Data and Recommendations

Schools must expand their curricula to include diverse and accurate portrayals of South Asian cultures, including Bangladesh. Cultural celebrations, diverse reading lists, and space for student-led Bengali clubs can help create environments where students like Rabbi and Sanzida no longer feel invisible. As Sanzida put it, “Representation isn’t just about seeing yourself. It’s about being told you matter.” To address this gap in representation, educators can take proactive steps to include Bengali American stories in existing curricula.

One example would be to incorporate the book, "Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America" into U.S. history or literature units that explore immigration, civil rights, or labor movements. Teachers could pair excerpts from the book with translated poems by Rabindranath Tagore, or invite students to analyze oral histories from Bengali communities in New York. This could fit into broader lessons on Asian American identity, post-colonial migration, or even urban labor history. These additions would not only broaden the narrative of who built America but also validate the lived experiences of students who see their families and histories reflected for the first time in the classroom.

Survey question scale: 1=not at all, 5=thoroughly. 

Growing up in NYCHA Harlem, I know firsthand what it feels like to straddle two worlds—one where my culture was vibrant at home, and another where it was invisible at school. Lessons like the one described above would have changed how I saw myself. They could have made students like Sayem and Sanzida feel less like outliers and more like integral threads in the American fabric. Representation isn’t about tokenism; it’s about belonging. By integrating Bengali American history meaningfully into the curriculum, schools can help dismantle the silence surrounding our heritage—and in doing so, affirm that we matter. The stories of young people like Sanzida and Rabbi remind us that culture doesn’t disappear—it just gets buried. And when students are given the space to dig, to question, to reclaim—it’s not just empowering. It’s transformative.