This oral history interview is an intimate conversation between two people, both of whom have generously agreed to share this recording with Oral History Summer School, and with you. Please listen in the spirit with which this was shared.

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please inquire about permissions.

All rights are reserved by Oral History Summer School.

Researchers will understand that:

  • Oral History Summer School abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association (2018) and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
  • Unless verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator’s speech while editing the material for the standards of print.
  • All citations must be attributed to Oral History Summer School:
    Narrator’s Name, Oral history interview, YYYY, Oral History Summer School
Library

Jabin Ahmed

June 15, 2019

|

Hudson, NY

Song

Recorded by

Nicole Galpern

This interview is available in-person only. Please get in touch if you would like to listen.
Is this your interview?
Click here to respond.
x
Summary:

In this interview Jabin talks about her participation in various communities in Hudson. She discusses her involvement in the youth group, Time & Space Limited, when she was younger and the growth of youth programs in Hudson. She reflects on the types of friendships she’s made and talks about what it’s like to see longtime friend, Kamal, running for mayor. She discusses past Thanksgivings and celebrating them as a Bangladeshi family and what winters were like in Hudson. She explores American and Bangladeshi cultures and how family dynamics have changed since her marriage. She talks about the difficulties she faced as a Muslim girl after the September 11th attacks. She reflects on how she tried to fit in with her classmates when she was younger, liking an influential teacher and how she became more comfortable with her identity. Jabin discusses how she chose her academic and career paths. She talks about traveling to Bangladesh frequently and the importance of language to her. She recounts what it’s like to stand up for herself and gives a couple of examples. Jabin explains the principles and values that guide her daily life. She discusses being in an arranged marriage and reads a message to her husband in Bengali. She reflects on a springtime memory in Hudson.

This interview may be of interest to people who would like to learn more about the growth and value of youth programs in an American city; the experience of a young bilingual second generation Muslim Bengali woman in an American city; an arranged marriage in the the early 21st century; the experience of an activist who faced discriminated by her peers; the method and criteria for when a woman chooses to stand up for herself.

Interviewer Bio:
Nicole Galpern

Nicole Galpern is a video producer and language documentarian based in Ridgewood, New York. She has documented endangered languages throughout New York City and in the Pamir region of Tajikistan. She is interested in her neighborhood, the public’s transition to the internet and what people regard as “wasted time.”

Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
,
Bengali
,
Audio quality:
High

Audio Quality Scale

Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.

Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.

High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.

Permissions: 

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please click here to inquire about permissions.

Part of this interview may be played in a radio broadcast or podcast.

Oral history is an iterative process. In keeping with oral history values of anti-fixity, interviewees will have an opportunity to add, annotate and reflect upon their lives and interviews in perpetuity. Talking back to the archive is a form of “shared authority.”

Is this your interview?
Click here
to leave updates or reflections on your life, your interview or your listening experience.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.