WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY

What We have Helped to Accomplished:

Founded in 2008, ASAAL is a labor-based community organization with 21 Chapters in 11 States, and three countries that provide an independent voice for South Asians in America irrespective of their trade, profession, or place of work, whether organized or unorganized, self-employed, or small business owner. ASAAL respects every religion, ethnicity, faith, culture, and community organization. We always strive to build a coalition with anyone who believes in and supports our core mission.
ASAAL wants a representative voice at the table at all levels of decision-making that affect our community. From the Community Board to the union hall, to the chambers of elected officials, and to the corporate board room, we will demand dignity and respect for the South Asian American community in general and for the individual group in particular. Our efforts are working as we –

  • Helped create Seven (7) Assembly and Six (6) Senatorial Districts as announced on February 2, 2022, by the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) due to our research, public testimony, and appeal.
  • Established on March 4, 2015, the two Eid Holidays in the New York City School System as we are the only South Asian Organization that testified (9/26/08) at the City Council hearing and supported the Diwali Holiday by State in 2023.
  • Instituted the Bengali Language under section 203 of the Federal Voting Rights Act on the New York City Election Ballot. We are the only organization that testified (3/16/12) at the Board of Elections for the Bengali Language and in the process added interpreters in Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, and Gujarati on Election days as of 11/6/2012.
  • Obtained funding from Council 24 in 2014 for the 1st ever South Asian Halal senior center currently located at the Jamaica Muslim Center (JMC) and supported Halal and Kosher food in the New York City Public School System.
  • Secured appointments to the (i) Community Board, (ii) Police Precinct Council, (iii) Hospital Advisory Board, (iv) Friends of the Library, and (v) Transition Teams of elected Officials in the City of New York.
  • Opposed Stop and Frisk; Opposed Mosque and Muslim surveillance; until it was suspended in 2015 by the City of New York
  • Supported Universal Pre-K, IdNYC for all, Fight for $15.00 the minimum wage and Equal pay for equal work.
  • Voiced against poor working conditions of Garment workers in Bangladesh, China, India, Jordan, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka
  • Protested in 2015 unsafe, underage (child labor), and under paid positions at the world’s cheapest shipbreaking yards in Chittagong, Bangladesh
  • Issued a joint press release with APALA in on August 5, 2012, we Protested the Sikh massacre that took place at the gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and in 2017 the Sri Lankan shootings in Olathe, KS.
  • In 2010 our National President served on the Transition Team of the 43rd Comptroller Hon. John Liou of the City of New York
  • In 2010 we fought and stopped the most severe budget cuts ever faced by The New York Public Library with a proposed cut of $3,800,000 -- even worse than the cuts to the library in the 1970s.
  • In 2021 issued joint press release with APALA in protesting slave labor inside a NJ Hindu Temple, where FBI freed nearly 200 people and help them receive their work permit/green cards.
  • Help Established Adhan, call to prayers five times a day in New York City from August 24, 2023, for which our National President testified on November 16, 2009.
  • Made history on November 2, 2021, by electing three South Asians in New York City including the first Bangladeshi as a Civil Court Judge, and one each from Bangladesh and India as a City Council Member respectively.
  • In 2014 ASAAL Staten Island fought hard for years to eliminate the Verrazano Bridge toll for Staten Islanders. Our National Secretary Mohammed Karim Chowdhury, in a televised interview with Channel NY1 reiterated this demand. We worked with State Assemblyman Michael Cusick and State Senator Andrew Lanza's office who legislatively included the S.I. Resident discount for Verrazano Narrows Bridge in 2014 session. As a result, S.I. residents pay only $2.75 while others pay $6.94 EZ pass or $11.19 for toll by mail each way.
  • Supported South Asian Judges as appointed Criminal Court Judge Raja Rajeswari by the Mayor (11/10/15), help elect Civil Court Judge Ushir Pandit-Durant on 1/1/16.
