Bangladeshi Immigrant Day in New York Date in the current year: September 25, 2024

Bengalis from what is now Bangladesh have immigrated to the United States since the British colonial era, but their immigration to the United States has increased significantly since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, in no small part thanks to the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program that allowed thousands of Bangladeshis to legally migrate to the United States regardless of their education and profession.

Bangladeshi Americans are highly visible in spheres such as information technology, engineering, business, finance, and medicine. Among them also are many government officials, diplomats, journalists and other media professionals, intellectuals, writers, and representatives of other professions.

The state of New York has the highest percentage of Bangladeshi Americans, with New York City being home to the country’s largest Bangladeshi community. Most of them live in several neighborhoods in Queens, although Bangladeshi enclaves have also emerged in Bronx, Brooklyn, and Long Island. Notable Bangladeshi Americans with ties to New York City include, but are not limited to:

• rapper and singer-songwriter Anik Khan
• interdisciplinary media artist Hasan M. Elahi
• record producer Jai Wolf
• entrepreneur Kamal Quadir
• beauty pageant titleholder Marjana Chowdhury
• academic, filmmaker, visual artist, and writer Naeem Mohaiemen
• political commentator, columnist, and author Reihan Salam
• musician Shikhee D’iordna (of Android Lust)
• filmmaker Shomi Patwary

In 2016, September 25 was designated as Bangladeshi Immigrant Day in New York. This date was chosen to commemorate a historic speech delivered by Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known as Mujib, at the United Nations in 1974. It was the first speech at the UN to be delivered in Bengali.

Bangladesh achieved independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a bloody war, and the nation’s founder and leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did everything in his power to promote the use of the Bengali language. Bangladesh was admitted to the UN in September 1974, and Mujib decided he would address the UN General Assembly in his native language, highlighting the situation in Bangladesh, which was going through famine.

His decision was met with some pushback because at the time speeches were given only in one of the UN official languages, but in the end Mujib did give his speech in Bengali to high praise, especially from representatives of other third-world UN member states.

One of the main highlights of Bangladeshi Immigrant Day is the annual trade fair organized by the expatriate organization Muktdhara New York and the USA-Bangladesh Business Link in association with the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. Its main goals are to strengthen business ties between the United States and Bangladesh, and showcase Bangladeshi culture.