Mary Jobaida.

Meanwhile, the city's Bangladeshi population is rapidly increasing, the Asian American Federation report found.

Bangladesh is among the top 10 countries where New York's immigrants were born, accounting for roughly 100,000 of the city's 3.2 million foreign-born residents, according to a 2018 report by the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Affairs.

Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress will focus on the next generation, the children of those immigrants, according to Faroqui.

"We have realized the dreams of many of our parents," he said. "Now how do we take the next step and build more vocal civic and political power to protect our communities?"

BAPP was born on the @CabanForQueens DA campaign as “Bangladeshis For Caban” led by organizers such as @raskabir @disruptionary @RMFnyc1 @rok.

Parts of Bangladeshi-heavy areas in Jamaica and South Ozone Park voted Caban because of direct & effective canvassing from this group. pic.twitter.com/y8NioTQKzA
— Bangladeshi Amer for Political Progress (BAPP) (@BAPPnyc) November 13, 2019