  • Helped elect two South Asians of Bangladeshi origin as the State Senator from the red State of Georgia (GA). (2018 Hon. Sheikh Rahman and 2022 Hon. Nabilah Islam, both are our Life Members).
  • In 2012 we helped elect Grace Meng as the 1st Asian Congresswoman from the East!
  • In 2013 our five boroughs of field work helped make Letitia James the first Women and first African American as the Public Advocate of the City of New York
  • In 2018 due to our hard groundwork Max Rose (D) defeated incumbent Rep. Daniel Donovan (R) in the general election for New York's 11th congressional district.
  • In 2019 our endorsement Made Melinda Katz the first female District Attorney of Queens
  • On April 25, 2017, spoke at a News Conference in front of Queens Borough Hall in protest of brutal attack on many South Asian Taxi Drivers
  • Seek justice for Taxi Workers through letter writing on May 17, 2018, to all five District Attorneys of the City of New York
  • In 2015 worked with Comptroller Scott Stringer regarding senior centers under the Department for the Aging (DFTA) in New York City. In his letter on April 14, 2015, he asked what efforts had taken to accommodate immigrant seniors of South Asian origin with culturally sensitive in language programming, and staffing.
  • Worked with Comptroller Scott Stringer and spoke at a news conference on September 2, 2016, to recover millions of dollars from the contractors who cheated immigrant workers.
  • Spoke at a News Conference at City Hall steps on November 21, 2016, and Fought for free School Lunch for all children, poor or rich, in all Public Schools.
  • On November 21, 2016, spoke at Elmhurst Hospital with then Governor Spitzer to stop Hospital service cuts to have health service to the poor immigrants of the city.
  • The City Comptroller and we had a news conference on August 20, 2018, at the Municipal Building demanding Halal & Kosher food in Public Schools across the city.
  • In 2019 we supported Early Voting, the first time in history New Yorkers will be able to vote early starting this year Saturday, October 26 until Sunday, November 3, 2019.
  • In 2019 we supported and voted to have Ranked Choice Voting, can vote for up to five candidates for the same position of the New York City elections.
  • In 2019 requests were sent by ASAAL to all big retail and chain stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Zara, H&M, JC Penny, Target, to provide Eid Holidays Sales as they do during Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Christmas, and New Year.
  • In 2019 Helped pass the Religious Garb bill A04204, S4037 originally introduced in 2011 in the Assembly inspired by the case of Kevin Harrington, a Sikh subway operator for the MTA, who was ordered to remove his turban, didn’t and later was fired from the Transit Authority job in 2004. We fought and soon after reinstated him.
  • In 2022 our National President served on the Transition Team of the 45th Comptroller Hon. Brad Lander of the City of New York
  • In 2023 Supported the New York Early Mail Voter Act and the first Universal Vote by Mail system.
  • In 2023 Helped to ensure mandatory proper training for poll workers by the State and City Board of Elections.
  • During COVID-19 Pandemic time we distributed over 380,000 masks, over 16.500 sanitizers, over 14,000 Boxes of food in Mosques, Gurdwaras, and temples across the city.
  • Our National President, Maf Misbah Uddin, served as one of the Commissioners of the New York City redistricting commission formed after the Census 2020 by the Mayor of the City of New York and the Speaker of the New York City Council, a prestigious position held as the first South Asian in the history of New York City.
  • Both our National President in 2008 and 2012 and National Secretary in 2020 elected as the Presidential Delegates of the Democratic Party to join the pre-paid Democratic National Conventions respectively, an honor very few South Asians have ever achieved.
  • Our National President appeared in the prestigious weekly the City & State as “the City and State Power 100” in three categories, viz., Most Powerful - 100 Labor Leaders, 100 South Asians, and 100 Asians in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. Our National Secretary too was recognized as the Most powerful 100 leaders in Richmond County (Staten Island) of the City of New York in the years 2022-2023.
  • In 2024 our National President Maf Misbah Uddin was appointed as the Commissioner of New York State Asian American Pacific Islander, NYAAPI Commission, 1st ever created by the New York State Legislators last year.
ASAAL Work in Progress.