News24USA.Com Desk, New York : Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL) National Secretary Mohammed Karim Chowdhury named Staten Island Power 100 by prestigious political journal ‘City and State of New York’ for 2023 as one the most influential political figures in Staten Island, New York. Mr. Chowdhury was also recognized as one of the most influential political figures by the same journal in 2021 & 2022. Mr. Chowdhury has been fighting against discrimination and injustice against South Asians and other minority groups.
Mr. Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi American civil servant residing in Staten Island since 1997. He has been actively involved in New York State Labor movement from 2001 to present and play many important roles as a labor leader. Currently he serves as the Executive Board Member for New York State Public Employee Federation-NYS PEF. Leading 55,000 New York State Employees.
Mr. Chowdhury is a registered democrats, Executive Board Member and Labor Chair of The Staten Island Democratic party. He was the only Bangladeshi in New York State elected as Democratic National Convention Delegate from Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris slate in 2019.
Mr. Chowdhury is well known to main stream American political spectrum in New York and beyond. He achieved many recognitions/ awards including US Congressional award, many City and State proclamations/citations for his devotion in organizing the unorganized and providing the voice for voiceless.
Mohammed Karim Chowdhury is a first-generation immigrant who migrated to America in 1997 from Bangladesh. He arrived in America with a Master of Social Science Degree in Sociology from The University of Dhaka and huge experience in South & Southeast Asian political struggle.
Upon arrival in New York, Mr. Chowdhury immediately started organizing the South Asians in his new hometown of Staten Island, NY. He initially started working with low-income immigrant families, finding good paying jobs, and helping them overcome their poverty. He inspired many immigrant adults to explore alternative avenues in finding good paying jobs in both public and private sectors.
He has been providing continuous support to immigrant families in Staten Island and around the city to stand on their own feet using all available public and private opportunities. With his direct and indirect support, hundreds of immigrants & under privileged families went from tax consumers to tax generators. He enjoys serving others and takes pride in solving issues faced by individuals and families. He helps members of his communities in finding jobs, resume preparation and improvement, applying for jobs, job training and educational opportunities. He also helps with filing unemployment applications, welfare benefits, social security benefits and immigration petitions. He is well known in immigrant communities and minority groups in Staten Island & beyond for his selfless devotion for others.
Mr. Chowdhury joined the New York City Civil Service System in 2001 & became an active member of NYC Local 371. He was an active union member and organized members in his unit.
Mr. Chowdhury moved to the NYS Civil Service System in 2007 and became an active member of the New York State Public Employee Federation (PEF). Mr. Chowdhury became the Council Leader for PEF Division 349 and led the division from 2019-2021. He was appointed as the Co-Chair for the Joint Affirmative Action Advisory Committee to deal with mounting complaints of discrimination against state agencies, where he reviews complaints of discrimination and helps members find appropriate resolutions for their complaints including filing grievances/cases with NYS, DHR and EEOC. He represents PEF in the New York City Central Labor Council/NYC CLC.
Mr. Chowdhury played an important role in reviving the Richmond County Democratic Party in 2018/2019 to make this organization more inclusive and efficient in political engagements. He was nominated as the Executive member of the Richmond County Democratic Party. He was also elected as the Judicial Delegate for AD 61 in 2018 & reelected repeatedly as of now. He was Elected as the President Joseph Biden’s delegate and joined the Democratic National Convention in 2019 from NY Congressional District 11.
Mr. Chowdhury also seats in the Statewide Labor Management and Health & Safety Committees, where he helps address disputes between PEF members and the management. He is known as a dedicated and devoted labor leader as well as a successful community organizer in New York and in many other states. He identifies the issues, priorities, and finds solutions through engagements and activism.
While Mr. Chowdhury has been an active labor leader & community organizer, he joined ASAAL - Alliance of South Asian American Labor - in 2015 as the Secretary of the Staten Island Chapter. He organized South Asians in Staten Island under the ASAAL banner and built a strong coalition among various minority groups. ASAAL became the voice for the voiceless and a dominating force in Staten Island within a year under his leadership. ASAAL played an important role in voter registration, census participation, and building public opinion in Staten Island.
Mr. Chowdhury’s unparalleled leadership during the pandemic was well recognized by South Asians and many elected officials in New York and several other states. He has personally participated in many community outreach activities in Staten Island and other parts of the city encouraging members of the communities for their active participation in Census 2020. He met many community groups, organizations, and individuals in person to build the consensus on census participation. He played an active role in achieving the highest census participation in 2020.
ASAAL distributed hundreds of thousands of face masks, hand sanitizer bottles, and food boxes during the pandemic in Staten Island and all other boroughs in NYC. Mr. Chowdhury personally delivered food and medicine to infected families during the pandemic. He and his volunteers took risks to serve others during the pandemic while delivering supplies essential to our communities. He stood at street corners, mosques, Mandirs-Hindu temples, Sikh Gurdwaras, and supermarket parking lots in various weather conditions during the heights of the pandemic to distribute these supplies.
Mr. Chowdhury became the National Secretary of ASAAL in 2016 leading five chapters in NYC and a chapter in New Jersey. Under his leadership, ASAAL grew to 20 chapters in ten different states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Georgia, Florida & Michigan. He frequently travels to different states to organize South Asians and build coalitions among similar-minded communities and form a bigger and bolder voice. His focus is on organizing communities to address the ongoing local and national issues while preparing them for a better future & bolder voice. Organizing, listening to others, helping others and serving the community are his passions.
His unparalleled organizing skills, voicing for the unrepresented or underrepresented, personal dedication and devotion to the betterment of our communities are an example of good citizenship we rarely see in our society.
Mr. Chowdhury is a father of three beautiful children. His older son Fatin Iftekhar (22) graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science at CUNY - Hunter College. His younger son Fatin Ishteaaque (19) completed High School Degree from Staten Island Technical High School & currently pursuing his college degree in Biology at Stony Brook University. His daughter Manha Kareema Mahjabeen (11) is a sixth grader at IS 27. His wife Farhana Ahmed is a NYC Civil Servant and a member of NYC local 1549. Press Rekease.