Immigrant’s organizing skills flourish on Staten Island

By SHERRY HALBROOK : Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. But you might have an advantage if you take a look from a fresh perspective. Immigrants naturally bring a fresh perspective to our society and democracy, along with their abundant energy and skills. PEF member Mohammed Chowdhury is a prime example of that. An investigative specialist 1 for the state Education Department, Chowdhury moved to the U.S. in 1996 from Bangladesh. In 2001, he went to work for New York City as a fraud investigator, and in 2007 he took his current job at SED where he is now the secretary and a steward of PEF Division 349. Not only did he come to this country with a master’s degree in sociology, he came with experience as a community organizer who had helped bring electrification, schools, postal service and wireless communication to rural areas of Bangladesh. That passion and those skills transplanted quickly to his new community on Staten Island where he has teamed with retired state scientist and longtime PEF activist Nithia Chatterjie and many others to begin organizing residents to tackle their common issues and concerns.

“When I came here, I observed South Asians are thriving and making enormous progress in public service, business and education,” Chowdhury said. “However, I found that while about 8 percent of the population on Staten Island is Asian, that’s not reflected in public office holders. I realized politicians make public policy, and if we don’t have political engagement they won’t know or be interested in our issues.” Working with Chatterjie, MAF Uddin and other members of the South Asian community, Chowdhury helped found a Staten Island chapter of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL). The organization mainly consists of union members and other workers who believe in the labor movement, as well as those who are self-employed or operate small businesses. Uddin had founded and now heads ASAAL overall, Chatterjie is the president of the SI chapter and Chowdhury is its secretary. The chapter’s board consists of a representative of each of the eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The group also includes PEF members Ashfaq Munjur Sheikh, a research scientist 2 at the Institute for Basic Research, and Janitha Rajakaruna, a civil engineer 2 for the state Transportation Department. They have all helped to make ASAAL an effective force for building a better community. They haven’t wasted any time. For instance, Chowdhury ran a voter registration campaign on Staten Island and personally distributed more than 2,000 voter registration forms. The efforts did not go unnoticed. Both Assemblyman Michael Cusick and state Sen. Diane Savino have formally recognized Chowdhury and his work in ASAAL for improving community life on Staten Island. Chowdhury said he initially found South Asians “didn’t show any interest and didn’t understand the importance of voting. We sent each of our member representatives to talk to the immigrants from their country. We identified the issues that matter to them and we told them the only people who can change things for the better are the politicians who make policy.” An issue that tops the list for Chowdhury is improving education throughout elementary, middle and high school. He and his wife, Farhana Ahmed, who works for New York City, have three children, ages 5, 12 and 15. “Ninety percent of immigrants are working two jobs, and their children are dropping out of school,” he said. “I firmly believe education is the only thing that can change the future of the next generation. Our children must be prepared to compete,” he said. “Only the policy makers can change it. And politicians don’t count by population figures; they count by votes.” “If we want a better education for our children, we must start in their homes,” he said. “We needed to go to parents and ask questions, and when we opened their eyes, they said, ‘Wow!’” Those conversations ASAAL leaders held with Staten Island’s South Asian residents, at their homes, worksites and businesses, also identified other important issues such as immigration, jobs, child care, elder care, hate crimes, domestic violence and drug addiction. Most recently ASAAL has begun a vigorous campaign against charging Staten Island residents tolls to use the Verrrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects them with the rest of New York. The residents can apply for a discount, but Chowdhury contends it is unfair to charge them anything.

“We identified potential solutions for each issue and we asked people, ‘Do you know where to go (in government) to attend to these issues? If we are organized, we can reach out and express our concerns. We need to make a coalition.’ “The people united and lined up behind us to start making change,” Chowdhury said. And that’s when they made a plan to get the attention of their elected policy makers. Armed with their database and getting the people registered and committed to voting, they began approaching the political leaders. They made a big impression when they organized to support Democrat Michael McMahon’s uphill campaign for Richmond County district attorney in 2015. ASAAL helped him win in a county that’s heavily Republican, and he has helped address their issues of domestic violence and drug addiction by focusing on treatment. Now, Staten Island has a community center with social workers to help families that struggle with these and other issues. They took their immigration issues to their U.S. representative, Congressman Dan Donovan. And he began solving their individual problems that had been stymied for years. “Donovan is giving us wonderful help with immigration issues. For instance, a young Pakistani woman with a child who lived here with her parents had been trying for nine years to get the Immigration Service to let her husband, who was still in Pakistan, join her, but it would neither approve nor disapprove his application. He was threatening to divorce her if he could not join her, so she came with her entire family to ASAAL for help. We got a major TV station to report on her situation and then took it to Congressman Donovan. Within six months, the husband was here!” Another example involves immigrants waiting for up to 10 years to get the “green card” that would allow them to take a job and earn a living. “The congressman has got involved with three people who had been waiting years. Within three weeks they had their green cards.” When their religious groups, such as Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh, experienced hate and intolerance, ASAAL contacted local officials. “They came to us and played a wonderful role in alleviating these situations,” he said. “Now we have identified our issues,” Chowdhury said, “we have identified solutions and we have begun to get results.” PEF President Wayne Spence said he is very impressed and encouraged by the dynamic and effective organizing ASAAL is doing and the role of PEF activists. “We all can learn from their experience and success,” Spence said. “They make us proud and they inspire and encourage us to see how effective we can be when we approach our challenges with energy, determination and strong planning. We need to get all of our members at PEF united and working toward our common goals both in the union and in our communities.” The Communicator.