Oral History Interview with Syeda Akter: Muslims in Brooklyn oral histories: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Syeda Akter discusses her upbringing in Bangladesh, following her husband to the United States, and her entry into the medical field. She also speaks about working while being her children's primary caregiver, her commitment to her children's education, and friction over her personal thoughts on religious teachings. In addition, she talks about her friendship with Annie Ferdous (interviewed on May 25, 2018 for this collection), their involvement with a local ladies' club, and co-founding the South-Asian and Indo-Caribbean-led Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM). Interview conducted by Liz H. Strong.

Biographical / Historical

Syeda Akter was born in 1965 in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). She immigrated to the United States to join her husband after their marriage. They initially settled in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, and then moved to the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn to raise their family. She co-founded the Brooklyn chapter of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), an activist organization aimed at empowering South Asian New Yorkers, became involved in a local ladies' club, and also spent many years working for small medical practices doing both office work and basic medical procedures.

Conditions Governing Access

This interview can be accessed onsite at the Center for Brooklyn History's Othmer Library and online at the Oral History Portal.

Subjects

Organizations

Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (Queens, New York, N.Y.); Desis Rising Up and Moving (Queens, New York, N.Y.)

People

Akter, Syeda; Ferdous, Annie

Topics

Arranged marriage -- Bangladesh; Bangladeshis -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Child rearing -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Immigrants -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Islam -- Customs and practices; Islamic education of children -- New York (State) -- New York (State); Medical assistants -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Muslim families -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Women in Islam

Places

Bangladesh; Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.); East New York (New York, N.Y.); Kensington (New York, N.Y.)

Oral History Interview with Syeda Akter, May 22, 2018