Bangladeshis have come to the U.S. since the early 1900s. In Michigan, we live in cities like Hamtramck, Detroit, and Warren — as the third largest population of Bangladeshis in the U.S. Families like mine came in the 1990s, for better socioeconomic opportunities.
Growing up I never quite considered myself “Asian American” unless I was filling out a form for school or important documentation where “South Asian” wasn’t an option. Bengalis fought for our identity. That’s why we’re building communities, running for office, and creating businesses.
“There’s a long history of our people fighting for our culture and our language.”
Today many Bangladeshi Americans also identify as Asian American when it comes to shared values and organizing. I spoke to WDET’s Stephen Henderson for the Detroit Today show about how Bangladeshis have contributed to cities like Hamtramck in the last several decades.
“Sometimes we don’t realize that these communities are still very new and growing…we’re not fourth, fifth generation. So it’s going to take time for us to be able to build our communities.”
Today there are also significant populations in cities like Warren, Sterling Heights in Detroit Today.