Kensington street in NY co-named 'Little Bangladesh'

A section of McDonald Avenue in Kensington has been officially co-named "Little Bangladesh" to celebrate the Bangladeshi community living there and its contributions to the neighbourhood.

Kensington is a neighbourhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, located south of Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery.

Council member Shahana Hanif joined leaders from the local Bangladeshi community, city Comptroller Brad Lander, and Assemblymember Robert Carroll as they unveiled the new street sign at the corner of Church Avenue on 16 October, Brooklyn Paper reported.

At the event, local children sang and spoke about the importance of their heritage and the co-naming as they and their families waved American and Bangladeshi flags. 

Local community groups sang and celebrated the co-naming. Photo by Caroline Ourso

The growing Bangladeshi community has been a cornerstone of the area for years, especially on the streets where Bangladeshi cafés and restaurants abound. About 16% of the city's Bangladeshi population lives in Brooklyn, according to a 2019 survey by the Asian-American Federation, and the number of Bangladeshi people living in New York City doubled between 2010 and 2020, according to city data. 

Recognizing the community was particularly important to Hanif — the daughter of immigrants from Bangladesh and the first Muslim woman to be elected to the City Council.

"Why add the name Little Bangladesh to the McDonald Avenue and Church Avenue corridor?", Shahana Hanif wrote on Instagram after the co-naming. "It is so that we see this neighbourhood as our home and to further establish our commitment to serving and protecting this community."

Further elaborating on the significance of the move, she writes, "It signifies our presence and power in this City - we are the fastest growing Asian community and we are a visible face that New Yorkers interact with every single day. It is to empower us to continue advocating and organizing for a dignified life - dignified housing, dignified workplaces and wages, and dignified education and more."

Councilmember Shahana Hanif, who grew up in Kensington and is the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, managed to get the co-naming approved after just ten months in office. Photo by Caroline Ourso

"It is to recognize the many struggles of those who arrived in Brooklyn 40 or so years ago, crossing harsh terrain from Sandwip, Noakhali, Chittagong and facing even harsher terrain here, and it is to celebrate our community's accomplishments and resilience. This street is a permanent part of this community for generations to witness our contributions and legacy and our love for Kensington," she added.

The councilmember — who previously worked in Lander's office — proposed co-naming the street back in April, just a few months after a Queens intersection was dubbed "Little Bangladesh Avenue" to celebrate the significant Bangladeshi population there. 

"For years everyone knew this was the heart of Brooklyn's Bangladeshi community; it's nice to put a name on it," Carroll said. "Major credit must be given to our City Councilmember … who made this possible."