PATERSON — The air on Union Avenue is filled with the smell of curry and cumin. Women stroll along the sidewalk in scarves and tunics covered in vibrant colors and intricate embroidery. The sounds of flutes, drums and one-string guitar-like instruments called ektaras float through the doors of shops along the shopping street.
Welcome to the heart of Paterson’s Bengali community, where almost every bank, pharmacy and supermarket has a Bengali-speaking clerk and many businesses have signs in Bangla, the cursive script of the Bengali alphabet.
The most recent U.S. census data shows that only New York City is ahead of Paterson in Bangladeshi population. Immigrants from Bangladesh began coming to Paterson in the 1980s and their numbers have soared to about 15,000 over the past two decades.
The newest arrivals in town include Subhan Rahman, his wife and their two children, who came to Paterson early this fall. This is what they experienced during their first few months in this country.
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On a recent afternoon, Rahman sat with a plate of samosas and a cup chathe Bengali term for ‘tea’, in a café on the stretch of Union Avenue called Bangladesh Boulevard.
There, Rahman described his journey from Sylhet, a major city in his home country. At John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, the Rahman family was welcomed by Subhan’s brother, his sister-in-law, their two children and a son-in-law – all of whom live in Paterson.
On their first day in America, the Rahman family moved in with Subhan’s brother. The children shared rooms. The Rahman family also occasionally had sleepovers at his aunt’s house, his friend’s house or his sister-in-law’s house.
This was the community that brought the Rahman family to settle in Paterson, introducing them to other Bangladeshis who helped them feel at home.
Subhan Rahman shopping in Paterson.
It took about a month before they got their own two-bedroom apartment.
“I am happy here,” Rahman said. “In just two and a half months since we moved here, my wife, children and I already have an apartment and a car. One of my sons has enrolled in school. My other son is studying for his exams and we have found a job.’
In Bangladesh, Rahman was a bank manager with a decent income.
When asked what influenced his decision to move to America, Rahman explained that it was part of the “process.” What he meant was that in Bangladesh it is the norm for large multi-generational families to live together under one roof.
“That is why when a family moves abroad, it is automatically assumed that they will request other family members to join them, and initially live together in one household,” Rahman said. “My mother, my sister and my niece are also moving from Bangladesh to America in the coming months.”
Hardships in the eighties and nineties
The people who came from Bangladesh in the 1980s and 1990s faced greater hardship because there was no community willing to embrace them. At the time, Bangladeshi immigrants had a harder time settling down, finding a place to live, finding a job, finding transportation, and even finding a place to worship. They had no one to ask questions, such as how to enroll their children in school or how to prepare a resume for a job search.
In the early years of the Paterson community, Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh often gathered in the basements of their homes for prayer services. Traveling to the existing mosques in South Paterson was difficult because newcomers did not have their own cars.
Decades later, the Rahman family’s transition to Paterson was smoother. There is a mosque within walking distance and the father’s job at Walgreens is only six blocks from home.
Most importantly, as the number of second-generation Bangladeshis in Paterson increases, there will almost always be a family member, relative or friend to show the way.
At the Rahman household, Subhan’s wife, Rufia, poured tea into a mug as she talked about her move to Paterson.
“Although we had a comfortable life in Bangladesh, we knew we would earn dollars in America, which is more economically valuable,” she said. “Whatever happens, we are here for the future of our children so that five years later, God willing, they will have found jobs in addition to other jobs and can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Bangladeshi Americans who are here born and raised.”
A master’s degree in physics, now working at a Dunkin’
After earning a master’s degree in physics in Bangladesh, Rufia had given up an administrative career after the birth of her son to focus on raising her children and helping them with their studies. When the family arrived in New Jersey, Rufia had to return to the workforce to help support her family. She took a job at Dunkin’ in Paterson.
“The transition from Bangladesh to America was initially difficult. But the more I get to know the community and the more I meet my family members, the more I realize that I could call America home,” Rufia said.
Rufia Rahman makes tea in her home in Paterson.
Although she has left behind the coconut and mango trees of Sylhet, she keeps a sense of her Bengali culture alive in her home. For example, she makes tea with herbal powder and spices, instead of the usual tea bags.
She carries salwar kameeza traditional robe that resembles a long tunic with matching trousers. She listens to the with joy adhan or the Muslim call to prayer from her local mosque, a sound that reminds her of her homeland.
Plans to study computer science
Meanwhile, Rufia’s eldest son, Ramin, had just graduated from high school when the family was still living in Bangladesh, studying 16 to 20 hours a day for his university entrance exams. Now he’s in Paterson waiting for his SAT results while working 10-hour shifts at a fast-food restaurant.
“In Bangladesh all I did was read, write and memorize,” he said. “In America, I clock in at Burger King around 3 p.m., cook the meat in the kitchen and prepare orders at the burger shelf. Around 6 p.m. I clear the plate and take a short break before going back to work.
“My Bengali-Patersonian colleagues and I carpool 10 miles together,” he said. “Everyone was hospitable, that’s the Bengali way.”
Ramin plans to study computer science at Passaic County Community College for his associate degree before transferring to another college to earn his bachelor’s degree.
Already honored as student of the month at JFK High
Ramin’s younger brother, Rafan, is an aspiring junior at John F. Kennedy High School, already scoring high marks as a STEM student and being honored as “Student of the Month.”
Rafan Rahman at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson.
“In Bangladesh, competition for the labor force is fierce,” says Rafan. “We study until we forget to eat and drink because the type of job you get depends on the specific university you go to, so everyone wants to go to the best university. However, in America the kind of job you get is based on skills and knowledge.”
Rafan said that when he first broke the news of the move to his friends in Bangladesh, they were sad to see him leave, but felt he was lucky to be able to pursue new opportunities.
“Of course it’s hard to hit that ‘reset button,’” he added. “But I had heard from my friends who moved to America before me that life is more fruitful here. So I was very excited and happy to move here.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson’s Bangladeshi community helps new family settle
