Bangladeshi groups in Jackson Heights are seeking the city’s permission to observe International Mother Language Day on Feb. 21
The fest, recognized by the United Nations, commemorates the day in 1952 when Bangladeshis took to the streets to protest against then-ruling Pakistan’s efforts to quash Bengali, the native language, and impose Urdu, Pakistan’s mother tongue.
At least four people were killed when Pakistani police fired into the crowd. But Bangladeshis’ efforts to preserve their language, and gain independence from Pakistan, were ultimately successful. A monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh called the Shaheed Minar was eventually built to honor the protesters who died.
The recent applications by Jackson Heights Bangladeshi groups to obtain the city’s permission for an International Mother Language Day event represent the first effort to formalize celebrations that have already occurred for several years on private property, according to the Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association and the Youth Congress of Bangladeshi Americans.
Both groups have said they would work together, along with others, to temporarily erect a shaheed minar —resembling the one in Dhaka — at a small triangle on Broadway and 73rd Street, where people would lay flowers after a procession along the plaza at 37th Road. The procession would begin at around 6 p.m., according to Mohammad Pier, president of the JBBA, and involve singing a traditional hymn.
“From every corner, people would come,” Pier said. He estimated that if properly organized, the event could draw over a thousand.
Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Community Board 3 support the fest, which would require the closing of one to two blocks, as long as the several groups who have shown interest in organizing it work together.
In addition, Dromm supports the groups’ greater goal: to erect a permanent monument at the Broadway and 73rd Street triangle. His office has put in a request with the Department of Transportation to consider the proposal.
It would be, Dromm said, a “monument to all people who have ever had to go through the possibility of losing their mother tongue.” He added that the monument’s message would have special meaning for the children of Latino immigrants in the area, who he said are often at risk of losing the ability to speak Spanish. Being able to speak both English and a second language should be valued, he noted.
He was also pleased that the Bangladeshi groups’ plans for International Mother Language Day involve the use of the 37th Road plaza, which the JBBA has protested since it was created, when a block of 37th Road was closed to traffic by the DOT last September. JBBA members say the closure has hurt businesses in the area.
“Now that the plaza is there, ironically, everybody wants to use the plaza,” Dromm said.
Both Pier and Rasel Kaber, president of the YCBA, believe that a permanent monument would attract more Bangladeshis to the area.
“Our community is big,” Kaber said. “People are coming from Brooklyn ... from everywhere.”
“It will be an attraction,” Pier said.
The fest, recognized by the United Nations, commemorates the day in 1952 when Bangladeshis took to the streets to protest against then-ruling Pakistan’s efforts to quash Bengali, the native language, and impose Urdu, Pakistan’s mother tongue.
At least four people were killed when Pakistani police fired into the crowd. But Bangladeshis’ efforts to preserve their language, and gain independence from Pakistan, were ultimately successful. A monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh called the Shaheed Minar was eventually built to honor the protesters who died.
The recent applications by Jackson Heights Bangladeshi groups to obtain the city’s permission for an International Mother Language Day event represent the first effort to formalize celebrations that have already occurred for several years on private property, according to the Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association and the Youth Congress of Bangladeshi Americans.
Both groups have said they would work together, along with others, to temporarily erect a shaheed minar —resembling the one in Dhaka — at a small triangle on Broadway and 73rd Street, where people would lay flowers after a procession along the plaza at 37th Road. The procession would begin at around 6 p.m., according to Mohammad Pier, president of the JBBA, and involve singing a traditional hymn.
“From every corner, people would come,” Pier said. He estimated that if properly organized, the event could draw over a thousand.
Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Community Board 3 support the fest, which would require the closing of one to two blocks, as long as the several groups who have shown interest in organizing it work together.
In addition, Dromm supports the groups’ greater goal: to erect a permanent monument at the Broadway and 73rd Street triangle. His office has put in a request with the Department of Transportation to consider the proposal.
It would be, Dromm said, a “monument to all people who have ever had to go through the possibility of losing their mother tongue.” He added that the monument’s message would have special meaning for the children of Latino immigrants in the area, who he said are often at risk of losing the ability to speak Spanish. Being able to speak both English and a second language should be valued, he noted.
He was also pleased that the Bangladeshi groups’ plans for International Mother Language Day involve the use of the 37th Road plaza, which the JBBA has protested since it was created, when a block of 37th Road was closed to traffic by the DOT last September. JBBA members say the closure has hurt businesses in the area.
“Now that the plaza is there, ironically, everybody wants to use the plaza,” Dromm said.
Both Pier and Rasel Kaber, president of the YCBA, believe that a permanent monument would attract more Bangladeshis to the area.
“Our community is big,” Kaber said. “People are coming from Brooklyn ... from everywhere.”
“It will be an attraction,” Pier said.
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