Women from Norwood’s Bengali community threw a festive BBQ at Mosholu Park on Saturday, May 22, to celebrate the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.

The event, hosted by LAAL, a non-profit organization that provides resources and support to Bengali women in Norwood, also marked the first time the community had gathered in person since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such, was also an opportunity to celebrate life beyond the various State-mandated lockdowns.

Since then, each year, LAAL organize women’s support groups, food pantries, conversational English classes and transportation classes, and this summer, they also plan to launch a community garden. In addition, the group is also becoming more politically active, and have endorsed the Bronx People’s Platform of NYC 2021, a people-powered, grassroots movement with a broadly progressive agenda.

As reported, the Bengali population in Norwood is growing. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated there were 2,445 foreign-born Bangladeshis living in Bronx Community District 7 (CB7), representing 4.2 percent of the district’s total population which includes Bedford Park, Norwood, Fordham, Kingsbridge Heights, and University Heights.

Meanwhile, according to the Asian American Federation, New York’s Bangladeshi population (those who identify specifically as Bangladeshi alone) grew by 60 percent from 38,639 in 2010 to 61,927 in 2015. The majority (66 percent) of Bengalis live in Queens, followed by 16 percent in The Bronx, 15 percent in Brooklyn, and three percent in Manhattan.

As we also reported, throughout the pandemic, The Bronx was one of the hardest-hit boroughs. Its COVID-19 positivity rate reached the highest in the City at 7.06 percent over a seven-day average in late January 2021. However, with the availability of COVID vaccines, and the onset of warmer weather, outdoor gathering with or without masks is finally possible, and LAAL’s Bengali community plans to seize every opportunity to celebrate.

As reported, in response to the pandemic, LAAL initiated the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a fundraising campaign in partnership with The Zakat Fund of NYC, which was established in 2016 to collect and distribute “Zakat,” or almsgiving in New York City. Through the fund, LAAL distributed groceries and cash aid to over 54 local families. “This is our first public gathering and it’s really exciting. I’m so happy right now,” said Khan. “During the pandemic, we showed up when no one else did for our community and that’s why we have the trust of the community now.”